Mutual Insurers Chase Rate Adequacy, Financial Strength Remains Strong: AM Best
The U.S. property/casualty mutual segment has leaned on investment income to maintain strong overall financial performance and grow surplus in the face of underwriting volatility and severe weather-related activity, according to an AM Best report. To combat underwriting losses and …
Extreme Weather Adds to Fiscal Strains in Central Europe
Just a week ago, before deadly floods swept through central Europe, the Czech Republic looked on track to become the first country in the region since COVID-19 to pull its budget deficit firmly below the 3% of GDP cap set …
Exploding Pagers Sound Global Alarm on Supply-Chain Security
Thousands of pagers and other devices exploding in Lebanon this week mark a new and deadly escalation in the use of supply chains against adversaries, giving new urgency to global leaders’ drive to reduce their dependence on technologies from rivals. …
Man Arrested for Damaging a Statue Outside a St. Louis Cathedral
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man used construction equipment to drop a heavy boom lift onto a sculpture that has stood for 25 years outside St. Louis’ Cathedral Basilica, badly damaging it, police said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the …
Human Remains Found in Vehicle Involved in Texas Pipeline Fire
Deer Park, Texas, police confirmed that human remains were recovered from a vehicle that crashed into a natural gas liquids pipeline Monday, triggering a fire that continues to burn. “Medical examiners will now begin working through their identification process, which …
People Moves: AIG Appoints Walsh CFO; Rokstone Names Baker Deputy Head of US Casualty; Applied Underwriters Hires, Promotes Leadership
AIG Appoints Walsh Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer American International Group, Inc. (AIG), headquartered in New York City, named Keith Walsh as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective October 21. Walsh, based in New York, will lead …
J&J Lifts Baby Powder Settlement Bid to More Than $8.2 Billion
Johnson & Johnson has boosted to more than $8.2 billion its offer to settle thousands of lawsuits by people who say its baby powder gave them cancer, according to people familiar with the matter. The offer, an increase from the …
7 in 10 Actuaries and Underwriters Worry About Being Replaced by AI
With the vast majority (91 percent) of insurance companies already investing in AI or planning to in the next five years, it’s not surprising that nearly 7 in 10 actuaries and underwriters are worried about being replaced by artificial intelligence, …
Live Nation Seeks to End States’ Claim of Damages for Concertgoers
Live Nation Entertainment has asked a federal judge in New York to dismiss several states’ claims that the live event promoter harmed event-goers by stifling competition with its ticket-selling arm, Ticketmaster. Live Nation seeks to dismiss part of the lawsuit …
TDCI Hosts SE Regulators Conference in Nashville in November
The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance will host the 2024 Southeastern Regulators Association conference in Nashville, promising a number of familiar faces in the insurance and legal industries as keynote speakers. The Nov. 3-5 conference is co-hosted by Insurors …
Completion of Federal Probe Into Surfside Condo Collapse Delayed Until 2026
A long-awaited federal report on the causes of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse, which killed 98 people in 2021 and upended Florida condo regulations and market, will have to wait at least another year. Officials with the National Institute …
GM’s Cruise to Begin Testing Autonomous Vehicles in California
General Motors’ self-driving unit Cruise said on Thursday it will begin supervised testing with up to five autonomous vehicles in fall this year in California’s Bay Area. Cruise will deploy several manual mapping vehicles in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, following …
California’s Lara Orders 1-Year Moratorium for 750K Residents Following Wildfires
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for 750,000 policyholders affected by the Airport, Bridge, and Line fires in the counties of Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino. …
Maine Bill Would Require Army to Use State Crisis Laws to Remove Weapons
A bill introduced after a mass shooting in Maine would require the Army to use state crisis intervention laws to remove the weapons of a service member who is deemed to be a serious threat to themselves or others, U.S. …
Connecticut Aquarium Pays $12K to Settle Investigation Into Whale Deaths
A Connecticut aquarium where three beluga whales died in recent years has agreed to settle a federal investigation over alleged animal care and water quality violations by paying a $12,200 fine while not admitting or denying the accusations. The whales …
Wisconsin Contractor Faces $144K Fine for Endangering Workers
A suburban Madison, Wisconsin contractor with a history of federal safety failures – including violations that led to an employee’s fatal injuries in 2022 – has again been found exposing workers to the construction industry’s most deadly hazard – falls …
Jewelers Mutual Expands to NC Office Tower, Warns About Store Break-ins Nationwide
Jewelers Mutual Insurance, one of the largest and oldest jeweler-focused insurers in the country, plans to lease a full floor of a new officer tower in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, a move that will create about 200 jobs, according to …
Unnamed Storm in Carolinas Caused $7 Billion in Damage, AccuWeather Says
The storm that swamped parts of the Carolinas this week wasn’t organized enough to be named but it still has caused $7 billion in damage, according to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather. That was approaching the $9 billion in damage …
Zywave Names Simoncic New CEO, Kasper CFO
Insurance technology provider Zywave said Martin Simoncic is its new chief executive officer and Christian G. Kasper has joined as chief financial officer. Simoncic most recently served as president of PROS Holdings, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions company using artificial intelligence. …
Moody’s: Private Market Insured Losses From Francine to Not Exceed $2B
U.S. private market insured losses from Hurricane Francine are estimated to not exceed $2 billion, Moody’s RMS Event Response team said. Losses to the National Flood Insurance Program from the hurricane are estimated to be less than $200 million, the …