Insurance Journal

Florida Braces for Another One as Idalia Strengthens in Gulf

Insureds and insurers across much of Florida began bracing for the impact of another major hurricane as Tropical Storm Idalia was expected to strengthen and make landfall by Wednesday afternoon. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Broken Satellite Risks Big Claim in Shrinking Insurance Market

Viasat Inc. has more than $1 billion of orbiting satellites in trouble, and space insurers are girding for market-rattling claims. The company’s roughly $1 billion ViaSat-3 Americas satellite, central to expanding its fixed-broadband coverage a...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Billion-Dollar Satellite Risks Upending Space Insurance

Viasat Inc. has more than $1 billion of orbiting satellites in trouble, and space insurers are girding for market-rattling claims. The company’s roughly $1 billion ViaSat-3 Americas satellite, central to expanding its fixed-broadband coverage a...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Historic Rhode Island Hotel Damaged in Blaze to Be Torn Down; Cause Under Investigation

The historic Rhode Island hotel ravaged by a fire last weekend is a total loss that will be torn down, authorities said Wednesday. The Harborside Inn on Block Island was severely damaged in a blaze that started late last Friday …

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Employee Impersonators Scam $2M from Pennsylvania Banks’ Customers, Officials Say

A theft ring stole nearly $2 million from bank customers in central Pennsylvania in an elaborate scheme in which the scammers, posing as bank employees, tricked people into giving up their account information, the attorney general`s office said Frida...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Kansas’ MutualAid eXchange (MAX) Declared Insolvent, Placed into Liquidation

The District Court of Shawnee County, Kansas has declared MutualAid eXchange (MAX) insolvent, and the company has been placed into liquidation pursuant to a petition filed by the Commissioner of Insurance. The court ruled MAX to be insolvent on Augus...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Kansas’ MutualAid eXchange Declared Insolvent, Placed into Liquidation

The District Court of Shawnee County, Kansas has declared MutualAid eXchange (MAX) insolvent, and the company has been placed into liquidation pursuant to a petition filed by the Commissioner of Insurance. The court ruled MAX to be insolvent on Augus...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

AM Best Revises Outlook to Positive for Texas’ Skyward Specialty

AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a- (Excellent) of Great Midwest Insurance Company, Houston Specialty Insurance Company, Ok...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Ukraine Says Second Ship to Sail From Odesa Reaches Romania

A Liberian-flagged bulk carrier that was the second ship to sail from Odesa since Russia quit the Black Sea safe-transit deal has reached Romanian waters, said President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Singapore-operated Primus successfully navigated the te...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

P&O Cruise Ship Crashes Into Oil Tanker, Injuring Passengers

A P&O cruise ship with thousands of passengers on board collided with an oil tanker off the coast of Palma de Mallorca in Spain on Sunday, injuring a small number of people. Videos posted to social media showed the Britannia, …

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Yale Settles Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against Students With Mental Health Issues

Yale University and a student group announced Friday that they’ve reached a settlement in a federal lawsuit that accused the Ivy League school of discriminating against students with mental health disabilities, including pressuring them to with...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

3M Agrees to Pay More Than $5.5 Billion Over Military Earplugs

3M Co. has tentatively agreed to pay more than $5.5 billion to resolve over 300,000 lawsuits claiming it sold the US military defective combat earplugs, people familiar with the deal said. The settlement would avert a potentially much larger liabilit...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

University of South Carolina Student Fatally Shot Trying to Enter Wrong House

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A University of South Carolina student was shot and killed as he apparently tried to enter the wrong home on his off-campus street early on Saturday, police said. Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, 20, of Connecticut, was dead &#8...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Home Insurance as a Work Benefit? Recoop Says It’s Bringing it to Florida and All States

Health insurance. Dental insurance. Accidental death and dismemberment. Why not homeowners insurance as an employee benefit? That’s exactly what Darren Wood is thinking. Wood is the founder and chief product officer at Recoop Disaster Insurance...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Drug Retailer Rite Aid Prepares to File for Bankruptcy Over Opioid Lawsuits -WSJ

Rite Aid Corp. is preparing to file for bankruptcy in coming weeks to address lawsuits the drugstore chain is facing over its alleged role in the sale of opioids, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with …

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Drug Retailer Rite Aid Prepares to File for Bankruptcy Over Opioid Lawsuits: WSJ

Rite Aid Corp. is preparing to file for bankruptcy in coming weeks to address lawsuits the drugstore chain is facing over its alleged role in the sale of opioids, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with …

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Montana Brokerage Owner Admits to Defrauding Customers

Kileen Moria Hagadone, 57, owner of Rosebud County Insurance Inc., pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to aggravated identity theft. Hagadone faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release on the wire …

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

NHTSA Proposing New Rules to Encourage Seat Belt Use by All Vehicle Passengers

The Department of Transportation is proposing new rules designed to encourage seat belt use by car and truck passengers, including those sitting in the back seat. The new rules proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would requ...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

People Moves: Breskin Joins Insurance Office of America’s Western Division

Insurance Office of America added Jeffrey Breskin to its western division team. Breskin has more than 35 years of experience in risk management, claims, safety, and workers’ compensation laws and regulations. He previously served as senior vice...

Posted: Aug 28, 2023

Uber Raises Minimum Age for Most California Drivers to 25 over Insurance Costs

Uber raised the minimum age requirement for most of its new drivers in California to 25 on Thursday under rules the company said are necessary because of the rising costs of commercial auto insurance in the state. The new rule …

Posted: Aug 25, 2023

Washington Commissioner’s Orders Insurers to Extend Policyholders Protections for Wildfires

Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued an emergency order requiring all property/casualty insurers to provide additional protections for policyholders impacted by the Gray and Oregon Road fires. The emergency order was made poss...

Posted: Aug 25, 2023

AM Best Revises Outlook to Negative for Iowa-Based Grinnell Mutual Group’s Credit Ratings

AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICRs of “a+” (Excellent) for the members...

Posted: Aug 25, 2023

Goosehead Introduces Agency Launch Program for Recent College Graduates

Goosehead Insurance announced the Agency Launch Program, a plan geared towards recent college graduates interested in acquiring the skills to own their own Goosehead Insurance franchise. The program promises professional development and networking op...

Posted: Aug 25, 2023

Nova Scotia Floods Cost Insurers More Than C$170 Million

An atmospheric river event that led to significant flooding in parts of Nova Scotia on July 23, 2023, is estimated to have caused over C$170 million (US$125.5 million) in insured damage, according to initial estimates from Catastrophe Indices and Qua...

Posted: Aug 25, 2023

Murdaugh’s Friend Pleads to More Charges in Helping Steal Insurance Funds

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh `s old college buddy has pleaded guilty to a second set of charges for helping the disgraced South Carolina attorney steal millions of dollars of insurance settlements from the sons of Murdaugh’s dead housekeepe...

Posted: Aug 25, 2023