Insurance Journal

FTP of California Rebrands as Hinterland Insurance, Moves HQ to Colorado

FTP of California LLC has rebranded to Hinterland Insurance and moved its headquarters to the Denver Tech Center in Colorado. The rebrand is part of a larger strategy to reflect the firm’s growing business in the U.S. The company continues &#82...

Posted: Feb 29, 2024

Ohio on Tornado Watch After Storms Sweep Midwest: Weather Watch

Eleven tornadoes were reported across the Midwest, with five coming in Illinois, four in Ohio and two in Michigan, the US Storm Prediction Center said as of 7 a.m. New York time. In addition, there were 36 instances of high …

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Ohio Pizza Hut to Pay $13K in Damages for Discrimination Lawsuit

DT Pizza, a restaurant in Zanesville, Ohio doing business as Pizza Hut, will pay $13,083 in damages and $1,916 in back pay to resolve disability discrimination and harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), t...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Oil Heavyweights Take Aim at Biden’s LNG Permitting Freeze

Top oil industry lobbying groups set the stage for a potential lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s pause in approving new liquefied natural gas exports. In a petition filed Monday with the Energy Department, the American Petroleum In...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Texas Firefighters Face ‘Another Tricky Day’ Battling Blazes

Texas firefighters are facing “another tricky day” battling flames fanned by dry winds across the Great Plains, although threats to towns and ranches may ease overnight amid forecasts for rain and snow. Shifting winds may push the flames...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Voyant Beauty Agrees to $75K Settlement Over Disability Discrimination Suit

Voyant Beauty, LLC will pay $75,000 and provide other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. The EEOC charged in its suit that Voyant termin...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Florida Condo Sales, Prices Have Fallen Thanks to Insurance, HOA Costs, Redfin Says

Condominium sales and prices in Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa and other parts of Florida have dropped over the past year, largely due to the soaring cost of property insurance and association fees, according to Redfin, a U.S. real estate and …

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Over 44,400 Lives Lost Due US Vehicle Crashes in 2023

There were about 44,450 motor vehicle fatalities in the United States in 2023—down from 2022 but still very high—according to a preliminary analysis released by the National Safety Council (NSC). Fatalities were down 4% from 2022 but still up 13.6% &...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Over 44,400 Lives Lost Due to US Vehicle Crashes in 2023

There were about 44,450 motor vehicle fatalities in the United States in 2023—down from 2022 but still very high—according to a preliminary analysis released by the National Safety Council (NSC). Fatalities were down 4% from 2022 but still up 13.6% &...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

US, Philippines Pay Highest Economic Price for Climate-Fueled Weather

The United States and the Philippines are the countries hit hardest by climate-driven extreme weather, measured as a percentage of their economies, according to a report released Wednesday by global reinsurance giant Swiss Re. The US currently experi...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

WV Governor’s Coal Company Found in Contempt, Must Pay BrickStreet for Comp Loss

A coal company owned by West Virginia’s governor has been found in contempt of court and must face fines of $2,500 a day until it pays its contractual obligations to its workers’ compensation insurance carrier, a federal judge decided. Br...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

EPA Directs $1 Billion to 25 Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanups

The U.S. environment regulator said on Tuesday it is launching new cleanup projects at 25 hazardous waste sites from New Jersey to Oregon with $1 billion in funds. The sites are in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program, origin...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

FAA Criticizes Boeing, Says it Wants a Plan in 90 Days to Address Quality Problems

Boeing it must develop a comprehensive action plan to address “systemic quality-control issues” within 90 days, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday, following an all-day meeting with the planemaker’s CEO Dave Cal...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

People Moves: AXIS Names Lord as Global CIO, Barriero as Head of Strategic Sourcing, Corporate Real...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at AXIS Capital Holdings and Xenia Broking Group. A summary of these new hires follows here. AXIS Names Lord as Global CIO, Barriero as Head of Strategic Sourcing, Corporate Real Estate...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

False Claims Act Cases Resulted in $2.7B in Fiscal Year 2023: DOJ

The U.S. Department of Justice said a record 543 settlements and judgements under the False Claims Act resulted in about $2.7 billion in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023. The amount of settlements and judgements was a 54% increase …

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Jury Must Decide If Virginia Sheriff’s Killing of Dog Was Constitutional

A Virginia deputy sheriff must face a jury over whether his shooting to death of a dog was justified or if it was unconstitutional before it can be determined if he is entitled to qualified immunity, a federal appeals court …

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Update: Ageas Outlines £3.1 Billion Bid for UK Insurer Direct Line

Ageas said it is considering a possible offer for Direct Line Insurance Group Plc, outlining a bid for the UK insurer that would be at a premium of 42.8% to the Tuesday closing price. The Belgian insurer said in a …

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Direct Line Rejects Ageas £3.1 Billion Takeover Bid, Sources Say

Belgian insurer Ageas made an approach to buy Direct Line Insurance Group Plc in recent weeks that was rejected, according to people familiar with the matter. Ageas has been working with advisers on the potential acquisition, they said, asking not &#...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Direct Line Rejects ‘Unattractive’ £3.1 Billion Bid From Ageas

Direct Line Insurance Group Plc said its board unanimously rejected a bid from Ageas, describing the offer as “uncertain” and “unattractive.” The Belgian insurer said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that “it is in the p...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

FTP of California Rebrands as Hinterland Insurance Amid Continued Expansion

Company headquarters moved to Denver, CO Denver, CO, February 28, 2024 – FTP of California, LLC, announced today it has rebranded to Hinterland Insurance (‘Hinterland’), and moved company headquarters to Denver, Colorado’s Tech Cent...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Houthis Say They Could Reassess Red Sea Attacks if Israeli ‘Aggression’ Stops

Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they could only reconsider their missile and drone attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea once Israel ends its “aggression” in the Gaza Strip. Asked if they would halt the attacks if a cease...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Banks, Insurers Targeted as Climate Group Seeks EU Review of Deforestation Rule

Climate activists are putting pressure on the European Union to reconsider its decision to exclude banks from a landmark deforestation rule, in a move designed to preempt an official review of the regulation next year. UK-based nonprofit Global Canop...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Southern Water Fined for Sewage Spill That Killed 2,000 Fish in England

Southern Water was fined £330,000 on Tuesday after admitting a raw sewage spill that killed thousands of fish on the edge of England’s South Downs National Park. Southern, which supplies more than 4.6 million people in England, acknowledged tha...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

UK Has More ‘Fragile Firms’ Than EU Peers: Allianz Report

The UK has the highest proportion of “fragile firms” out of all major European economies, another sign of the headwinds facing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he attempts to boost growth. About 15% of small and medium-sized enterprises in t...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024

Wildfires Forces Texas Panhandle Residents to Shelter in Place

Officials have ordered nearly 5,000 residents in the Panhandle cities of Canadian, Fritch and Glazier to shelter in place Tuesday as four separate wildfires engulfed the region, burning more than 280,000 acres. Residents in Hemphill County, where Can...

Posted: Feb 28, 2024