Insurance Journal

US Home Insurance Premiums May Hit a Record This Year, Report Warns

US home insurance rates are expected to reach a record high this year, with the biggest increases occurring in states prone to severe weather events, according to a new analysis. The average premium for homeowners insurance in the US is …

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Massachusetts Lawmakers Advance ‘Hot Work’ Oversiight Bill

A decade after two firefighters died when they became trapped in a brownstone in Boston’s historic Back Bay neighborhood by a fire caused by sparks from welders working next door, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill Thursday aimed at toughen...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Massachusetts Lawmakers Advance ‘Hot Work’ Oversight Bill

A decade after two firefighters died when they became trapped in a brownstone in Boston’s historic Back Bay neighborhood by a fire caused by sparks from welders working next door, the Massachusetts Senate passed a bill Thursday aimed at toughen...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

US Finalizes New Tailpipe Emissions Limits for Heavy Duty Vehicles

The U.S. government said on Friday it was finalizing tighter tailpipe emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles like semi-trucks and buses, but the new rules would not be as strict as initially proposed in 2023. The Environmental Protection Agency...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Other Major US Bridge Collapses Caused by Ships and Barges

A container ship struck a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, [March 26] causing it to plunge into the river below. From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collision, with a …

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Baltimore Ship Accident Has East Coast Ports Scrambling to Absorb Cargo

Ports along the US East Coast are modifying their operations to absorb cargo diverted from Baltimore harbor, where salvage specialists are starting the daunting task of clearing debris from the destroyed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The Port of Virginia...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Viewpoint: AI Is Changing the Cyber Risk Landscape

Innovation is at the heart of the human experience, with a constant stream of new ideas and inventions changing the way we conduct business. But seismic shifts in technology don’t come all at once, or even at a steady pace—they …

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

AM Best Downgrades Ratings of State Farm General

Roughly a week after State Farm announced that it would nonrenew tens of thousands of homeowners and commercial apartment policies in California, AM Best has downgraded the company that offered those policies. Last week, State Farm cited its responsi...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

FEMA: SW Florida Stripped of Flood Insurance Discounts After ‘Improper Rebuilds’

After spiking premiums, nonrenewals and complaints about unpaid claims, more than 115,000 property owners in southwest Florida are now facing a new slap in the face after 2022’s Hurricane Ian: 25% higher flood insurance rates because local offi...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Georgia Lawmakers Approve PTSD Disability Insurance Bill with Smaller Payout

The Georgia General Assembly has approved a less-expensive version of a bill that would provide a type of disability insurance for first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. The state Senate last week voted unanimously in favor o...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Oregon OSHA Fines Bend Contractor $103K for Repeated Fall Protection Violations

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division fined a Bend construction company $103,438 for repeatedly violating a requirement to provide protective systems to safeguard workers from fall hazards. The division cited Sky Ridge Construction LLC f...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Cryptocurrency Asset Platform Settles with Oregon over Violations

The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation reached a settlement agreement in principle with a cryptocurrency asset platform for violating state securities regulations. The group of affiliated companies known as Abra – Plutus Financial Holdings Inc.,...

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

Baltimore Port Closure Sends Companies Scrambling to Reroute Cargo

The stunning collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is diverting shipping and trucking around one of the busiest ports on America’s East Coast, creating delays and raising costs in the latest disruption to global supply chains....

Posted: Apr 01, 2024

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: Unlocking Insurance Company Capital for Community Investment

Washington, D.C., April 1, 2024 – In collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Center for Community Investment (a sponsored project at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors) seeks ideas and information from insurance and reinsuranc...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Florida High Court Clarifies Things. Ruling Could Cut Damages for Bars Serving Booze to Minors

Liquor liability insurers in Florida can contemplate potentially lower loss costs on policies, after a recent state Supreme Court ruling that clarified when bars and restaurants can be held partially versus completely liable for some alcohol-related...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Survey: Most Architects and Engineers Professional Liability Rates to Rise

By Allen Laman Most insurers plan to increase architects and engineers (A&E) professional liability insurance rates for a third consecutive year, according to a new survey by Ames & Gough. The specialty insurance broker reported that the incr...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Securing Life Insurance Alternatives for Clients in War Risk Zones

Warfare has raged on our planet since man first walked upright and disputed territorial boundaries. Those battles have impacted not only the lives of those they came into direct contact with, but also those on the periphery, particularly in the &#823...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

2024 Elections to Direct Global Course for Next Decade-Plus: Marsh Specialty

More than 60 elections will be held worldwide in 2024, and the outcomes will likely affect international relationships, drive policy uncertainty and disrupt markets, Marsh Specialty leaders said in a new political risk report. “The outcomes of...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Homeowners Insurance Customers Are Not Happy

Did your homeowners insurance premium go up this year? Mine did. Of course I live just outside of Austin, Texas, where wildfire risk has risen significantly as the state battles ongoing severe drought. Even with a nearly 25% increase in …

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Lloyd’s Reports Banner Year in 2023 but “Disciplined Underwriting” Must Be Maintained

By L.S. Howard The strong 2023 results at Lloyd’s reaffirm the primacy of underwriting, “but it’s one year and therefore not a reason for complacency,” said Patrick Tiernan, chief of markets, in a market message to discuss pre...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Relationship Refresher: 5 Ways to Keep Your Professional Relationships Fresh

With technology relentlessly simplifying many parts of our business, and consolidations changing the competitive landscape as well, personal service businesses will continue to be challenged to rethink their business models in the coming years. Typic...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

NTSB Investigates Fatal Texas Ford Electric Vehicle Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal crash in San Antonio, Texas, involving a Ford electric vehicle that may have been using a partially automated driving system. The agency said in a statement Friday that a team of &#823...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

The Cyber Risk Pendulum

Privacy risk is so 2014, right? Ten years ago, numerous retail and healthcare companies were hit with data breaches related to the exposure of credit card or healthcare data. Given many data breach claims, which included fines by state attorney &#823...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

Unlocking Success in the Insurance Industry: The Power of Account-Based Marketing

In the insurance industry, staying ahead of the competition requires innovative approaches to client acquisition and relationship management. One strategy gaining prominence is account-based marketing (ABM), a targeted and personalized approach that...

Posted: Mar 31, 2024

3 Things to Know About Condo Association Boards

By Patrick Wraight The condo association takes on a special level of responsibility because of the unique form of ownership that is the condominium. To make sure we are all on the same footing, a condominium is a form of …

Posted: Mar 31, 2024