Insurance Journal

Vital Baltimore Bridge Collapses After Being Struck by a Ship

A major commuter bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being rammed by a container ship, causing vehicles to plunge into the water and threatening chaos at one of the most important ports on the US East Coast. Baltimore Fire Chief James …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

5th Circuit: Chubb Must Cover SXSW in Suit Over Cancelled 2020 Festival

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that Chubb must cover restitution claims paid to ticket holders of the 2020 South by Southwest film festival cancelled due to COVID-19. A three-judge panel reversed a summary judgment in favor …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Musk’s X Corp. Loses Lawsuit Against Hate Speech Watchdog

A U.S. judge on Monday threw out Elon Musk’s lawsuit against a nonprofit group that faulted him for allowing a rise in hate speech on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Consumers Sue Apple, Taking Page From US Justice Department Lawsuit

Apple has been hit with a flurry of new consumer lawsuits accusing the iPhone maker of monopolizing the smartphone market, piggybacking on a sweeping antitrust case lodged by the U.S. Justice Department and 15 states last week. At least three …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Stacking Cracks: 30 Years of UIM Coverage Rules are Wrong, NC Supreme Court Says

North Carolinians can no longer stack underinsured motorist policies to compare to liability limits in order to boost the amount of coverage in an accident, the state Supreme Court said last week in a decision that overturns 30 years of …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Stacking Cracks: 30 Years of UIM Coverage Rules Are Wrong, NC Supreme Court Says

North Carolinians can no longer stack underinsured motorist policies to compare to liability limits in order to boost the amount of coverage in an accident, the state Supreme Court said last week in a decision that overturns 30 years of …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

US, UK Accuse China of Cyberespionage That Hit Millions of People

U.S. and British officials on Monday filed charges, imposed sanctions, and accused Beijing of a sweeping cyberespionage campaign that allegedly hit millions of people including lawmakers, academics and journalists, and companies including defense con...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

People Moves: Aspire in California Names McQuaid VP of Product; CWCI Elects 2024 Board of Directors

Aspire Appoints McQuaid VP of Product Aspire General Insurance, headquartered in Cucamonga, California, named Pam McQuaid vice president of product. McQuaid has more than 25 years of extensive experience in insurance product management. She comes fro...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Couple Alleging Racial Bias in Home Appraisal Settles With Lender

A Black couple who claimed mortgage lender loanDepot denied a refinancing of their mortgage because it relied upon a racially biased, considerably low appraisal of their Baltimore home have agreed to a legal settlement in which the lender vows to &#8...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Residents Await Explanation After Small Maryland Town Suspends Entire Police Force

A small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore has suspended its entire police force pending the results of an investigation by state prosecutors, a largely unexplained decision that has left residents shocked, skeptical and on edge. The unusually ha...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Maine Approves 19% Drop in Workers’ Compensation Loss Costs Starting Next Month

Newly-installed Maine Insurance Superintendent Robert Carey announced approval of an average workers’ compensation insurance loss cost decrease of 19%. The new loss costs go into effect for new and renewing policies as of April 1, 2024. Carey s...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Maine Approves 19% Drop in Workers’ Compensation Costs Starting in April

Newly-installed Maine Insurance Superintendent Robert Carey announced approval of an average workers’ compensation insurance loss cost decrease of 19%. The new loss costs go into effect for new and renewing policies as of April 1, 2024. Carey s...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Nevada Casino Settles for $500K for Incidents Involving Security Officers

Nevada gambling regulators fined a hotel-casino in Laughlin a record $500,000 in a settlement with the state Gaming Control Board stemming from a pair of incidents involving security officers who roughed up a patron and a resort employee nearly two &...

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Lawsuit in New Mexico Alleges Abuse by Catholic Priest Decades Ago

A man who says he was sexually abused as a boy by a priest in New Mexico in the 1960s sued the church and diocese this week, the latest case to surface in the state as the Roman Catholic Church …

Posted: Mar 26, 2024

Are Your Business Decisions Backed by Good Data?

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. 4 qualities that distinguish good insurance business data from bad America may run on Dunkin’, but insurance runs on data. Data impacts every part of insurance. Underwriting, rating, pricing...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Plummer Acquires Nebraska’s Classic One

Plummer Insurance, Inc. announced the acquisition of Classic One Insurance from Riverstone Bank, effective March 15, 2024. Plummer Insurance was established in 1984 by Steve and Helen Plummer. The agency currently has nine locations in Western Nebras...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

People Moves: BMS Hires Howden’s Spraggs, Austwick and Woolcott for FinPro Division; Newline Opens S...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the broker BMS Group and the re/insurer Newline Group. A summary of these new hires follows there. BMS Hires Howden’s Spraggs, Austwick and Woolcott for FinPro Division BMS, the...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Arkansas Private Railroad Fined $910K Over Hazardous Waste Violations

The EPA recently finalized a settlement with the Arkansas Midland Railroad Company over alleged hazardous waste violations at a private rail track in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The company illegally stored more than 750,000 gallons of highly flammable ha...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Barn Collapse in Southern Illinois Kills 1 Man, Injures Another

WATERLOO, Ill. (AP) — One man was killed and another was injured in southern Illinois when a barn partially collapsed into a burn pit and caught fire, authorities said. A man called 911 at 9:35 a.m. Saturday and said a …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Coming and Going, Extended Premises Rules Don’t Help Employee Injured on Crosswalk

An employee of a diagnostics firm in Virginia who was injured when she fell on a crosswalk on her way to work is not entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWCC) has upheld a deputy comm...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Russia’s Oil Is Finally Getting Snarled by Sanctions

The Russian oil-export machine funding the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine is finally getting some grit in its gears. Indian oil refiners — Moscow’s second-biggest customers after China since the 2022 invasion — will no longer accept tankers own...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Markets/Coverages: Marsh Creates Cyber Group Captive for Clients Seeking More Stability in Insurance...

Marsh, the insurance broker, risk adviser and a unit of Marsh McLennan, announced the creation of Edgware Re Ltd., a group captive insurance company for organizations seeking more control and stability in their cyber insurance programs. Based in Berm...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

California Work Safety Board Approves Indoor Heat Rules, But Another State Agency Raises Objections

As global warming raises temperatures, a California work safety board has approved standards that would require companies to protect employees from excessive indoor heat, particularly in warehouses. The rules still need to overcome opposition by anot...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

West Virginia Lawmakers Ban Smoking in Cars with Kids Present

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia, which has the highest rate of adult cigarette use in the nation, became the 12th state to ban smoking in vehicles with children present under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice on …

Posted: Mar 25, 2024

Two Crew Members on Florida-based Cruise Line Die in Ship’s Engineering Space

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship died during an “incident” in the ship’s engineering space, the cruise line said. The unidentified crew members died Friday while the Florida-based Nieuw...

Posted: Mar 25, 2024