Insurance Journal

NY Attorney Changes Plea in Ponzi, Auto Insurance Fraud Scheme

A disbarred New York attorney has changed his plea to guilty in connection with an $19 million Ponzi scheme and a $30 million auto insurance fraud. Robert Wisnicki, 44, of Forest Hills, pleaded to guilty to conspiracy to commit wire …

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

People Moves: Dimura Named Director of Pharmacy for Alliant

Alliant Insurance Services has named Jennifer Dimura executive vice president and national director of pharmacy for its employee benefits group, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dimura, who was previously vice president and director of pharmacy so...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Mississippi Jury Finds Officers Justified in 2017 Wrong-House Shooting

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi jury has rejected a civil lawsuit seeking money damages from two police officers who fatally shot a man while serving a warrant at the wrong house. A federal court jury in Oxford on Thursday …

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Australia’s New Hope to Ramp Up Coal Output, Sees Modest Insurance Premium Hikes

Australian miner New Hope Group’sCEO Rob Bishop said on Tuesday plans are progressing to double output over the next three years to meet an expected surge in demand for coal-fired power, after reporting a nearly 11% rise in fiscal 2023 …

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Inman Kircher McBride of New Jersey Joins World Insurance

Insurance brokerage WorldInsurance Associates reported that Inman Kircher McBride Agency, Inc. (IKM) of Harvey Cedars, New Jersey joined World on September 1. IKM provides personal insurance programs for auto, home, coastal homes, seasonal and vacati...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Sandy Hook Families Who Won Suit Against Alex Jones Have Not Seen a Dime

Alex Jones` personal spending is frustrating families who are trying to collect on the $1.5 billion in judgments against him for calling the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting a hoax. The conspiracy theorist and Infowars host has been paying...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

SiriusPoint Announces MGA Partnership with Nordic Marine Insurance

SiriusPoint Ltd., the Bermuda-based specialty insurer and reinsurer, and Stockholm-based Nordic Marine Insurance have announced a new strategic partnership. Founded in 2012, Nordic Marine is a managing general agent that provides niche insurance prod...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

TikTok Fined €345M Over Handling of Children’s Data in Europe

TikTok has been fined 345 million euros ($370 million) for breaching privacy laws regarding the processing of children’s personal data in the European Union, its lead regulator in the bloc said on Friday. The Chinese-owned short-video platform,...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Britain Must Not Damage Financial Services Sector Resilience: BoE’s Woods

Easing rules to boost the post-Brexit global competitiveness of Britain’s financial sector can only be done while maintaining a resilient financial system, Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods said on Tuesday. The Bank of England was given...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Markets/Coverages: Canopius Expands Into US Excess Casualty Market

Canopius Group, the London-based specialty re/insurer, announced the strategic expansion of its U.S. casualty business with its entry into the domestic U.S. excess casualty market on Canopius U.S. Insurance Co. paper. Canopius said the move underscor...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

EU Business Concerned About ‘Lack of Clarity’ in China’s Data Laws

European Union businesses are concerned about China’s data laws, including their “lack of clarity” and the “long processes” that companies have to undergo, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said on Tuesday....

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

EU Businesses Concerned About ‘Lack of Clarity’ in China’s Data Laws

European Union businesses are concerned about China’s data laws, including their “lack of clarity” and the “long processes” that companies have to undergo, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said on Tuesday....

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Woodruff Sawyer: Softer D&O Market Still Offers Concerns for Underwriters

While concerns about a “tsunami of pandemic-related litigation” never quite materialized, according to Woodruff Sawyer in its latest D&O Looking Ahead Guide for 2023, those fears have been replaced with a number of others among D&...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Hackers Who Breached Casino Giants MGM, Caesars also Hit 3 Other Firms, Okta Says

Hackers who breached casino giants MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment in recent weeks also broke into the systems of three other companies in the manufacturing, retail, and technology space, a security executive familiar with the mat...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Viewpoint: IT Asset Disposition Is Growing Cyber Security Threat for All Organizations

Cyber risk headlines are dominated by rising ransomware activity and soaring global data breach costs. The increased ransomware activity, driven largely by threat actor financial motives, has indiscriminately affected all industry segments – from lar...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Product Liability Cases on the Rise: Lex Machina

Product liability cases are increasing, according to Lex Machina’s annual Product Liability Litigation Report, with 5,826 such cases in federal courts in 2022. The data analyzed by Lex Machina, a LexisNexis company, shows that “product li...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Independence Pet Group to Acquire Cat Insurance Brand Felix in Arizona

Independence Pet Group completed of its acquisition of Felix Cat Insurance, a pet insurance brand for cats. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including various regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the second half of 20...

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Thieves Swarm Luxury Malls in Southern California and Other Areas, Driving Retail Crime to $100B

It took just minutes for more than 20 thieves, clad in hoods and masks, to swarm the Nordstrom store in the Westfield Topanga shopping center and make off with $300,000 of handbags and other luxury items. A security guard was …

Posted: Sep 19, 2023

Firefighters Fear Toxic Chemicals in Gear Contributing to Rising Cancer Cases

Boston firefighter Daniel Ranahan had heard about colleagues getting cancer but he was stunned when doctors discovered a large tumor in his chest. He was only 30 and had been in the Boston Fire Department less than a decade. But …

Posted: Sep 18, 2023

Hong Kong’s Floods to Hit Insurers’ Earnings, Could Pressure Reinsurance Renewals

The recent devastating floods following Super Typhoon Saola in Hong Kong and other parts of China may add further pressure to the upcoming reinsurance renewals in January, according to an AM Best commentary. The overall impact of the rainstorm is &#8...

Posted: Sep 18, 2023

WalkerHughes Receives Minority Investment From BW Forsyth Partners

WalkerHughes Insurance announced that it has received a strategic minority investment from BW Forsyth Partners. Indianapolis, Indiana-based WalkerHughes will remain locally owned and operated with Benjamin Schoettmer, Founder and Chief Executive Offi...

Posted: Sep 18, 2023

Origami Risk Acquires Illinois’ Dais Technology

Origami Risk announced it has acquired Chicago, Illinois-based Dais Technology, a provider of no-code insurance technology. The acquisition increases Dais’ market reach and client support capabilities and expands Origami’s innovative suit...

Posted: Sep 18, 2023

Drought and Low Mississippi River Levels Pose Challenges for Midwest Farmers’ Crop Transportation

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A long stretch of hot, dry weather has left the Mississippi River so low that barge companies are reducing their loads just as Midwest farmers are preparing to harvest crops and send tons of corn …

Posted: Sep 18, 2023

Louisiana Prisoner Suit Claims They’re Forced to Endure Dangerous Conditions at Prison Farm

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Men incarcerated at Louisiana State Penitentiary filed a class-action lawsuit Saturday, contending they have been forced to work in the prison’s fields for little or no pay, even when temperatures soar past 100 degrees....

Posted: Sep 18, 2023

Louisiana, 9 Other States Ask Federal Judge to Block Increases in National Flood Insurance Program

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Increases in federal flood insurance premiums that are projected to surpass 700% over the coming years are already leading people to back out of home purchases and will likely lead to an exodus of residents and …

Posted: Sep 18, 2023