English

www.insurancejournal.com

Today News

08

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a Claims-Free Fourth of July

According to the Consumer Protection Safety Commission, about 9,700 people in 2023 were treated in emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries. In its annual report, CPSC said there is a “statistically significant trend” upward in the…

Report: Medical Costs for Workers’ Comp Rose 11% Nationally

Medical costs for workers’ compensation increased nationally 11% and first-party claims grew 5% over the last four years, a new report shows. Enlyte’s “Quarterly Medical Price Index (MPI) Report,” based on trends from professional medical…

US P/C Underwriting Results: Two Years in a Row Over $20 Billion in the Red

For the second year in a row, the U.S. property/casualty industry booked an underwriting loss of more than $20 billion primarily due to the lackluster performance of personal auto and home insurance lines. The total U.S. P/C underwriting…

Florida Arts Groups’ Insurance Could be Affected With DeSantis Veto of Funding

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The Coral Gables Art Cinema will be short more than $100,000 this year. About $150,000 has suddenly disappeared from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s budget. The Miami New Drama also has an unexpected $150,000…

Hub Acquires Skinner & Co. in Georgia

Hub International, a global insurance brokerage, has acquired Georgia-based Skinner & Co., a brokerage offering commercial coverage, performance bonds and risk management services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Todd Skinner and…

Court Finds Virginia’s Punitive Damages Cap Applies Per-Plaintiff in Charlottesville Case

A federal appeals court has ruled that Virginia’s $350,000 punitive damages cap applies on a per-plaintiff basis in a case against white supremacists who organized the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in August 2017. A Fourth…

Connecticut’s Monroe Insurance Merges With Smith Brothers

Monroe Insurance Center, Inc., an independent insurance and risk management agency in Monroe, Connecticut, has merged its operations with Smith Brothers Insurance. The leadership team at Monroe Insurance Center including John Rodrigues,…

Jury Awards $68.5M to Family of Worker Who Fell to Death at Townhouse Construction Site

A Philadelphia jury has awarded $68.5 million in damages to the widow and son of a 38-year-old construction worker who was killed in 2021 in a fall from a fifth-floor balcony at a luxury townhouse site. Siarhei Marhunou’s widow, Hanna, …

Tuesday, Jul 2

00

Containment on Large California Fire Increased, but Temps Are Expected to Soar

Firefighters increased containment on the biggest wildfire currently burning in California, but triple-digit temperatures are expected to bake the state and increase wildfire risk. The Basin Fire in Fresno County has burned 13,551 acres…

PG&E Cut Power to 2,000 as Extreme Heat Bakes California

PG&E Corp. cut power to about 2,000 homes and businesses in Northern California as triple-digit temperatures, strong winds and low humidity heightened the risk of wildfires. The utility said it preemptively shut power across small areas of…

19

Marshall Elected Chair of Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission

Wesley G. Marshall has been elected to a three-year term as chairman of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission (VWC), effective July 1, 2024. He succeeds Commissioner Robert A. Rapaport, whose term ended June 30, 2024. Marshall, of…

Robots, Drones and Driverless Tractors Usher In New Age of Farming

Tractors plow the farm fields without drivers, guided by satellites and iPhones. Solar-powered robots tend to plants on the ground like giant outdoor Roombas, while drones fly overhead spraying the crops. It may sound like science fiction…

People Moves: IMA Financial Names Arons Rosen as Dallas Market President

IMA Financial Group, an independent insurance brokerage and risk management consulting firm, announced that Jordyn Arons Rosen will be its new Dallas Market President, effective July 1, 2024. Arons Rosen will succeed insurance industry…

Patrick Watkins Receives Drex Foreman Award by IIAT

Watkins Insurance Group announced that Patrick Watkins has been awarded the distinguished Drex Foreman Award by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT). This prestigious accolade recognizes exemplary leadership and significant…

