Insurance Journal

Thunderstorms, Possible Tornadoes Ravage Central New Jersey

After a rare tornado warning was issued Tuesday, a strong line of thunderstorms ripped through central New Jersey with powerful winds that caused many trees to be ripped out of the ground in Pennington and West Windsor. Some of the …

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Meta Loses Bid to Toss $175M Verdict in Streaming Patent Case

A federal judge in Austin, Texas on Tuesday rejected a request by Meta Platforms Inc’s to throw out a $175 million jury patent verdict for walkie-talkie app maker Voxer Inc. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel’s decision leaves intact the jury...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Update: Activists Sue BNP Over Energy Loans, TotalEnergies Over Human Rights

Climate and human rights activists sued two of France’s biggest corporations over fossil fuel financing and alleged human rights abuses on Thursday, as campaigners increasingly turn to lawsuits to push big companies to change their behavior. Ox...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

BNP Paribas Sued in France by Climate Advocacy Groups Over Fossil-Fuel Financing

Three climate-minded organizations are set on Thursday to sue BNP Paribas, the eurozone’s biggest bank, on grounds its loans to oil and gas majors breach a legally binding duty to ensure its activities do not harm the environment. The three &#8...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

China Urges State-Owned Firms to Drop Big 4 Auditors Over Data Security Concerns

Chinese authorities have urged state-owned firms to phase out using the four biggest international accounting firms, signaling continued concerns about data security even after Beijing reached a landmark deal to allow US audit inspections on hundreds...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Trade Group Argues SEC Case Unfairly Labels Crypto as Securities

Cryptocurrency trade association Chamber of Digital Commerce is urging a federal court to dismiss a case brought by the U.S. securities regulator against ex-Coinbase employees accused of insider trading, arguing that the case unfairly labeled several...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Proposed NC Rule Would Require More Flood History Disclosure on Homes for Sale

North Carolina home buyers may soon have access to more information about a property’s flooding history, a rule that could help insurance agents sell more flood insurance and other types of coverage. The state’s Real Estate Commission las...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

People Moves: AMERIND CEO Valdo Returns from Spiritual Sabbatical

AMERIND has announced the return of Chief Executive Officer Derek Valdo following a year-long religious leave as appointed spiritual leader (3rd War Chief) for the Pueblo of Acoma. Before his departure in January 2022, Valdo appointed Chief Operating...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

California Wildfire Innovation Fund Getting $25M Boost

A California fund to encourage wildfire innovation and lower the severity and frequency of catastrophic wildfire is getting a $25 million boost. Walnut Creek, Calif.-based CSAA Insurance Group made a $25 million commitment to the California Wildfire...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Madison Square Garden Loses Appeal of Covid-19 Insurance Claim Dismissal

A New York appeals court last week upheld the dismissal of Madison Square Garden’s Covid-19 business interruption claim against Factory Mutual Insurance Co. The court agreed with a New York County court’s dismissal in January, 2002 after...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

3 Massachusetts Firms to Pay $325K Over Asbestos Work at State University

A Waltham-based construction contractor, Devens-based plumbing contractor, and Woburn-based demolition company will pay up to $325,000 in civil penalties to settle allegations of illegal asbestos work during a renovation project at Fitchburg State Un...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

When ‘Preparing for Work’ Falls Under Virginia Workers’ Compensation

An employee who was injured while scraping ice off his company-owned truck parked at his home is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission has ruled, reversing a deputy commissioner’s denial...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

When Preparing for Work Falls Under Virginia Workers’ Compensation

An employee who was injured when while scraping ice off his company-owned truck parked at his home is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission has ruled, reversing a deputy commissioner’s de...

Posted: Feb 23, 2023

Hopeful Cannabis Sales Data an Encouraging Sign for Insurance Specialists

News has been rife with dreary tidings for the cannabis industry over the past year, but a surprisingly encouraging outlook has emerged among the persistent din of downward harbingers like a flower glut, investment funding shrinkage, and layoffs. Ind...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

XPT Specialty Acquires Texas’ Craig & Leicht

XPT Specialty announced the acquisition of Texas-based wholesale agency Craig & Leicht. Founded by Amy Leicht-Craig and former TSLA president Matt Leicht, CIC, CPCU, ASLI, Craig & Leicht has earned a strong reputation for their multi-faceted...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

People Moves: WTW Adds 2 Surety Experts in Northeast; Jones Heads Arbella Foundation

WTW Adds 2 Surety Experts in Northeast Broker WTW, headquartered in London, has made two leadership appointments to its North American Corporate Risk & Broking (CRB) surety business in the U.S. Tom Rhatigan has been appointed Northeast senior dir...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Arkansas Challenges EPA’s Blocking of State Ozone Plan

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to reject its plan to comply with federal rules that are supposed to assure that the state’s coal-fired power plants and...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Two More La. Residents Sentenced in Staged Auto Collision Scheme

U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced New Orleans residents Herbert Allen,age 38, and Dion Ridley, age 23, after they pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. Judge Vance &#82...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Five Things Independent Insurance Producers Expect from Their Agency

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. The producer market is getting skinny with retirees exiting businesses and not enough interest from new generations. Agencies that can deliver on both the historical benefits of an agency contract...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Midwest Meat Plant Cleaning Service Fined $1.5M for Hiring Minors

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – One of the country’s largest cleaning services for food processing companies employed more than 100 children in dangerous jobs at 13 meatpacking plants across the country, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday as it announ...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Upper Midwest Braces For Nearly 2 Feet of Snow

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A wide swath of the Upper Midwest braced Tuesday for a historic winter storm that was expected to bury parts of the region in nearly 2 feet of snow and bring blizzard conditions. The storm was to …

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Explosion at Ohio Metals Plant Kills 1 Worker, Injures More Than a Dozen

OAKWOOD VILLAGE, Ohio (AP) – A maintenance worker was killed in explosion at an Ohio metals plant that sparked a large fire and sent more than a dozen people to hospitals, with at least two in critical condition, authorities said. …

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

Epstein Victims Say Banks Chose Profits Over Following Law

Deutsche Bank AG and JPMorgan Chase & Co. chose to profit from Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking venture rather than follow the law, victims of the pedophile told a judge, urging him not to throw out their lawsuit seeking damages from the &...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

People Moves: AXIS Appoints Galanski Head of N.A. P/C Programs; Ningen Named Swiss Re CEO of U.S. P/...

AXIS Appoints Galanski as Head of North America Property & Casualty Programs Gabriel Galanski has joined AXIS Capital Holdings Limited as head of North American property and casualty programs. Galanski will manage, develop and administer programs...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023

New Mexico Law Signed to Help Wildfire, Flooding Recovery

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed to use zero-interest loans to help local governments in the arid, Southwest state repair or replace public infrastructure damaged by wildfires or subsequent flooding. The law follows last year’s his...

Posted: Feb 22, 2023