Insurance Journal

Indonesia to Relocate Residents or Move Fuel Facility After Fire Kills 16

Indonesia will relocate residents living near a fuel-storage fire that killed 16 people or remove the depot owned by state energy company Pertamina to a safer location, President Joko Widodo said on Sunday. The decision will rest with State-Owned Ent...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

As Catastrophic Storm Costs Rise, Could Mandatory Flood Insurance Help?

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. Key Takeaways: The rising cost to U.S. taxpayers of more frequent and severe flood damages The problems with the current state of flood insurance in the U.S. Actual and proposed …

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Judge: Michigan School, Staff Immune From Shooting Lawsuits

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan judge has ruled that staff and administrators at Oxford High School cannot be sued for a mass shooting that left four students dead and seven others wounded. Oakland County Circuit Judge Mary Ellen Brennan &#823...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

P/C Carriers Losing Ground to MGAs in Talent War

During a webinar about an insurance industry labor market survey last month, an industry recruiter said that insurance carriers are losing ground to managing general agents in the war for talent. “On the property and casualty side, primarily in...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Paramount Global Settles Shareholder Suit for $122.5 Million

Paramount Global settled an investor lawsuit tied to the controversial 2019 merger of CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc. that created the company, agreeing to pay $122.5 million. The settlement with Viacom investors was reached on Feb. 27, according to a &#82...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Justice Dept Wants Execs to Foot Bill for Corporate Misconduct

The U.S. Justice Department is rolling out a new policy aimed at pushing the cost of corporate crime into the pockets of executives, the latest in a series of changes at the agency under President Joe Biden. The agency’s criminal …

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

AJG Buys Nashville Brokerage

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the global insurance brokerage and consulting firm, has acquired Nashville-based Anderson Benson, a retail insurance brokerage and risk management firm. Anderson Benson, founded in 2012, has carved out a niche in the en...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

A.J. Gallagher Buys Nashville Brokerage

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the global insurance brokerage and consulting firm, has acquired Nashville-based Anderson Benson, a retail insurance brokerage and risk management firm. Anderson Benson, founded in 2012, has carved out a niche in the en...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Bishop Testifies Against Bill to End Child Abuse Reporting Exemption for Clergy

The Roman Catholic Church’s rite of confession must remain confidential, even if someone tells a priest that a child has been abused, the bishop who leads Vermont’s diocese testified Friday. Bishop Christopher Coyne told the state Senate...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Owner, Employee Charged With Manslaughter in Worker’s Death in Trench Collapse

A construction company owner and an employee were charged with manslaughter Friday in connection with a trench collapse in Connecticut last year that killed a 56-year-old worker. Vernon police said they arrested Dennis Botticello, 67, owner of Manche...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Push to Require Clergy to Report Abuse Stalls in Mormon Utah

Lindsay Lundholm looked out over hundreds of people at the Utah State Capitol last year and felt a deep sense of healing. Abuse survivors, religious leaders and major party politicians were all gathered to rally for an end to a …

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Investigation Leads to Woman’s Insurance Fraud Conviction in Washington

An Edmonds, Washington, woman pled guilty to committing insurance fraud after an investigation completed by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit. Eden Gebru pled guilty to the charge of false claims or proof on Fe...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Insurance Executive Lindberg Remains Free After Indictment on New Fraud Charges

A North Carolina business magnate remains free after he was indicted on charges he conspired to conduct a massive scheme to deceive insurance regulators and policyholders related to insurance companies that he controlled. Greg E. Lindberg of Durham w...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

Kentucky Bill Would Boost Disclosure of Teachers’ Misconduct

A Kentucky House committee advanced a bill Tuesday to bolster disclosure requirements meant to reveal past misconduct allegations when teachers seek jobs in other school districts. Republican Rep. James Tipton said his bill seeks to strike a balance...

Posted: Mar 06, 2023

How Insurers Can Help Small Businesses Grow and Prosper

The past three years taught business owners resilience and adaptability. This is especially true for small businesses faced with the unique challenges of the pandemic, inflation, and the Great Resignation. But the pandemic also proved to be a time of...

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

10 Things to Know About Auto Insurance

1. The national combined average premium increased by 10.31%, and average liability premiums increased by 10.36% over the 2016-2020 period. The national combined average premium per insured vehicle was $1,176, a 2.4% decrease from 2019 to 2020. &#821...

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Overvalued Homes and Flood Risk

The increasing cost of flooding due to climate change has led to growing concerns that housing markets are mispricing these risks, thus causing a real estate bubble to develop, according to a study published recently in the journal Nature Climate &#8...

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Florida Tort Reform Bill Goes Big, Checks Most Remaining Boxes for Insurers Hoping to Stem Litigatio...

Outside of insurance attorneys, plaintiffs’ lawyers and some doctors, few people in Florida may be familiar with what are known as letters of protection. But critics say the instruments, in which doctors agree to take a share of the judgment &#...

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

From Cyber to Lease Protection, Many Small Businesses and Agencies Are Woefully Unprepared

By William Rabb Lisa Parry Becker, vice president of an independent insurance agency in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, recounted a computer hacking incident a longtime client suffered recently. It sounds almost like a thriller novel, with a race against ti...

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Used-Vehicle Prices May Be Cresting but Insurers Still Underwater

By Marty Ellingsworth It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” would be an apt description of the last few years for auto insurers. Immediately after a nationwide, months-long driving hiatus caused collisions to plummet and …

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Allstate CEO Sees Untapped Opportunity in Direct-to-Consumer Homeowners Market

By Susanne Sclafane When Allstate’s chief executive officer looks at potential growth opportunities for personal lines insurers, he sees an untapped part of the homeowners insurance market — customers that will buy home insurance online....

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Women in Insurance: Breaking Barriers, Creating Equal Opportunities

The struggle for gender equality in the workplace has come a long way. Promising strides have been made in both the start-up scene and in large corporations to create more opportunities for women and countless new female business leaders have …

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

What the Future Holds for Insurance

By Jahna Jacobson What changes lie ahead for the rest of 2023? That’s a question that Insurance Journal’s “On Point” podcast host Peter van Aartrijk discussed with David Smith, founder and chief executive of Global Futures and...

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Spying, AI and Hacking, Oh My …

7 Agent Technology Trends to Watch in 2023 Technology is a double-edged sword that can drive fear as much as excitement for the future. Game-changing tech, though, allows us to make our imaginations a reality. Let’s take a spin down …

Posted: Mar 05, 2023

Stock Ownership Versus Deferred Compensation

One of the topics an agency owner will often have to discuss with a new or existing producer will be “ownership.” When we ask a producer what they mean by ownership, stock ownership is often what comes to their mind. …

Posted: Mar 05, 2023