Insurance Journal

Illinois USPS Employee Indicted for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud

A United States Postal Service employee has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly collecting augmented workers’ compensation benefits to which she was not entitled, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Illinois Hospital System Sued for Religious Discrimination

Advocate Aurora Health, an Illinois-based hospital system, violated federal law when it refused to accommodate a nurse’s religious beliefs and fired her for failing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commis...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Inszone Acquires Texas’ Bierschwale-Rees Insurance

Inszone Insurance Services announced its further expansion in Texas through the acquisition of Bierschwale-Rees Insurance, a long-established independent insurance agency based in Fredericksburg, Texas. Bierschwale-Rees Insurance traces its roots to...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Insurance Payments Now at $22.4B From LA Wildfire One Year Ago

Insurers have paid more than $22.4 billion on tens of thousands of claims from the Los Angles wildfires that broke out a year ago on Jan. 7. The claims data, which comes from the California Department of Insurance, shows the …

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Insurance Payments Now at $22.4B From LA Wildfires One Year Ago

Insurers have paid more than $22.4 billion on tens of thousands of claims from the Los Angles wildfires that broke out a year ago on Jan. 7. The claims data, which comes from the California Department of Insurance, shows the …

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers Rebrands Leopanthera as Ryan Financial Lines

Ryan Specialty Underwriting Managers (RSUM), the underwriting management division of Ryan Specialty, announced the rebranding of Leopanthera to Ryan Financial Lines, effective January 1, 2026. A London-based Lloyd’s coverholder, Leopanthera spe...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

CRC Group Signs Agreement to Acquire Euclid Transactional

CRC Group, the independent broker and underwriting specialty insurance distributor, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Euclid Transactional, a global provider of transactional insurance solutions. New York City-based Euclid Tra...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

New York-Based Lawley Acquires Neighboring Witkin Scott Associates

Upstate New York-based independent agency Lawley announced that Witkin Scott Associates has joined its organization effective January 1, 2026. As part of this partnership, all associates of Witkin Scott will join Lawley and relocate to its main offic...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Insurance Journal Launches Annual Agency Salary Survey: Participate Now

Insurance Journal has opened its annual Agency Salary Survey, inviting retail insurance agency professionals across the property/casualty sector to participate. The survey is open to agency owners, principals, producers, account managers, CSRs, and s...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

AI Regulation Battle Looms in California Despite Trump Threats

This year, many of the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence companies face a pitched battle over government regulation on their home turf—California. And even President Donald Trump’s threat to punish states that regulate AI may...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

People Moves: CRU Group Names Sewell VP for Cat and Flood Services

CRU Group, a North American claims adjusting and services firm based in Dallas and Toronto, is expanding its flood insurance line with the appointment of Danny Sewell, who is based in Florida. CRU Group has “supported our Canadian clients in &#...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Coast Guard Suspends Search After 77-Year-old Went Overboard From Cruise Ship

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard on a cruise ship near Cuba on New Year’s Day. Crews searched for eight hours over 690 square miles (1,787 square kilometers) for the woman, …

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Pilot Dies in Plane Crash at Provincetown Airport

A small private plane with only the pilot on board crashed at Provincetown Municipal Airport on Cape Cod on Sunday. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. According to officials of the Massachusetts seaside town, the plane crash took …

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Chatbot Grok Makes Sexual Images of Kids as Users Test AI Guardrails

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok has created sexualized images of people including minors on the social media platform X in response to user prompts in recent days, drawing rebuke from officials such as the French government. Gr...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Howden Buys M&A Insurance Broker Atlantic Group in US Expansion

UK insurance broker Howden agreed to buy M&A protection specialist Atlantic Group as the City firm presses ahead with a rapid expansion in the key US market. Atlantic Group’s founders — Richard French, Joe O’Brien and David Haigh — wi...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Swiss Bar’s Owners Face Criminal Negligence Probe After Fire

Valais public prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the operators of Le Constellation Bar in Crans Montana, Switzerland, after a fatal fire that broke out on New Years Eve. Following the initial investigation conducted by the Valais p...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

UK Set New Annual Heat and Sunshine Records Last Year

The UK just wrapped the warmest and sunniest year ever recorded. The average temperature for the UK in 2025 was 10.09C, the warmest since modern weather observation started in 1884, according to new data released by the UK Met Office. …

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Europe Saw Record Surge in Renewable Output, Driving Below-Zero Power Prices in 2025

Surging renewable output overwhelmed Europe’s power grid in 2025, driving electricity prices below zero more often than ever before. Negative power prices are underscoring how rapid growth in renewable generation is colliding with stagnant dema...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

US Military Operation in Venezuela Disrupts Caribbean Travel

The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country early Saturday also disrupted Caribbean travel at a busy travel time for the region. No airline flights were crossing over Venezuela that da...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Trump’s Venezuela Gambit Tests Investor Appetite for Geopolitical Risk

Markets may have shrugged off the audacious U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, but some investors warn that geopolitical risks are perhaps being underestimated after Donald Trump threatened further action in the Americas. Investors...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

‘Trump’s EPA’ in 2025: A Fossil Fuel-Friendly Approach to Deregulation

The Trump administration has transformed the Environmental Protection Agency in its first year, cutting federal limits on air and water pollution and promoting fossil fuels, a metamorphosis that clashes with the agency’s historic mission to pro...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

High-Net-Worth Risk Appetite Drops as Some Regions Show Stabilization

Risk appetite among high-net-worth individuals has dropped sharply, according to a new high-net-worth outlook from HUB International. Per the report, only 25% of HNW individuals are willing to assume more risk for premium savings—down from 39% in 202...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

’60 Minutes’ Homeowners Ask Court to Force DFS to Divulge Heritage Probe Info

If Florida property insurance companies and regulators hoped a complaint about altered adjusters’ reports would quietly fade away, a lawsuit by a homeowner at the heart of the controversy has brought new attention to the matter. North Port home...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

Four in New Jersey Face Charges in Alleged $250K Travel Insurance Scam

Four people have been indicted in New Jersey for their alleged roles in a scheme to file fraudulent travel insurance claims worth more than $250,000. They are accused of taking out multiple travel insurance policies and then filing claims against &#8...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026

People Moves: Feitel Joins Alliant’s Employee Benefits Group

Bryan Feitel joined Alliant Insurance Services as vice president within its employee benefits group. Based in Connecticut and serving Alliant nationally, Feitel joins California-based Alliant with more than three decades of experience in the employee...

Posted: Jan 05, 2026