Insurance Journal

Viewpoint: Insurance Sector Adopts Easy-to-Use Technology for Digital Transformations

Upgrading or changing legacy platforms and enterprise software can be a nightmare to disentangle, particularly when dealing with existing operating systems, data storage, and payment processing software. When planning an upgrade, there have historica...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

McKinsey Faces US Criminal Probe Over Opioids Work, Sources Say

McKinsey & Co is under criminal investigation in the United States over allegations that the consulting firm played a key role in fueling the opioid epidemic, with federal prosecutors homing in on its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma a...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

Viewpoint: Insurers Face Added Role in Curbing Workplace Violence With California Law

New legislation aimed at reducing workplace violence in California vastly increases employers’ responsibilities and hands workers’ compensation insurers an unprecedented oversight role that is likely to trigger lawsuits and affect rates a...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

4,800 Claims Handled by Unlicensed Adjusters in Florida after Irma, Lawsuit Says

Two south Florida lawsuits against property insurers argue that two major carriers have employed a business strategy of hiring inexperienced or even unlicensed claims adjusters after storms, practices that have led to “lowball” damage est...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

4,800 Claims Handled by Unlicensed Adjusters in Florida After Irma, Lawsuit Says

Two south Florida lawsuits against property insurers argue that two major carriers employed a business strategy of hiring inexperienced or even unlicensed claims adjusters after storms, practices that have led to “lowball” damage estimate...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

PCF Insurance in Utah Secures $400M in Financing

PCF Insurance Services in Utah closed $400 million in incremental debt financing led by Blue Owl. The financing was materially oversubscribed and was upsized from $300 million to $400 million in response to demand from new and existing lenders. The &...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

Ex-Nebraska Women’s Basketball Assistant Denies Sexual Relationship With Player Who Sued

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Former Nebraska women’s basketball assistant coach Chuck Love denied ever having a sexual relationship with former Cornhuskers player Ashley Scoggin but acknowledged in a court document that he did meet with her late at night...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

Ex-Nebraska Women’s Basketball Assistant Denies Sexual Relationship With Player

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Former Nebraska women’s basketball assistant coach Chuck Love denied ever having a sexual relationship with former Cornhuskers player Ashley Scoggin but acknowledged in a court document that he did meet with her late at night...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

Youth, Environmental Groups Sue Maine to Force Action on Climate

A youth organization and a pair of environmental groups are suing the state of Maine to try to force the state to reduce carbon emissions in the era of climate change. Maine Youth Action, the Conservation Law Foundation and the …

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

People Moves: Folk Joins Alliant; Law Firm Clyde & Co. Adds Maroney

Timothy Folk has joined Alliant Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, California, as executive vice president, Alliant Specialty, in the firm’s agribusiness industry vertical. Folk focuses on food and beverage manufacturers and distribut...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

Jury Rules BNSF Contributed to 2 Deaths in Montana Town Where Asbestos Sickened Thousands

A federal jury said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened. The jury awarded $4 million …

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

Jury Rules BNSF Contributed to 2 Deaths in Montana Town Exposed to Asbestos

A federal jury said BNSF Railway contributed to the deaths of two people who were exposed to asbestos decades ago when tainted mining material was shipped through a Montana town where thousands have been sickened. The jury awarded $4 million …

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

People Moves: Liberty Names Rubin Senior Vice President, Benefits

The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers named Neal Rubin senior vice president, benefits. Rubin is based in Irvine, California. Rubin has more than 40 years of experience in the Southern California employee benefits sector. He spent seven years as vice...

Posted: Apr 25, 2024

GM Ends OnStar Driver Safety Program After Privacy Complaints

General Motors Co. has ended its OnStar Smart Driver program after customers complained it violated their privacy. OnStar had cut deals with LexisNexis and Verisk to share personal driving data as part of the program, which they then shared with &#82...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

People Moves: BHSI Names Humble as Head of Customer & Broker Engagement for South Central

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it has appointed Hart Humble to the newly created role of Head of Customer & Broker Engagement (C&BE) for the South Central U.S. Humble has spent more than 30 years in the &#8...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Chubb Wins Latest Battle With New York Diocese in Bid to Avoid Sex Abuse Claims

A New York state appeals court has reinstated Chubb insurance companies’ bid for judgments declaring that they are not obligated to cover thousands of sex abuse lawsuits brought against the Archdiocese of New York (ADNY). Chubb insurers have ma...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

AM Best Downgrades Credit Rating of Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Group

AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) of Farm Bureau County Mutual Insu...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Marsh McLennan Agency to Buy Fisher Brown Bottrell for About $316M

Marsh McLennan Agency, a subsidiary of Marsh, said it has a definitive agreement to acquire one of the largest agencies in the Southeast—Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, Inc. Marsh McLennan Agency will pay $315.9 million in cash, subject to customary...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Berkley CEO: Property E&S Momentum Slows but ‘Some More Hay’ to Be Made

When it comes to observations of the excess and surplus lines market, there is a difference between the momentum of liability and property lines, said W.R. Berkley CEO W. Robert Berkley, Jr. Addressing some talk that has painted a picture …

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Oakbridge Adds Strawn & Co. in Georgia

Atlanta-based OakBridge Insurance Agency has continued its rapid expansion with the acquisiton of Strawn & Co., headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, south of Atlanta. Strawn is one of the Atlanta area’s oldest and largest independent insura...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Workers’ Comp Apportion Evals Must be Well-Reasoned, WV Supreme Court Says

West Virginia law, like statutes in a number of states, allows employers to try and apportion contributions to a worker’s injury, including how much a pre-existing condition may have played a role. The employer/insurer holds the burden of proof...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Chamber of Commerce Sues to Block FTC’s Non-Compete Ban

Business groups led by the US Chamber of Commerce sued the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday seeking to block a rule finalized this week that would outlaw non-compete provisions that prohibit workers from switching jobs within an industry. In a comp...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

FAU Gets Grant to Study Seaweed Harvesting, Just as Blobs Approach South Florida

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are using a $1.3 million grant to see if huge blobs of seaweed can be harvested to help mitigate the economic impact on Florida beaches. The FAU Harbor Beach Oceanographic Institute this month announced the...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

District of Columbia AG Settles With NRA Over Alleged Violations of Nonprofit Law

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb last week announced a resolution of his office’s lawsuit against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the NRA Foundation that alleges misuse of nonprofit funds and other violations of t...

Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Jury Weighing Military Contractor’s Claim of Immunity for Abu Ghraib Abuse

A lawyer for the military contractor being sued by three survivors of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq told jurors Monday that the plaintiffs are suing the wrong people. “If you believe they were abused … tell them to …

Posted: Apr 24, 2024