Insurance Journal

Driverless Cars Covered 5x More Test Miles in California in 2023

Completely driverless vehicles traveled nearly 3.3 million miles in California last year, over five times the previous year’s total, even as concerns rose in the wake of a Cruise robotaxi accident, state data on vehicle testing released on Frid...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

People Moves: Howden Appoints Shalders as Group COO; Neighbour Named BMS Energy Director

Howden, headquartered in Renfrew, United Kingdom, appointed David Shalders as group chief operating officer. Shalders will join as an executive member of the Howden Group board and the global leadership team. Shalders joins Howden from LSEG (London S...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Tesla Runs Afoul of Font-Size Rule in 2.2 Million Electric Cars

Tesla drivers no longer have to squint to read the warning lights in their electric vehicles, thanks to eagle-eyed auditors at the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The regulator posted an unusual recall report on its website Friday...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

New England Patriots Sued Over Video Viewing App’s Alleged Privacy Violations

A Massachusetts man has filed a proposed class action lawsuit seeking $5 million against the New England Patriots for alleged privacy violations. The suit alleges that the team intentionally and knowingly discloses personally identifiable information...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Swedish Prosecutor Plans Nord Stream Blast Decision This Week

The prosecutor leading Sweden’s probe into the Nord Stream gas pipeline blasts in the Baltic Sea in 2022 plans to announce a decision this week on whether to drop the case, press charges or request that someone is detained, his …

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Marsh: ‘Stable’ Q4 Commercial Rate Increase of 2%

Broker Marsh said global commercial insurance rates increased by 2% at renewal in the fourth quarter of 2023, marking the 25th straight quarter of rate increases. “At a time of much global economic uncertainty, clients will welcome the increase...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Marsh: US Commercial Lines Rates Up 3% in Q4 2023

Broker Marsh said the composite rate change at renewal for U.S. commercial lines was up 3% in the fourth quarter 2023, led by an 11% increase in property rates. The Marsh Global Insurance Market Index said it was the 25th …

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Cone of Uncertainty to Include Inland Areas, Where Storm Damage can Be Heavy

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The “cone of uncertainty” produced by the National Hurricane Center to forecast the location and ferocity of a tropical storm is getting an update this year to include predictions for inland areas, where wind a...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Authorities: Man Fleeing Police in Alabama Caused Crash That Injured Gayle Manchin

HOMEWOOD, Ala. (AP) — A man fleeing police caused the Alabama car crash that injured Gayle Manchin, head of an economic development partnership of the federal government and 13 state governments and the wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, along …

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Florida House Votes to Loosen Child Labor Laws a Year After Tougher Immigrant Statute

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A year after Florida enacted a law making it more difficult for employers to hire immigrants illegally, a move that has reportedly exacerbated a labor shortage and has added to property insurance repair costs, the state &#823...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Chile’s Second-Largest Refinery Shuttered Due to Power Outage Following Wildfires

The Aconcagua refinery, Chile’s second-largest with a capacity to process 102,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude, has been shut down since Friday following a power outage caused by forest fires raging in the country, its owner said on Sunday. &...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

EquiLend Restores Some Services After Cybersecurity Incident

Fintech firm EquiLend said on Friday some services, including trading and post-trading solutions, had been restored, more than a week after it suffered an outage due to unauthorized access to its systems. EquiLend, a company at the heart of securitie...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Report: Top AI Trends for Insurers in 2024 Include Claims, Other Insurance Processes

Insurers are prepared for artificial intelligence to move beyond task automation and machine learning to advanced uses in 2024, a new report examining the industry and how it’s using AI shows. The report from Xceedance, a provider of operations...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Hedge Funds’ Mega Returns Set Off Demand Spiral for Catastrophe Bonds

As hedge funds rake in record profits in one of the riskiest corners of the debt market, the products behind those returns are now drawing in more mainstream investors. Catastrophe bonds, which last year formed the basis for the best-performing &#823...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

EU Agrees New Push to Repair, Not Replace, Defective Consumer Goods

Consumers will be given greater rights to have goods such as washing machines and smartphones repaired under new rules agreed by the European Union and aimed at reducing waste from defective or broken products simply being dumped and replaced. Along...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

N Carolina Lawmakers Say Changes Could Come for State’s High-Risk Driver Pool

North Carolina has a rather unique setup for auto insurance, allowing insurers to place high-risk drivers into the state Reinsurance Facility, a non-profit, state-created pool. That system came under new scrutiny last week, with some state lawmakers...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

North Carolina Lawmakers Say Changes Could Come for State’s High-Risk Driver Pool

North Carolina has a rather unique setup for auto insurance, allowing insurers to place high-risk drivers into the state Reinsurance Facility, a non-profit, state-created pool. That system came under new scrutiny last week, with some state lawmakers...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Former Agent Sentenced to 15 Years in ‘FastLife’ Scheme. Spent Funds on Insurance

A former Sarasota insurance agent and financial advisor has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for what prosecutors said was a scheme to defraud elderly residents out of $6 million. Phillip Roy Wasserman, 67, was convicted of fraud charges …

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

AM Best Revises Outlooks to Negative for Amica Mutual

Insurance rating firm AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the superior credit ratings of Amica Mutual Insurance Co. and its subsidiary, Amica Property and Casualty Insurance Co. The companies’ Financial Strengt...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Hub Launches High Net Worth Excess Wildfire Program in California

HUB International launched a new program to address the need for enhanced wildfire coverage of high value homes that will be offered exclusively by HUB Private Client to address the insurance and risk management needs of affluent families and individ...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Medical Biller Sentenced for Insurance Fraud; Posed as Patients, Including NBA Player

A medical biller has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after being convicted in a massive insurance fraud scheme that involved posing as an NBA player and other patients to harangue the companies for payments that weren’t actually &#...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Medical Biller Who Posed as Patients, NBA Player Sentenced for Insurance Fraud

A medical biller has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after being convicted in a massive insurance fraud scheme that involved posing as an NBA player and other patients to harangue the companies for payments that weren’t actually &#...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

People Moves: CIWA Names Four New Board Members

The California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA), a professional trade association focused on California E&S insurance wholesalers, carriers and supporting entities, named four new members to its board of directors. New directors include:...

Posted: Feb 05, 2024

Iowa Court Upholds Decision to Bar Late Expert Reports in Work Comp Case

By Jim Sams The Iowa Supreme Court reinstated a deputy workers’ compensation commissioner’s decision to bar reports that were submitted too late by experts who weren’t certified, reversing decisions by the district court and Court o...

Posted: Feb 04, 2024

Deaf Nebraska Trucker to Receive $335K in Disability Discrimination Case

Trucking companies Werner Enterprises, Inc. and Drivers Management, LLC must pay $335,682 to a deaf truck driver months after an Omaha, Nebraska jury found in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on disability discriminati...

Posted: Feb 04, 2024