Insurance Journal

Connecticut Supreme Court Won’t Hear Alex Jones’ Appeal of $1B Sandy Hook Verdict

The Connecticut Supreme Court has declined to hear conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ appeal in a defamation case that resulted in a $1.4 billion verdict against him for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax. Jones asked the jus...

Posted: Apr 16, 2025

Washington Storage Tank Company Fined After Explosions Burn Two Workers

Two explosions occurring two hours apart sent two workers of a storage tank sales and servicing company to the hospital, one with serious burns, prompting the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries to fining the Des Moines, Wash. busin...

Posted: Apr 16, 2025

People Moves: Venbrook Names Myers President of New Practice; Yuen Appointed Vice President, West Re...

Venbrook Group launched a new corporate benefits and specialty health division and named Alison Myers its president. The division is an expansion of the firm’s employee benefits practice. Myers was most recently executive vice president of the...

Posted: Apr 16, 2025

Hertz Says Hackers Stole License Numbers, Credit Card Data

Hertz is alerting customers to a data breach involving drivers’ license numbers and other personal information following a hack in its supply chain. The car-rental company said in a posting on its website that it completed an analysis of the &#...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

United Risk Launches Multi-Line Reinsurance MGA, Names Cahill as CEO

United Risk, a subsidiary of Applied Underwriters, announced it has formed a multi-line reinsurance managing general agent. Jay Cahill, previously United Risk’s chief financial officer, has been named chief executive officer of the new MGA. He...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Judge Orders Bank of America to Pay $540 Million in FDIC Lawsuit

A federal judge ordered Bank of America to pay $540.3 million in a long-running Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation lawsuit accusing the second-largest U.S. bank of underpaying what it owed for deposit insurance. In a decision made public on Monday...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Texas Lawsuit Accuses Copart of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment

A lawsuit filed in Texas this month accuses online vehicle auction provider Copart of gender discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment. Christine Arnold, a former global vice president of human resources for Copart, says she was fired in reta...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Texas Measles Cases Increase 4% as Spread Appears to Be Slowing

Texas reported 20 new confirmed measles cases on Tuesday, a 4% increase from Friday’s data as the virus’ spread appears to be slowing in the hardest-hit US state. The state now has 561 total cases, with 58 people hospitalized since &#8230...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

MarshBerry’s FirstChoice Expands to Minnesota and Arizona

MarshBerry announced that FirstChoice, a MarshBerry Company (FirstChoice), has expanded into Minnesota and Arizona. This strategic move provides independent insurance agency owners in these states with the opportunity to join FirstChoice’s thri...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Hadron Acquires Michigan’s The Guarantee Company of North America

Hadron, an Arkansas-based carrier, announced its intent to acquire The Guarantee Company of North America USA (GCNA), a Michigan-domiciled insurance company, from Atlantic Specialty Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation (TSX...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

2024 Saw Second Most Tornadoes on Record in the US

New analysis indicates there were 1796 confirmed tornadoes in 2024, the second highest on record, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. The busy tornado season was driven by an active April and May in the Plains (notably quiet for much &...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Central European Foot-and-Mouth Disease Leads to Animal Culls and Border Closures

Authorities in several countries in Central Europe are working to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among cattle populations that has caused widespread border closures and required the killing of thousands of animals. The outbreak was fir...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Growing Fast, Going Public: Florida’s American Integrity Insurance Files for IPO

American Integrity Insurance, one of the largest property insurance carriers in Florida with more than 350,000 policies in force, is going to Wall Street with an initial public offering. The Tampa-based parent company, American Integrity Insurance Gr...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Advocacy Group Files Suit Over Tariffs in US Court of International Trade

A legal advocacy group on Monday asked the U.S. Court of International Trade to block President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners, arguing the president overstepped his authority. The lawsuit was filed by the nonpartis...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

More Resilient Organizations Successfully Battled Ransomware in 2024: BakerHostetler

An annual report from law firm BakerHostetler said companies “are starting to win the battle against ransomware.” In its 11th year, the report from the firm’s Digital Assets and Data Management (DADM) Practice Group, who handled ove...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Europe’s Hottest Year Turbocharged Extreme Weather Across Region

Europe experienced the hottest year on record in 2024, as climate change combined with a strong El Niño to generate a series of extreme weather events and force glaciers into retreat. Half the continent reported new heat records in 2024 …

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Delaware Fines Liberty Mutual $300K for Advertising Discounts Not Offered in State

After what it says was an investigation that took months, the Delaware Department of Insurance has levied a $300,000 penalty on three Liberty Mutual companies for advertising discounts that they do not offer in the state. The department said the &#82...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Question of the week: Is there real data about EV hacking?

This week’s question comes from Dan. If you want an answer to your insurance questions, just respond to this email and watch for an answer in a future email. Has there been any credible data regarding electric vehicles being hacked …

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

China Says US Hacked Networks of 2025 Asian Winter Games

China accused a US spy agency of hacking the Asian Winter Games held this year in Harbin, and took the unusual step of identifying individuals it thinks are responsible. The US National Security Agency’s Office of Tailored Access Operations car...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Cabot Creamery Butter Recalled Over Fecal Bacteria Contamination

A Vermont firm has recalled more than 1,700 pounds of butter because it may be contaminated with coliform, a type of bacteria found in fecal matter. Agri-Mark Inc., of Waitsfield, Vermont, recalled 189 cases of Cabot Creamery 8-ounce premium butter &...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

German Court to Review Seizure of Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker

A German court will weigh a request to release a seized oil tanker that is believed to be part of a so-called shadow fleet used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions, Germany’s finance ministry said on Monday. The Panama-flagged vessel, …

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Inspections of Whiskey Barrels Take Time in Flood Aftermath at Kentucky Distillery

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Signs of renewal are underway at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky since floodwaters that inundated the whiskey-making campus receded. But executives say the painstaking task of inspecting any bourbon barrels touched by t...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

British Insurer Marshmallow Valued at $2 Billion With BlackRock Backing

British car insurance startup Marshmallow has almost doubled its valuation to more than $2 billion after a funding round that was backed by new investors BlackRock, Columbia Lake Partners and Portage. The firm, which offers insurance to under-served...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

Flatten Your Onboarding with AgentSync Manage and Onboarding Portals

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Are your producers tired of entering (and re-entering) their answers five different ways into slight variations of the Uniform Producer Application every time they apply for a new license or &#823...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025

White House Proposes Elimination of NOAA Climate Research in Budget Proposal

The administration of President Donald Trump aims to eliminate the arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that oversees research on climate change, and refocus the U.S. fisheries service to support energy development, according to...

Posted: Apr 15, 2025