Insurance Journal

Kids Suing Social Media Over Addiction Find a Win Amid Losses

Minors and parents suing Meta Inc.’s Facebook and other technology giants for the kids’ social media platform addictions won an important ruling advancing their collection of lawsuits in a California court. A state judge on Oct. 13 threw...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Rutter’s Stores Pays $1 Million for Payment Card Data Breach

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced a settlement with York-based convenience store chain, Rutter’s, regarding cybersecurity attacks that exposed information from more than a million customer payment cards. The attacks happene...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Progressive Q3 Earnings Skyrocket as Combined Ratio Gets Closer to Goal

Progressive Corp. posted significant improvement in third quarter earnings late last week – with net income of $1.12 billion compared to $124.1 million a year ago during the same period. Progressive gave a snapshot of it’s Q3 earnings in announ...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Florida Citrus Forecast Improves Over Last Year When Hurricanes Hit State

The forecast for Florida citrus, the state’s signature crop, is expected to improve in the upcoming season compared to last year when twin hurricanes battered the state at the start of the citrus season, according to estimates released Thursday...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Rite Aid Files for Bankruptcy Amid Rising Debt, Opioid Litigation

Debt-laden Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday and said it would close underperforming stores, as the drugstore chain comes under pressure from lawsuits alleging that it helped fuel the U.S. opioid crisis. The filing will allow it to &...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Deadly Indonesian Cough Syrup Was Almost Pure Toxin, Prosecutors Say in Court Filing

An Indonesian drugmaker whose cough syrup is among products linked to the deaths of more than 200 children last year used ingredients with toxin concentrations of up to 99% in 70 batches of medicine, prosecutors said in a court filing. …

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

UK Watchdog Fines Equifax $13.4M for Role in ‘One of Largest’ Cyber Breaches

Britain’s financial watchdog said on Friday it had fined consumer credit rater Equifax Ltd. 11 million pounds ($13.4 million) for its role in “one of the largest” cyber-security breaches in history. The Financial Conduct Authority (...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Catastrophe Bond Market Defies Global Selloff With Record Returns

As bond markets everywhere get battered by a cocktail of higher interest rates, deficit angst and hawkish central bankers, one class of debt instrument is handing creditors double-digit returns: catastrophe bonds. Investors in the $40 billion market...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Xceedance Launches Center of Excellence for Generative AI, Empowering Insurance Transformation

BOSTON, MA, October, 16, 2023 – Xceedance, a leading global provider of strategic operations support, technology, and data services for insurance organizations, announced the establishment of a Center of Excellence for Generative AI. This initi...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

500K Vehicles Stolen in H1 2023; Dodge Chargers Top List

Vehicle thefts continue to plague the nation, according to a new report released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The report was released to coincide with National Crime Prevention Month. Nearly 500,000 vehicles were reported stolen nat...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Musk’s X Illegally Fired Worker Challenging Office Return; NLRB

Elon Musk’s X illegally fired an employee in retaliation for her internet posts challenging its return-to-office policy, the U.S. labor board alleged on Friday. In the complaint, a regional director of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (N...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Ford Recalls Over 238,000 Explorers to Replace Axle Bolts

Ford is recalling more than 238,000 Explorers in the U.S. because a rear axle bolt can fail, potentially causing a loss of drive power or allowing the SUVs to roll away while in park. The recall comes after U.S. safety …

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Slide Assumes 86,000 Farmers Policies in Florida, Offers Appointments to Agents

Tampa-based Slide Insurance, which has made a practice of assuming Florida policies from other insurers in the last two years, said it has acquired renewal rights to 86,000 homeowner policies from Farmers Insurance. Farmers said in June that it would...

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Sailing Vessel That Suffered Broken Mast, Killing Passenger, Had Previous Incidents

A historic sailing vessel on which a passenger was fatally injured by a broken mast was involved in three previous accidents in 2022 and 2019 when the schooner was under different ownership, according to Coast Guard records. The Grace Bailey, …

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

70-Year-Old Man Settles With Catholic Diocese Over Sex Abuse Suffered at Age 8

A 70-year-old man who recently reached a settlement with a Roman Catholic diocese in Massachusetts over sexual abuse he suffered at age 8 said Wednesday he is speaking out because “my voice was taken away from me for all those …

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Mississippi Sheriff Claims Immunity to Federal Lawsuit Over Torture of Black Men

The Mississippi sheriff who leads the department where former deputies pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for the torture of two Black men has asked a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him. …

Posted: Oct 16, 2023

Levitt-Fuirst: ‘Good People Doing the Right Thing’

By Allen Laman One employee said they felt heard by leadership. Another praised their knowledgeable coworkers for treating them with respect. A third, a longtime insurance industry veteran, said the positive work experience they’ve had at Levit...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

3 Emerging Risks to Watch: Rising Lumber Costs, Solar Flares, Underground Climate Change

The risk landscape is seemingly ever-expanding. While the insurance industry faces the familiar — yet more costly — severe weather activity, there may be new risks emerging below the surface and above the atmosphere. From supply-chain cha...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

Homeowners Unprepared for Non-Weather-Related Water Damage: Hanover Report Shows

Homeowners lack preparedness for non-weather-related water damage, even though water damage ranks as the second most prevalent cause of insurance loss claims, according to The Hanover Insurance Group in a new report. Despite being a leading cause of...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

From Disorderly to Orderly Reinsurance Renewals — What a Difference a Year Makes

By L.S. Howard One of the themes at this year’s reinsurance Rendez-Vous de Septembre (RVS) was that reinsurers have rediscovered client need, client interest and have again started to put clients at the center of conversations, according to Dir...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

Is It Auto or CGL … or Both or Neither?

For many people, the outdoor grilling season is about over. Notice that I said “grilling” season and not “BBQing” season. Being a Southerner, we know that outdoor cooking is known as “grilling,” not “BBQing.&...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

Core Values Drive CoVerica to Succeed

By Ezra Amacher At CoVerica Insurance, employees live by four precepts: Die to self (i.e., set aside your pride, biases, prejudices and personal history); Actions sought to support the best interests of all involved; Do the right things for the &#823...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

Judge Denies Firm’s Claim for Hurricane Damages Lawsuit Fees

By Jim Sams A federal judge rejected a request by McClenny Moseley & Associates to claim an interest in legal fees and expenses from a hurricane damage lawsuit, saying the law firm obtained its clients illegally by using a “modern …

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

Redefining ‘Protection’ to Build a More Resilient Future

Most American consumers and business owners share concerns about the year ahead as economists debate whether a soft or hard landing is in store for the U.S. These concerns, driven by sticky inflation and rising interest rates, have led many …

Posted: Oct 15, 2023

Injured Worker Refuses Suitable Job Because He Opposed Vaccination

It was reasonable for an injured employee who is returning to work to refuse a job that accommodated his disability because he had personal and religious objections to getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (W...

Posted: Oct 15, 2023