Insurance Journal

People Moves: Talkowski to Lead Nationwide Middle Market Commercial Lines Team; Showalter New Head o...

Nationwide has hired Kristina Talkowski from CNA to head up its middle market commercial lines business. Starting Oct. 16, she will be tasked with executing Nationwide’s long-term commercial lines insurance strategy for mid-sized businesses. Ta...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Hong Kong’s Typhoon-Related Insurance Claims Set to Top Record $500M in 2023

Hong Kong insurance claims caused by natural disasters may climb to a record and exceed $500 million this year should approaching Typhoon Koinu add to this storm season’s damages, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. The city’s heaviest r...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Hong Kong’s Typhoon-Related Claims Set to Top Record $500M in 2023

Hong Kong insurance claims caused by natural disasters may climb to a record and exceed $500 million this year should approaching Typhoon Koinu add to this storm season’s damages, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. The city’s heaviest r...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

NHTSA Expands Probe Into Ford Engine Failures to Include Nearly 709,000 Vehicles

U.S. auto safety investigators have expanded a probe into Ford Motor Co. engine failures to include nearly 709,000 vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said in documents posted Monday on its website that it upgraded the i...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Commercial Auto Up Against Persistent Headwinds to Underwriting Profit

Underwriting losses in U.S. commercial auto have returned to pre-pandemic levels and rate increases have not been enough to keep up with severity trends. “The liability component has been more problematic than the physical damage component, whi...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Viewpoint: Reflecting on 30 Years of Transformation in the Re/Insurance Sector

Executive summary: Reflecting on 30 years of Pro Global’s journey in the re/insurance sector, it is evident that the company’s evolution parallels the broader shifts that have defined the industry’s growth, adaptation, and innovatio...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Is Industry Prepared? Hail, Convective Storms, Population Now Driving Billions in Losses

Hurricanes in the East. Wildfires in the West. Those are the big disasters that grab the headlines and are driving property insurance costs and cancellations, to a large degree, right? Yes, but insurers also are seeing a huge increase in …

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Subcontractors Working Too Close to High Voltage Power Lines Draws OSHA Action

The U.S. Department of Labor has entered into a settlement agreement with a New Jersey building contractor who allowed its subcontractors’ employees to work in close proximity to high-voltage power lines at a Paterson work site in 2021 and 2022...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Musk Facing Defamation Suit in Texas Over Posts That Falsely Identified Man in Protest

A California man who says he was harassed after Elon Musk amplified posts on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that falsely placed the man at a confrontation involving far-right protesters sued the billionaire for defamation in...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Washington Insurance Commissioner Issued $262K in Fines for Violations

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines in July and August totaling $262,250 against insurance companies and insurance producers for violating state insurance laws and regulations. Following is a breakdown of the fines and the re...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

5 Died of Exposure to Chemical in Central Illinois Crash, Preliminary Autopsies Find

Five people died from exposure to a chemical that spilled after a semitruck overturned in central Illinois, according to autopsies. Effingham County Coroner Kim Rhodes said official results from the autopsies won`t be available for several weeks. The...

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

Army Officer Pepper-Sprayed During Traffic Stop Seeks New Trial Against Police

A U.S. Army lieutenant who was struck, pepper-sprayed and handcuffed during a traffic stop in Virginia asked a federal appeals court on Monday to overturn rulings by a trial judge after jurors found mostly in favor of the two police …

Posted: Oct 04, 2023

AstraZeneca to Pay $425 Million to End US Lawsuits Over Heartburn Drugs

Britain’s AstraZeneca has agreed to pay $425 million to settle about 11,000 lawsuits in the United States that claimed its heartburn drugs Nexium and Prilosec caused chronic kidney disease. AstraZeneca did not admit wrongdoing under the settlem...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Dually Licensed Broker-Dealers Spell More Compliance Duties for Insurance Carriers

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Insurance carriers often have their hands full trying to verify and make sure that all of their in-house and external distribution partners are in compliance with every state’s (often unique...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Court Tosses $223.8M Verdict Against J&J in Talc Cancer Case

A New Jersey appeals court on Tuesday threw out a $223.8 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson that a jury had awarded to four plaintiffs who claimed they developed cancer from being exposed to asbestos in the company’s talc powder &#82...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

People Moves: Lockton Europe Taps WTW’s Rowley as Head of N. American Property; Sompo Int’l Names Fa...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Lockton Europe and Sompo International A summary of these new hires follows here. Lockton Europe Taps WTW’s Rowley as Head of North American Property Lockton, the independent in...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Independent Agents Are Shopping Premiums Despite Record High Carrier Satisfaction

Independent insurance agents report unprecedented satisfaction with their carrier partners, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t keeping their options open due to the rising cost of premiums. According to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Independent...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Rapid Shocks in Store for Insurers in New Bank of England Stress Tests

The Bank of England said on Tuesday it will check the health of general insurers in 2025 with a “stress test” that includes a rapid series of shocks, as sector capital rules are eased. Regulators have introduced stress tests since …

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Alliant Names Griggs SVP of Americas Division, Based in Tennessee

Alliant Insurance Services, a major insurance distributor based in California, has named Mike Griggs senior vice president of its Americas division. Griggs, with almost 20 years in the insurance industry, will be based in Nashville and will manage pr...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Louisiana Citrus Farmers Seeing a Mass Influx of Salt Water

Commercial citrus growers have dwindled over the past few decades in south Louisiana, where farmers have had to battle hurricanes, flooding, invasive insects, freezes and drought to keep their groves alive. The latest hurdle comes from a slow-moving...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Consumer Product Injuries Continue to Rise After Low in 2020

Following the record low number of consumer product-related injuries reported in 2020 (an 18% decrease), injuries increased 6.8% in 2021 and 7.8% in 2022, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The agency reported that in the fir...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Lawsuits Blame Utility for Washington Fire That Killed Man and Burned Hundreds of Homes

Two lawsuits have been filed against an electric utility for allegedly sparking a fire in eastern Washington that killed a man and burned approximately 240 homes. A lawsuit filed in Spokane County Superior Court says Inland Power and Light Company`s...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Bill Gates-Backed Florida Startup Aims to Turn Oil-Drilling Gas into Useful Methanol

(Bloomberg) — Semi trailer-sized machines could provide a unique solution to a major source of the fossil fuel industry’s methane problem. Rather than flaring or venting the planet-warming gas into the atmosphere, the machines can convert...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Video Shows Officers Surrounding Bloodied Man During Florida Traffic Stop

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A traffic stop captured on video by a bystander shows a handcuffed Black man with swollen eyes and a bloody face sitting on the ground surrounded by officers outside a vehicle in northeast Florida, and the …

Posted: Oct 03, 2023

Nooses Found at Construction Site Lead to Lawsuit Against Amazon, Contractors

Five Black and Hispanic electricians who felt threatened when several nooses were found at an Amazon warehouse construction site in Connecticut have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the company and two contractors, accusing them of inacti...

Posted: Oct 03, 2023