California Commissioner Issues Regulation to Allow Reinsurance in Ratemaking
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday announced what he is calling the final step in his efforts to help the state’s ailing homeowners insurance market with the Net Cost of Reinsurance in Ratemaking Regulation, which enables reinsurance as a …
Maryland Sues Gore-Tex Maker Over ‘Forever Chemicals’ Pollution
Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was …
New York State Government to Monitor Its AI Use
New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they’re using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it …
Bird Flu Likely Mutated Within a Louisiana Patient: CDC
A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week. Scientists believe the mutations may allow …
Iowa Contractor Agrees to Consent Order Over Unlicensed Public Adjusting
The Iowa Insurance Division last month entered into a consent order with a contractor who had made claims they were offering services that require a public adjuster license. Central Iowa Gutter and Donald Smart have agreed to make changes to …
Loss-Free Property Cat Rates Fall 5%-15% as Reinsurer Appetite Grows: Guy Carpenter
Global reinsurers’ appetite rose for property catastrophe during the upcoming January renewals, which have seen risk-adjusted reinsurance rate reductions of 5%-15% for loss-free accounts, according to a renewal report published by Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance business of Marsh McLennan. Property …
Tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi Kill 2 and Injure 6
HOUSTON (AP) — A strong storm system threatened to whip up tornadoes in parts of the U.S. Southeast on Sunday, a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives as twisters touched down in Texas and Mississippi. Strong storms …
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires California’s BMR Insurance
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced the acquisition of Tustin, California-based Murray Gardner Insurance Agency Inc., dba BMR Insurance. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. BMR Insurance is a retail insurance agency serving commercial and personal lines clients primarily …
Oregon House Cat Died From Pet Food That Tested Positive for Bird Flu
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon house cat died after eating pet food that tested positive for bird flu, Oregon authorities said, prompting a recall of raw frozen pet food that was sold nationwide. Northwest Naturals, a pet food company …
Top National Insurance Journal Stories of 2024
The three largest insurers brokers each announced or closed multi-billion-dollar acquisitions in 2024. The topic was one of many in which readers of Insurance Journal kept a close eye. Difficulties in the personal auto insurance line of business gave way …
Generative AI: A Double Agent Serving Good and Evil in the World of Claims
Claims professionals need to adapt to the AI evolution at a fast pace as the same technologies used to fight claims fraud are also being used to perpetuate it, according to experts. “It’s truly become an arms race,” said Shane …
AT&T, Verizon Say Networks Now Clear After Salt Typhoon Hack
AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. acknowledged that they’d been hit by the China-linked Salt Typhoon hacking operation but that their networks were now clear from the intrusion. The hackers attempted to gain information about foreign intelligence, Dallas-based AT&T said …
Security First, Amelia Underwriters Offering New Products in Warming Florida Market
Two Florida-based insurance companies are expanding their product lines, another sign that insurers are making more – if limited – moves into a warming market in the state. Amelia Underwriters, a wholesale and surplus lines broker based in Fernandina Beach, …
Customs Agents Seize 22,000 Fake Vehicle Inspection Stickers Shipped From Israel
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said it has seized more than 20,000 counterfeit Pennsylvania vehicle inspection stickers that were shipped from Israel to an address in Philadelphia. Customs officers found the stickers in two different shipments that arrived …
Fire Engulfs Section of Popular Manhattan Outdoor Market
An outdoor holiday market in New York City’s Bryant Park briefly caught fire last Friday morning, sending flames and plumes of smoke above the popular midtown Manhattan tourist draw as firefighters rushed to put out the blaze. No one was …
Union Bay Acquires Pennsylvania’s Loyalhanna Insurance Group
Loyalhanna Insurance Group of Latrobe, Pennsylvania has been acquired by Union Bay Acquisition LLC, an aggregator of insurance agencies based in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Terms were not disclosed. This acquisition is Union Bay’s sixteenth, and seventh in the state of Pennsylvania. …
Pacific Northwest Poll: Belief That Young Adults Can’t Afford Homes on The Rise
Young adults across the Pacific Northwest have found homeownership to be increasingly out of reach as home prices across the nation rise, a poll by PEMCO Mutual Insurance shows. The poll shows that 81% of respondents agree that Gen Z …
People Moves: EPIC Names Rosson Northern California Growth Leader; Lara Makes Reappointments to CIGA Board
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants Appoints Rosson as Northern California Growth Leader EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants hired Charlie Rosson as Northern California growth leader. Based in San Ramon, Rosson spent nearly nine years as Woodruff Sawyer’s CEO and most …
When 2025 Arrives, So Will the End of the Amateur Athlete in College Sports
When the page turns on 2024, it will be time to say goodbye, once and for all, to the amateur athlete in college sports. In theory, the concept held on stubbornly via the quaint and now all-but-dead notion that student-athletes …
Cyber Attack on Italy’s Foreign Ministry, Airports Claimed by Pro-Russian Hackers
Hackers targeted around ten official websites in Italy on Saturday, including the websites of the Foreign Ministry and Milan’s two airports, putting them out of action temporarily, the country’s cyber security agency said. The pro-Russian hacker group Noname057(16) claimed the …

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