Insurance Journal

Maui Wildfires Portend Unprecedented Shift in What It Means To Mitigate Risk

The Maui wildfires portend a grand and incalculable reality for every single one of us living on this spinning blue globe we call Earth. Understanding the risks associated with where we live, work and play may be reaching a tipping …

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Removing Barriers to CAT Risk Modeling Will Slow Insurer Flight From High-Risk Areas

Technology has been embraced in a variety of ways within the homeowners’ insurance market. Many aspects of the claims process have been automated, insurers are utilizing more climate data than ever before to predict the impact of major catastro...

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Agency Partnerships: Then and Now

The first agency networks and partnership groups began in the 1970s, mostly to combine books of premium to access markets at a larger scale. Today, the reasons agencies join forces have moved far beyond combined premium, according to some of …

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Benchmarks and Value

Many of the benchmarks readers see in this industry have never been tested for validity. No one knows if the metrics matter. Metrics should not be used if their value is untested. I see many insurance companies and insurance agencies …

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Wear and Tear Exclusions Worn and Torn

For whatever reason, recently I’ve had a slew of questions involving wear and tear exclusions. Perhaps that’s a product of the hard market where claims are sometimes examined more intently, especially with regard to policy exclusions. To...

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Challenging Market, Elevated Claims, but Reinsurers’ Profits Return: Reports

By L.S. Howard Despite extremely challenging conditions, with persistent and elevated claims activity, the global reinsurance segment returned an underwriting profit in 2022, according to an AM Best report. “Reinsurers generally have realigned...

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

The Unique Risks of an Artisan Contractor

When you hear or read the term, “artisan contractor,” what do you think of? Don’t search it, and if you deal with artisan contractors, don’t shout out the answer. I can tell you that I thought of custom cabinet makers …

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Five More New Orleans Residents Charged for Conspiring to Stage Auto Accidents

Five more people have been charged with intentionally staging automobile accidents with tractor-trailers in New Orleans to defraud trucking and insurance companies in 2017. United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Antonine Clark, age 33,...

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Agents, Regulators Remind Insurers to Take Care of Insureds as Idalia Claims Start Coming in

The property insurance industry breathed a sigh of relief after Hurricane Idalia landed in a less-populated part of the coast, triggering just a few billion dollars in losses. But regulators have urged insurers to make sure that claims from the &#823...

Posted: Sep 17, 2023

Gas Leak Forced Evacuation of Southern California Homes

A Southern California neighborhood was evacuated for more than six hours early Thursday due to a large leak of natural gas from an underground pipe, authorities said. The leak was detected around 1:30 a.m. in unincorporated West Whittier, about 10 &#...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Trial Begins in Lawsuit vs. Florida Hospital in Case Made Famous by Netflix ‘Maya’ Doc

The trial in a liability lawsuit against a Florida hospital, a story featured in a Netflix documentary, began this week, bringing new attention to health care providers’ responsibilities in complex cases involving minors. The long-delayed trial...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

People Moves: Sompo International Announces New UK Leadership Team; SiriusPoint Names Smyth Head of...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Sompo International and SiriusPoint. A summary of these new hires follows here. Sompo International Announces New UK Leadership Team Sompo International, the commercial and consumer p...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Proof of Damages Can Include Amounts Billed But Not Paid in Police Case

A plaintiff seeking compensation for damages is entitled to submit the full amount on medical bills related to his injuries as evidence even though he did not pay the full amount of those bills. The U.S. district court for New …

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Group in Casino Hacks Skilled at Duping Workers for Access

The hacking group suspected of cyberattacks against two giant casino operators has quickly made a name for itself for its skills in social engineering, such as tricking someone to gain access to a computer system or another storehouse of sensitive &#...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Weather Service Confirms 4 Tornadoes Hit New England This Week

Four tornadoes touched down in the New England area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Boston has confirmed. A severe thunderstorm produced four tornadoes for about 90 minutes beginning at 4:00 p.m. They traveled through portions of easter...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Federal Home Loan System Neglects the Buyers Who Need It Most, Analysis Finds

(Bloomberg) — The tiny town of Drew, Mississippi, has been left behind by the modern economy. Most businesses along its lone main street are shuttered, so it’s hard to buy a cup of coffee or groceries. Stray dogs zigzag through …

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

California Regulators Propose Higher Rates for PG&E Customers to Reduce Wildfire Risk

Power bills for about 16 million people in Northern California will likely increase after state regulators released two rate proposals for one of the nation`s largest utilities. The California Public Utilities Commission is finishing up its once-ever...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

On the Road Again: Rate Drops of People Working From Home

If you think U.S. roads have gotten busier on your morning commute, you`re not alone. The rate of workers driving to their jobs creeped upwards nationwide last year, as did those who carpool to work by car, truck or van. …

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Lee Heads to New England; Maine on Hurricane Watch

Coastal communities from Cape Cod to Canada are expecting Hurricane Lee to arrive tonight and Saturday, bringing coastal flooding, damaging winds and heavy rains. The National Hurricane Center placed Maine under a hurricane watch. Governor Janet Mill...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Pemberton to Chair Oklahoma Senate Insurance Committee

Oklahoma Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, a Republican, announced the appointment of Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, as the chairman of the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee. The Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee is primarily tasked wit...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

EEOC Files Lawsuit Against Walmart for Alleged Discrimination of Employees with Disabilities

Walmart, Inc. and Walmart Stores Arkansas, LLC, a multi­national retailer, violated federal law when it subjected a nationwide class of employees with disabilities to unlawful testing, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged i...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

EEOC Files Lawsuit Against Walmart for Alleged Discrimination of Disabled Employees

Walmart, Inc. and Walmart Stores Arkansas, LLC, a multi­national retailer, violated federal law when it subjected a nationwide class of employees with disabilities to unlawful testing, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged i...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Four Former TN Officers Plead Not Guilty to Civil Rights Charges in Nichols Death

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Four former Memphis police officers pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal civil rights charges in the violent beating and death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop nine months ago. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley Desmon...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

J.D. Power: Auto Insurance Shopping Reaches All-Time High

The percentage of American households with cars and without auto insurance rose during the first half of 2023, and the share of customers who say they are shopping for auto insurance reached a record high. J.D. Power recently shared these …

Posted: Sep 15, 2023

Climate Change Sends Most Indicators of Earth’s Health Into Danger Zone: Study

From dangerously warm temperatures to vast species extinctions, humans are living on a planet that is becoming inhospitable — with only three key health markers considered safe, according to a new scientific study. Researchers have run a full fitness...

Posted: Sep 15, 2023