Insurance Journal

2019 Houston Chemical Fire Could Have Been Prevented, Federal Investigation Finds

A massive Houston-area chemical fire that burned for three days in 2019 could have been prevented if proper procedures were in place at the chemical storage facility run by the Intercontinental Terminals Co., according to an investigation released Th...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

People Moves: Stephens Insurance Appoints Krutsch

Stephens Insurance Appoints Rich Krutsch as Senior Vice President, Employee Benefits Division Stephens Insurance, LLC, an affiliate of Stephens Inc., announced the hiring of Rich Krutsch as a senior vice president within the employee benefits divisio...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Awkward Insurance Podcast Wins Silver at IMCA’s 65th Annual Showcase Awards

AUSTIN, TX, July 10, 2023 — The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research proudly announces the prestigious recognition of their Awkward Insurance Podcast at the 65th Annual Insurance Marketing & Communications Association (IMCA) S...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Artificial Weatherman? AI Could Better Predict Hurricanes, Research Paper Says

Artificial Intelligence may be the key to more accurate and more timely hurricane predictions, China-based researchers have reported in the scientific journal Nature. In two papers in the journal, the researchers, including scientists affiliated with...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

SVB Financial Sues FDIC to Recover $1.9B Seized in Bank Rescue

Bankrupt SVB Financial Group has sued the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) to recover the $1.93 billion that the regulator seized while it took over Silicon Valley Bank in March, a filing in a bankruptcy court on Sunday showed. …

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

‘Stoneos’ Cannabis Cookies Look Too Much Like Oreos, Says FTC

Six companies that make snacks with the active ingredient of cannabis have been sent cease and desist letters because the packaging looks too much like foods that kids love, including “Stoneos” that mimic Oreo cookies, the U.S. Federal Tr...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Whiskey Fungus, Liability, Tax Breaks Killing the Buzz for Residents Near Distilleries

For decades, the whiskey and bourbon makers of Tennessee and Kentucky have been beloved in their communities. The distilleries where the liquor is manufactured and barrelhouses where it is aged have complemented the rural character of their neighborh...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

California Utility Pays $22M to Settle Claims in 2016 Wildfire

Southern California Edison and two other companies have paid $22 million to settle U.S. government claims that they caused a 2016 wildfire that burned thousands of acres of national forest, it was announced. The money covers damage from the Rey &#823...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Fiery Plane Crash in South Carolina Resort Town Killed All Five on Board

Five people are dead after a single-engine plane crashed in a South Carolina coastal resort town. Officials said the fiery wreck near a golf course in North Myrtle Beach on July 1 killed all four passengers and the pilot, The …

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Allianz Replaces UnipolSAI in UniCredit’s Insurance Venture Incontra

UniCredit said on Friday it was ending a non-life insurance venture with UnipolSAI as it strengthened its relationship with Germany’s Allianz, a top shareholder and insurance partner. UniCredit said it would buy the 51% stake the Italian insure...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Comedian Sarah Silverman Sues Meta, OpenAI for Copyright Infringement

Comedian Sarah Silverman and two authors have filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Meta Platforms and OpenAI for allegedly using their content without permission to train artificial intelligence language models. The proposed class action law...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

EU Probes Novo Nordisk Drugs After Reports of Suicidal Thoughts

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is probing Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Saxenda after Iceland’s health regulator flagged three cases of patients on the drugs thinking about suicide or self-harm. Share...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Suncor Reports Data Breach Affected Petro-Points Members’ Basic Contact Data

Canadian energy firm Suncor Energy on Thursday [July 6] said that due to a cyber security incident on June 21, unauthorized party obtained Petro-Points members’ basic contact information. “Based on our investigation to date, we determined...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

National Grid to Pay $5.3M to Settle Gloucester Environmental Damage Claims

\National Grid agreed to pay $5.38 million to state and federal agencies to resolve claims over environmental damage caused by the defunct Gloucester Gas Light Company, officials said Friday. Hazardous chemicals released by the plant, which operated...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Slow-Moving Storm Puts New York City, East Coast Under Flood Threat

New York City and the eastern US braced Sunday for severe thunderstorms as a creeping weather front drags across the region and raises the risk of flooding from Vermont to North Carolina. The slow-moving line of showers was crossing the …

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

ECB Cyber Stress Test Won’t Deliver Direct Capital Hit to Banks

The European Central Bank’s cybersecurity stress test next year won’t have a direct impact on capital requirements, limiting the exercise’s potential repercussions for investor payouts. The test will be a learning experience for len...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Aviation Lessors Fight to Stop Insurance Dispute Hearings in Russia

More than 40 aviation leasing firms, locked in a battle with insurers over who should bear up to $10 billion in costs for 400 jets stuck in Russia, are urging the High Court to allow a reinsurance dispute to be …

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

London Is Falling Down — Because of Climate Change

Britain’s increasingly extreme weather is shaking the very foundations of its centuries-old history. The nation has been experiencing prolonged periods of drought after wet winters since last year. That’s causing the porous rock beneath v...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Meat Processor Agrees to Reform Hiring After Two Teens Found at a Minnesota Plant

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) __ A second company involved in meat processing has agreed to reform its hiring practices after investigators recently discovered teenagers working there. The Labor Department said Friday that Monogram Foods will pay a more than $30,...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

IMCA Announces 2023 ‘Showcase’ Winners

MINNEAPOLIS (July 5, 2023) — The Insurance Marketing and Communications Association (IMCA) announced the winners of the 65th Annual IMCA Showcase Awards at last month’s “Ignite” conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This year’s...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Siemens Energy Deepens In-house Probe Into Wind Turbine Problems: Sources

Siemens Energy’s management board has set up a task force to establish the scope of deepening problems at its crisis-ridden wind turbine division, including quality issues at its two most recent onshore platforms, two supervisory board sources...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Siemens Energy Investigates Wind Unit With Twin Taskforces

Siemens Energy AG has established an internal taskforce and supervisory board committee after a string of quality problems with its wind turbines triggered a record share price drop, a person familiar with the matter said. The groups will add scrutin...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Kansas Attorney General Sues to Prevent Transgender People From Changing Driver’s Licenses

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – The Republican attorney general of Kansas sued Friday to block transgender residents from changing their sex on their driver`s licenses and to rebuke the Democratic governor for defying his interpretation of a new law. Attorney Ge...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

EPA’s Lax Enforcement Leaves Thousands of Lead Pipes in Chicago Drinking Water

Even though lead in drinking water damages children`s development, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced very few cities to replace their lead pipes. Consider Chicago, with more water pipes made out of lead than any U.S. city, some 400,000....

Posted: Jul 10, 2023

Robots Say They Won’t Steal Jobs, Rebel Against Humans

Robots presented at an AI forum said on Friday they expected to increase in number and help solve global problems, and would not steal humans’ jobs or rebel against us. But, in the world’s first human-robot press conference, they gave &#8...

Posted: Jul 10, 2023