Insurance Journal

Broker Verlingue Expands UK Footprint With Acquisition of Brunsdon Employee Benefits

Verlingue has announced the acquisition of Gloucester, England-based Brunsdon Employee Benefits, an independently owned employee benefits specialist. The deal, subject to regulatory approval, supports Verlingue’s recent expansion in the Midland...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Swiss Re H1 Net Income Surges to $1.4B on Lower Natural Catastrophe Losses

Swiss Re AG said first-half net income rose more than ninefold to $1.4 billion from a year earlier, driven by contained natural catastrophe losses and a rebound in its life and health business to pre-pandemic levels. Net premiums earned and …

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

UK Seeks to Boost Defenses for Potential Infrastructure Attacks

The UK government unveiled a fresh attempt to bolster security of critical energy infrastructure like gas pipelines. The release of an updated National Risk Register by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden reflects concerns that heavy reliance on gas...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

WCRI: Inflation Not a Big Deal for Workers’ Comp, Yet

While fast-rising prices in the past year drove up claim costs for auto and property insurers, inflation has been a more ho-hum affair for the workers’ compensation line and health care in general, according to a new report by the …

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Forecasters Stress Uncertainty in Latest Hurricane Forecast

Forecasters from Colorado State University (CSU) stressed uncertainty in their latest outlook on Thursday for the current Atlantic hurricane season, even as they held steady the number of storms expected. This year’s hurricane season, which beg...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Teva Agrees to Pay $126M to US Hospitals Over Opioids

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has agreed to pay up to $126 million to U.S. hospitals over 18 years to settle claims that its marketing of opioid drugs raised the hospitals’ operating costs. As part of the proposed settlement, disclosed in...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Valent Group Acquires Coastal Professional Insurance in Alabama

Birmingham-based Valent Group, an insurance brokerage and risk management firm, has acquired Coastal Professional Insurance Inc., an independent agency in Mobile, Alabama. Coastal, or CPI, has been in the business for three decades and offers propert...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Acturis Enters U.S. Market with Acquisition of Broker Buddha

After successful entries into the German, French and Canadian insurance markets, software-as-a-service firm Acturis Group has entered the U.S. market with the acquisition of Broker Buddha. Broker Buddha, based in New York City, provides insurance bro...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Pennsylvania Socialite, Convicted of Millions in Insurance Fraud, Dies at 71

The judge called it a “spectacular” fall from grace after a well-known Pennsylvania socialite was convicted in 2019 of more than $13 million in insurance fraud. Four years later, the Bucks County woman, Claire Risoldi, has died at age 71,...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Class Action Targets Grocery Delivery Firm for Alleged Unpaid Wages

A delivery driver in Massachusetts has filed a proposed class action against a grocery delivery company and grocery chain for allegedly misclassifying drivers as independent contractors and not paying minimum wage, overtime wages or employee expenses...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

California Firm to Pay $1M for Selling Devices to Thwart Truck Smog Controls

A California company will pay $1 million for violating federal environmental laws by making and selling devices that defeated smog controls on diesel trucks, prosecutors announced. Sinister Manufacturing Co., Inc. of Roseville, doing business as Sini...

Posted: Aug 04, 2023

Car App Jerry in California Gets $110M in Funding, Adds Services

Smart-car app maker Jerry received an additional $110 million in equity and debt financing to add its services designed to enable vehicle owners “manage all things car.” The Palo Alto, California-based company is adding GarageGuard to dia...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Report: 244M in U.S. Felt at Least One July Day with Temps Likely Due to Climate Change

Eight-in-10 people around the globe in July were exposed to at least one day of heat made at least three times more likely by climate change, and 244 million people in the U.S. experienced at least one day in the …

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Texas Policy Protects Big Polluters From Citizen Complaints

PORT LAVACA — On a rugged stretch of the Gulf Coast in Texas, environmental groups called foul in 2020 when an oil company sought pollution permits to expand its export terminal beside Lavaca Bay. Led by a coalition of local …

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Oklahoma Governor Signs Executive Order Narrowly Defining “Female” and “Male”

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday directed state agencies to use narrow definitions of “female” and “male,” in the latest attack on transgender rights in a state that already has laws targeting bathroom...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Lemonade Posts Q2 Loss of $67.2M, Reviews Homeowners Book

Artificial intelligence-powered insurer Lemonade recorded a net loss of $67.2 million for the second quarter compared with a net loss of $67.9 million a year ago during the same period. Catastrophes, specifically severe convective storms, weighed on...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Pipeline Operators to Pay $12.5M After Crude Oil Spills in Montana, North Dakota

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced the settlement in a 2022 federal court lawsuit. Belle Fourche Pipeline Company and Bridger Pipeline LLC will pay the $12.5 million to resolve the claims made under the Clean Water Act and &...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Ohio’s Largest Rivers Show Great Improvement Since 1980s, Officials Say

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio officials say a first-ever comprehensive study of the state`s largest rivers indicates great improvement in water quality over the past few decades. Gov. Mike DeWine and state environmental protection officials said Tuesday...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Norfolk Southern Changes Policy on Overheated Bearings After Ohio Derailment

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A minor coal train derailment in Virginia in early July prompted Norfolk Southern to rethink the way it responds to problems with overheating bearings, but it`s not clear why the railroad didn`t make similar changes months …

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Hyundai, Kia Recall 91,000 Vehicles Over Fire Risks, Urge Owners to Park Outside

Hyundai Motor and Kia said Thursday they are recalling more than 91,000 newer vehicles in the United States because of fire risks and urged owners to park outside and away from structures pending repairs. The recall covers Hyundai 2023-2024 Palisade,...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

GM Recalls Nearly 900 Vehicles With Takata Air Bag Inflators

General Motors is recalling nearly 900 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada with Takata air bag inflators that could explode and hurl shrapnel in a crash. The recall covers certain Chevrolet Camaro, Sonic and Volt vehicles as well as the …

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

State Takeover of Nashville Airport Board Remains as Lawsuit Proceeds

A three-judge panel won`t stop Tennessee officials from taking over Nashville`s airport operations while a lawsuit challenging the recently enacted statute allowing the change moves forward. In a decision handed down Monday, the judges criticized Nas...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

AP Review Reveals Problematic Dams in US, But Some States’ Data Not Released

A more than two-year investigation by The Associated Press identified scores of problematic dams nationwide, but New Jersey is excluded from the analysis because the state did not fully respond to the records requests. The investigation identified at...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Root Inc. Narrows Q2 Net Loss to $37M, Remains Committed to Pricing Model

Insurtech Root Inc. posted a another net loss for the second quarter 2023 of about $37 million. The loss was a 62% improvement from the net loss of about $96 million during the same period in 2022. Over the first …

Posted: Aug 03, 2023

Verisk Beats Wall Street Expectations on Q2 Earnings Report

Verisk Analytics Inc. (VRSK) on Wednesday reported second-quarter earnings of $196.9 million. The Jersey City, New Jersey-based company said it had profit of $1.35 per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were $1.51 per share. The...

Posted: Aug 03, 2023