Insurance Journal

Warren Buffett Gives $27M in Berkshire Hathaway Stock to an Unnamed Charity

Investor Warren Buffett has donated Berkshire Hathaway stock worth $27 million to an unnamed charity. Buffett disclosed the gift of 50 Class A shares of Berkshire stock in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Wednesday. This dona...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Bosses Dislike Work-From-Home But Suspect They’re Stuck With It

Business leaders think that the spread of remote work has had more negative effects than positive ones, but they also see the practice becoming ingrained, according to a new survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Roughly two-thirds …

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Judge Won’t Block Florida Law Banning Chinese Ownership of Property

(Reuters) – A U.S. judge in Florida on Thursday declined to block the state’s law barring citizens of China and other “countries of concern” from owning homes or land in the state. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahass...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

California Town of Paradise Deploys Warning Sirens as 5-Year Anniversary of Deadly Fire Approaches

California residents driven from their homes by one of the deadliest wildfires in recent history had one request before they would rebuild in the small mountain town of Paradise: warning sirens to bolster town emergency systems that failed some peopl...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Florida Art Museum Sues Former Director Over Forged Basquiat Paintings Scheme

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A central Florida art museum which was raided last year by the FBI over an exhibit of what turned out to be forged Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings has sued its former executive director and others, claiming they …

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

‘Smart Window’ Firm to Pay Almost $5M for Illegal Dumping of Wastewater in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A California-based company will pay just under $5 million in fines for discharging wastewater into a publicly owned sewage treatment plant in Mississippi without obtaining a valid state permit, a federal judge ruled Tuesda...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Allstate Starts Q3 With $313M in Catastrophe Losses in July

Allstate Corp. said estimated catastrophe losses for the month of July were $313 million or $247 million, after-tax. July has 18 events, highlighted by widespread wind and hail storms, with estimated losses of about $349 million. These losses for Jul...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Orlando Debuts Self-Driving Shuttle to Whisk Passengers Around Downtown

There is going to be a new way to get around downtown Orlando, Florida, and it`s not going to require any human drivers. Starting later this month, an electric, self-driving shuttle will whisk passengers around a 1-mile (1.6 km) loop …

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

NC Legislators Give Final OK to Bill Curbing Appointment Powers of Governor

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Republican legislative leaders finalized on Wednesday their efforts to curb the appointment powers of the governor on several boards and commissions, extending a yearslong struggle with Democrat Roy Cooper ov...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Buffalo Shooting Lawsuits Claim Social Media, Gun Firms, Parents Enabled Killer

YouTube, Reddit and a body armor manufacturer were among the businesses that helped enable the gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racist attack at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket, according to a pair of lawsuits announced Wednesday. The …

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Allianz Aims to Raise $1.6 Billion for Global Private Credit Fund

Allianz Global Investors, the insurance company’s money management division, is pushing ahead with plans to raise at least 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion) for a new global private credit fund, a spokesperson said, as investors boost exposure...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Ex-Trump Administration Officials Target Corporate Diversity Efforts

Activision Blizzard Inc and Kellogg Co have joined a growing list of major U.S. companies to face claims from a group founded by former Trump administration officials that efforts to diversify their workforces amount to illegal discrimination. Americ...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Philadelphia Police Change Account of Shooting of Driver After Viewing Video

Police have changed their account of a fatal shooting by a Philadelphia officer earlier this week, acknowledging that the person was shot inside the car rather than outside and no longer saying that he fled a traffic stop and later …

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Bacteria in Raw Shellfish Linked to 4 Deaths

The death of a Long Island resident has been linked to a bacteria found in raw shellfish or seawater that has also been blamed for two deaths in Connecticut, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday. The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria …

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

S&P Revises Outlooks for Munich Re and Swiss Re While Affirming ‘AA-‘ Ratings

S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlooks for Munich Re and Swiss Re, affirming both reinsurers’ “AA-” issuer credit and financial strength ratings. S&P revised Munich Re’s outlook to positive from stable on improvin...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

S&P Revises Outlooks for Munich Re, Swiss Re While Affirming AA- Ratings

S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlooks for Munich Re and Swiss Re, affirming both reinsurers’ “AA-” issuer credit and financial strength ratings. Munich Re’s outlook was revised to positive from stable on improving di...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

India Braces for More Rain After Floods, Lightning Kill 2,000

Some regions of India are bracing for more torrential rain, raising the risk of further causalities after natural calamities such as floods and lightning killed 2,000 people during the current monsoon season. Rains have affected about 500,000 hectare...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Raging Wildfires Prompt Evacuation of Northern Canadian City, Yellowknife

Wildfires have forced an evacuation of Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Officials with the territorial government told residents in the highest-risk areas to evacuate immediately. Other residents have until 12 p.m. lo...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Rate Hikes Not Bringing Profit to US Auto Insurers: Fitch

Jumps in rates and written premiums did little to move the needle on underwriting profits for U.S. personal auto insurers, Fitch Ratings reported based on a recent review of midyear results of nine big market players. Profitability challenges in the...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

How Climate Change Drives Heatwaves and Wildfires in Europe

Europe is once again battling scorching temperatures this summer, with wildfires blazing across the continent from the Mediterranean to Spain. Here’s how climate change drives these events. HOTTER, MORE FREQUENT HEATWAVES Climate change makes h...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

China’s Hidden Financial Dangers Erupt With Shadow Bank Crisis

Only a week ago, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group Co. attracted little notice within China and was almost unheard of everywhere else. Now, the secretive shadow banking giant has become the latest symbol of financial fragility in an $18 trillion economy wher...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Tim Temple Elected as Louisiana’s Next Insurance Commissioner

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Tim Temple, a Baton Rouge Republican who spent 20 years in the insurance industry, will be Louisiana’s next insurance commissioner after the only other candidate dropped out of the race Wednesday. The statewide position...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Survey Finds Homeowners Are Putting Off Repairs, Reducing Homeowners Coverage

Many U.S. homeowners are delaying home repairs, potentially putting their property at risk of damage, according to the latest Nationwide Agency Forward survey. A quarter of the homeowners surveyed (26 percent) are unaware that delaying necessary home...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

Liberty Co. Brokers Secures $340M in Funding for Refinance, More Growth

Florida-based The Liberty Company, one of the largest property/casualty insurance brokers in the country, announced it had secured $340 million in loans to refinance debt and fuel new growth opportunities. The funding, from J.P. Morgan, Fifth Third B...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023

New Jersey Home Blast That Killed 4 Was Caused by Explosive Materials in the House

A house fire and explosion in New Jersey that killed two men and two young children earlier this month was caused by explosive materials found in the residence, authorities announced Tuesday. The explosion likely originated in the rear left corner &#...

Posted: Aug 18, 2023