Insurance Journal

Invasive Spotted Lanternflies Found in Illinois, Threatening Crops and Native Tree

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – Illinois is the latest state to find invasive spotted lanternflies, a winged insect that`s spreading across the eastern U.S. and is subject to squish-on-sight requests in New York and elsewhere. First detected in the U.S. nea...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Ohio Adopts Four International Building Codes

The state of Ohio has adopted four of the 2021 International Codes including the 2021 editions of the International Building Code, the International Mechanical Code, the International Plumbing Code and the International Existing Building Code. The de...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

AM Best Downgrades Credit Ratings of Michigan’s Wolverine

AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bb-” (Fair) from “bbb” (Good) of Wolverine Mutual Insurance Company, based in Dowagiac, Michigan. The...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Agents, Insureds Said Surprised by Nationwide’s 10,000 Nonrenewals in NC

In February, Nationwide Mutual Insurance filed notice with the North Carolina Department of Insurance that it would non-renew some 10,525 homeowner policies in the state due in large part to the growing risk from climate change and hurricanes. The mo...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Small Businesses Underestimate Cyber Risks Despite Increased Threats: IBC Survey

Most small businesses don’t believe they will experience a cyber attack, yet many employees are concerned they are putting their organizations at risk, according to a recent poll by Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). IBC’s 2023 Cyber Secur...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

US Supreme Court Takes Up Case Over Corporate Trend Disclosures

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider whether shareholders can sue companies for fraud when they flout a rule requiring them to disclose trends expected to affect their bottom line in a case involving a suit by hedge …

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Subway Restaurant Franchise in Manhattan Pays for Wage Violations, Retaliatory Firing

The operator of a Subway restaurant franchise in Manhattan’s Lower East Side who the Department of Labor said fired an employee during its investigation has paid damages to the employee and back pay to 18 employees, the department’s wage...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Markets/Coverages: Cyber MGA Measured Insurance Launches AI-Driven Cover for SMEs

Measured Analytics and Insurance, the Salt Lake City, Utah-based cyber insurance MGA, announced the launch of its insurance product, CyberGuard 2023, for the protection of small-and-midsize enterprises (SMEs). With its AI-rich data analytics and nati...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Higginbotham Makes 2nd Florida Move with Stahl & Associates

Higginbotham has continued its expansion this year with another acquisition, this one of Stahl & Associates, one of the largest privately held commercial brokerages in Florida. Texas-based Higginbotham, which celebrated its 75th anniversary this...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Rhode Island Bank to Pay $9M to Resolve Discriminatory Lending Allegations It Denies

A community bank in Rhode Island agreed to pay $9 million to resolve allegations that it engaged in lending discrimination by redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, a U.S. attorney announced Wednesday. A complaint accused Washington Tru...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Youth vs Europe: ‘Unprecedented’ Climate Trial Unfolds at Human Rights Court

Six young people from areas in Portugal ravaged by wildfires and heatwaves went head-to-head with 32 European governments on Wednesday, alleging in court that their failure to act fast enough on climate change is a violation of their human rights. &#...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Shadowy Russian Oil Trade Employs Fake Coordinates and Tanker Tricks

On a sunny day off the southern coast of Greece last week, two aging tankers nestled next to each other while one pumped oil to the other. As far as global satellite tracking systems could tell, it never happened. The …

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

People Moves: AIG Appoints Walsh as Executive Vice President and General Counsel

American International Group announced that Patricia (Trish) Walsh will join AIG as executive vice president and general counsel, effective Dec. 1, 2023. Walsh will report to Peter Zaffino, AIG chairman and chief executive officer, and serve on AIG&#...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

BMS Taps Former PartnerRe CEO Clarke as Chair, Completes Investment From Eurazeo

BMS Group, the London-based independent specialty re/insurance broker, announced it has appointed reinsurance executive, Emmanuel Clarke, as chairman, effective Sept. 28, 2023. Clarke succeeds John Hastings-Bass, who remains with BMS as chairman of i...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

EU Probes Anesthesia Complication for New Weight-Loss Drugs

European authorities are investigating whether popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs including Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy may be linked to complications during anesthesia. The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee, PRAC, is discuss...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Philips Shares Decline After Reports It Responded Late to Apnea Warnings

Royal Philips NV shares continued their decline after news reports claimed the Dutch company was slow to act on complaints about its machines designed to treat sleep apnea. Philips Respironics first received complaints about its CPAP machines and ven...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Allianz’s CFO to Take Top Job at Generali: Italian Media

Allianz’s Chief Financial Officer Giulio Terzariol is set to leave his post at the German group to take a top job at Italy’s biggest insurer Assicurazioni Generali, two Italian newspapers reported on Friday. Dailies la Repubblica and La S...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Tesla Sued by US Agency Over Alleged Harassment of Black Factory Workers

A U.S. civil rights agency sued Tesla Inc. on Thursday, claiming the electric carmaker has tolerated severe harassment of Black employees at its flagship Fremont, California, assembly plant, in charges similar to cases brought by the state and by Tes...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Plaintiffs’ Attorney Cites ‘Experimental Vehicles’ in Tesla Trial Over Autopilot Fatality

The lawyer representing victims of a fatal crash of a Tesla Model 3 car in his opening statement in court on Thursday blamed the company’s Autopilot driver assistant system, saying that “a car company should never sell consumers experimen...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

PE Company Bain Capital Weighs Deal for Advent’s CCC Insurance Software

Bain Capital is weighing a deal for CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings Inc., the car-insurance software provider controlled by Advent International, according to people familiar with the matter. Bain is among suitors that have expressed interest in a...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

DFS: Florida Claims Adjuster Arrested in $11M Scheme that Sent Checks to Conspirators

Additional arrests are expected after a 41-year-old south Florida claims adjuster was charged this week in an elaborate scheme that allegedly rang up more than $11 million in fraudulent insurance payments to hundreds of co-conspirators. Florida&#8217...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

INSHUR Partners with Uber on Insurance Products for On-Demand Livery Drivers in Arizona

On-demand insurance platform INSHUR launched its insurance offering for on-demand livery drivers in Arizona, its second state in the U.S. following New York. This comes after the company’s acquisition of American Business Insurance Services in...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Judge Dismisses Charges Against Philadelphia Officer in Fatal Traffic Stop Shooting

A judge dismissed murder and other charges this week against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up driver’s side window, agreeing with defense attorneys who said the officer could have feared for his lif...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

New Jersey Supreme Court Weighs COVID-Related insurance Claims by Casino

New Jersey`s Supreme Court is expected to consider whether an Atlantic City casino can get payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak, potentially providing guidance for policyholders nationwide regarding the...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023

Information Security Issue Stalls Federal Probe of Fatal Pennsylvania Chocolate Factory Blast

After months of discussion, federal safety officials and the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) remain at odds over release of documents that the National Transportation Safety Board says it needs for a building explosion investigation bu...

Posted: Sep 29, 2023