Coverys Launches London Market Insurer, Approved to Write US E&S Business

Coverys Ltd., a UK entity in the Coverys Group of Companies, has received regulatory authority to launch a London company market insurer, effective June 26. Coverys Ltd. is part of Coverys’ dedicated London platforms which include both…

Lawsuit Claims Omaha Housing Authority Violated Tenants’ Rights

A federal class-action lawsuit alleges the Omaha Housing Authority continuously violated the legal rights of low-income tenants over the last seven years. Current and former tenants suing OHA claim the public housing provider illegally…

Texas Governor Wants to Double Gas-Plant Fund to $10 Billion

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wants to double a newly created loan program for building gas-fired power plants to $10 billion in order to meet the state’s growing demand for electricity. Voters last year approved the Texas Energy Fund,…

Michigan Court Revives Lawsuit Over Woman Found Alive in a Body Bag

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan appeals court revived a lawsuit against Detroit-area paramedics after a woman who had been declared dead gasped for air with her eyes open when a body bag was unzipped at a funeral home. A judge …

18

Ryan Specialty Shuffling Continues; McCormack Named CEO of RT Specialty

A day after Ryan Specialty Holdings announced a handful of executive moves following the retirement of founder Patrick G. Ryan, the company continued to promote from within by naming Edward F. McCormack chief executive officer of RT…

17

North Carolina, Florida Home Sellers Facing New Flood Disclosure Requirements

As of this week, home sellers in North Carolina must now disclose previous flood damage to properties. And come Oct. 1, Floridians must make similar disclosures, potentially boosting the demand for flood insurance. The North Carolina Real…

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Workplace Safety Agency

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to hear a challenge by an Ohio company to the power of the federal workplace safety regulator as the justices avoided another legal effort to pare back the authority of federal agencies. The …

16

Delaware Law to Allow Big Investors Greater Sway Over US Corporate Boards

Delaware is poised to adopt changes to its widely used corporate law that critics argue could weaken U.S. boards of directors in favor of influential investors such as private-equity firms. State lawmakers last week approved a bill that…

12

Japan Insurers Plan to Sell $3.1 Billion Worth of Honda Shares, Reuters Reports

Japan’s four top property and casualty insurers, along with other financial firms, are planning to sell around ¥500 billion ($3.1 billion) worth of shares in Honda Motor Co., Reuters reported. Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., Sompo Holdings Inc…

11

Right-Wing Political Tilt in Countries Across Globe Will Not Derail Climate Action

A political tilt to the right in Europe and a potential Trump presidency in the U.S. will not derail climate efforts as businesses are increasingly locked into green strategies, delegates at London Climate Action Week heard. A big election…

China Refines Financial Stability Law to Strengthen Risk Prevention

China’s new financial stability law draft bill improved provisions on financial risks prevention and control, according to draft revisions released on Monday. Revisions to the draft bill underwent the second round of review by China’s top…

09

Scientists Concerned That a Bird Flu Pandemic Is ‘Unfolding in Slow Motion’

Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts. Many of them…

Beryl Becomes Earliest Ever Category 5 Hurricane in Atlantic

Hurricane Beryl has strengthened after becoming the earliest ever Category 5 storm in the Atlantic, with the system heading toward Jamaica with life-threatening winds and heavy rainfall. Maximum sustained winds increased to 165 miles (270…

08

AI and APIs: Essential Tools for Zurich Insurance Group’s Digital Leap

Executive Summary: For a multinational insurance company like Zurich Insurance Group, which can find itself delivering large, complex policies in multiple languages to a single international customer, there’s a logical use case for Gen…

Justice Department to Charge Boeing, Seeks Guilty Plea From Planemaker

The US Justice Department will charge Boeing Co. with criminal fraud, leaving the planemaker to choose between pleading guilty or taking the risk of going to trial, according to people familiar with the matter. Boeing has until the end of …

Wall Street’s Top Regulator Faces Worsening Battle in Wake of Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court’s move to curb federal agency powers could curtail efforts by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to establish new rules to police Wall Street and invite more litigation, legal experts said in the wake of Friday’s…