Insurance Journal

Business Moves: Earnix Agrees to Acquire Insurtech and AI Specialist Zelros

Earnix, the software-as-a-service (SaaS) specialist, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Zelros, the Paris-based insurtech and developer of artificial intelligence solutions. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. By...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Smoke Shop Ordered to Pay $4.9 Million for ‘Persistent Illegal Cannabis Sales’

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has secured a $4.93 million judgment against Planet Zaza of East Haven and its owner, Mohamed Alraishani, following “persistent illegal cannabis sales in spite of a court order and repeated law enforcem...

Posted: May 06, 2025

M&S, Co-op Cyberattackers Duped IT Help Desks Into Resetting Passwords, Report Says

Cyberattacks on Britain’s Marks & Spencer and Co-op Group started with hackers impersonating employees while contacting the retailers’ IT help desks, technology specialist site BleepingComputer reported. The site said the hackers were...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Insurance + APIs: How Superior Data Is Key to Distribution Channel Management

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Distribution channel management relies on real-time producer data For insurance organizations looking to optimize their distribution channel management, having access to accurate, up-to-the-day pr...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Q1 Has Lowest Insurance Agency M&A in 5 Years; Mega Deals Coming?

The first three months of 2025 were the slowest quarter for insurance agency mergers and acquisitions since the second quarter 2020, according to investment banking and financial consulting firm OPTIS Partners. The total number of insurance agency me...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Money Laundering Risks Remain High in Switzerland, Financial Regulator Says

Money laundering and cyber risks remained high in Switzerland, the head of the country’s financial market regulator said on Monday, while there was an increasing risk of individuals and trying to get around financial sanctions on Russia. Money-...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Florida Bill Passes Making it Easier for Agents to Seek Surplus Lines Coverage

Starting July 1, Florida insurance agents will no longer need to make a “diligent effort” to find coverage for hard-to-place properties before turning to surplus lines insurance if the governor signs House Bill 1549 into law. But a separa...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Oregon’s Compensable Worker Fatalities Down in 2024, Report Shows

Oregon saw a drop in worker deaths last years, according to newly released data from the state’s Department of Consumer and Business Services. But despite the overall decline, the numbers show that certain industries—particularly logging and co...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Ex-State Trooper Found Guilty of Taking Bribes to Pass Commercial Drivers

A former Massachusetts state police sergeant was found guilty Friday of taking part in a scheme to take bribes, including a new snowblower and a driveway, in exchange for giving passing scores on commercial driving tests. Gary Cederquist, 59, of &#82...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Hub Acquires Allegiant Global Partners of Massachusetts

Global insurance broker Hub International Limited reported it has acquired the assets of Allegiant Global Partners, Inc. (AGP) of Boston. AGP is a health, welfare and risk consulting firm serving global employers. AGP serves the needs of internationa...

Posted: May 06, 2025

Message App That Waltz Was Seen Using Is Probing Possible Breach

TeleMessage, the message-archiving app that former National Security Adviser Michael Waltz appeared to be using in a photograph of him communicating with other Trump administration officials, is investigating whether hackers exploited its technology....

Posted: May 05, 2025

11 Face Charges in NY School Hazing That Allegedly Included Staged Armed Abduction

Members of a high school lacrosse program in upstate New York are accused of staging an armed abduction of younger players in a stunt that “went way beyond hazing,” prosecutors said this week. All 11 people believed to be involved …

Posted: May 05, 2025

Spain Discloses New Power Grid Failure on Day of the Blackout

Spain’s high-voltage electricity grid suffered more power generation disruptions than previously known ahead of the country’s largest ever blackout, the government said. “There is new information: there was a third loss of power gen...

Posted: May 05, 2025

In The Wake of Devastating LA Fires, Residents Begin to Rebuild

Nearly four months after wildfires reduced thousands of Los Angeles-area homes to rubble and ash, some residents are starting to rebuild. In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, construction workers recently began placing wooden beams to frame a house...

Posted: May 05, 2025

Insurers Paid $612M on Kansas Storm Damage Claims in 2024

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt released data last month on the amount paid by insurance companies for Kansas storm damage claims in 2024. In 2024, reported storm claims totaled 56,778 and the amount paid out on those claims by insurance...

Posted: May 05, 2025

TWFG Acquires Agencies in Texas and North Carolina

TWFG, Inc., a high-growth insurance distribution company, announced the acquisition of two agencies, one in Texas and one in North Carolina, and the hiring of Denise Davis as Vice President of Retail Operations. Denise Davis Insurance, located in Tom...

Posted: May 05, 2025

People Moves: Aon Names DiLorenzo as Head of US Casualty for Reinsurance Solutions; Brit Promotes Mu...

Aon Names DiLorenzo as Head of US Casualty for Reinsurance Solutions Insurance broker Aon plc named Anthony DiLorenzo as head of US casualty for Reinsurance Solutions, effective immediately. In his new role DiLorenzo will be responsible for leading c...

Posted: May 05, 2025

Auto Insurance Market Stays Rational Despite Improved Trends, Says Allstate

Allstate Corp. CEO Tom Wilson said he does not expect auto insurers to get more aggressive on pricing as the industry’s increases seem to have leveled off. For the most part, Wilson explained to analysts during a call to discuss …

Posted: May 05, 2025

AmeriCorps Cuts Leave Vulnerable Homeowners Struggling After Natural Disasters

Years had passed since Hurricane Harvey’s howling winds and heavy rains tore apart Dan Lee’s century-old roof in West Columbia, south of Houston. Then came the knock on his door. It was Mosaic in Action, a nonprofit that has helped &#8230...

Posted: May 05, 2025

Mother of Dead Inmate Sues Troubled Wisconsin Prison

The mother of an inmate who died of dehydration and malnutrition at Wisconsin’s oldest maximum security prison last year has filed a federal lawsuit, marking the fourth action brought by relatives of inmates who have died at the troubled instit...

Posted: May 05, 2025

Space X Workers in South Texas Approve Measure to Incorporate Area as a New City

Elon Musk’s wish to create his own city just came true. On Saturday, voters living around SpaceX’s rocket testing and launch facility in South Texas approved a measure to incorporate the area as a new city. Soon after polls closed …

Posted: May 05, 2025

Markets/Coverages: AXIS Launches Cyber and Liability Policy for Canadian SMEs

AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda-based specialty re/insurer, announced the launch of an insurance policy that offers customizable cyber and specialist liability coverage to companies in Canada with up to C$2 billion (US$1.5 billion) in revenue...

Posted: May 05, 2025

North Carolina Man Charged With ID Theft, Filing Multiple Auto Claims

North Carolina authorities last week charged a man with 21 felonies, including insurance fraud and theft, after he reportedly stole identities and filed false auto claims with four insurance companies. Damain Rayshawn Cummings, 30, of Zebulon, appear...

Posted: May 05, 2025

Q1 Net Income at CNA Financial Down 19%

CNA Financial Corporation reported first quarter net income of $274 million, down 19% from the same period a year ago. CNA’s property/casualty operations booked net income of $311 million, with underwriting income of $40 million for Q1 2025, co...

Posted: May 05, 2025

AAA’s Members, Universal Pay Fines, $2.6 Million in Refunds After NC Conduct Report

Two subsidiaries of Auto Club Group have agreed to refund $2.6 million to policyholders and to pay $113,000 in fines after a market conduct examination by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Members Insurance Co. and Universal Insurance Co.,...

Posted: May 05, 2025