Insurance News
California Workers’ Comp Bureau Submits Lower 2020 Pure Premium Rate Filing
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California on Tuesday submitted its Jan. 1, 2020, pure premium rate filing to the California Department of Insurance, proposing advisory pure premium rates that are an average of 5.4% less than the current …
JLT’s Adams Joins Everest Insurance to Lead Its Bermuda Operation
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Everest Insurance said Kyle Adams has joined to lead the its Bermuda operations. In this role, Adams will focus on establishing and growing Everest’s Bermuda Insurance operations. Adams comes to Everest with 20 years of experience, including a decade operating …
Parade of Probes Underway to Pin Blame for Britain’s Blackout
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
The lightning strike that triggered Britain’s biggest blackout in more than a decade has also spawned a flurry of investigations by groups ranging from the government to railway operators. National Grid Plc’s preliminary report published by the regulator Ofgem on …
U.K.’s RSA Group Makes Market Move Despite Its Safety from No-Deal Brexit
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
RSA Insurance Group Plc is issuing sterling debt well ahead of an October 31 Brexit deadline, even though the U.K. insurer will likely fare better in a disorderly exit than many of its less-diversified peers. The company has reopened the …
Parish in Louisiana Getting $5.3M to Elevate 88 Homes
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Louisiana U.S. Rep. Garret Graves says Livingston Parish will receive a $5.3 million federal grant to fund the elevation of 88 homes that were substantially damaged during the 2016 flood. Graves says the money is part of the $300 million …
Lawsuit Alleges Louisiana Restaurant Pressured Servers to Perform Unpaid Work
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Three former table servers are suing owners and managers of an iconic Louisiana restaurant, claiming managers pressured them to work for no pay. The Advocate reported the lawsuit against The Chimes was filed last week in federal court in Baton …
Illinois Sues Company over Lead Found in Drinking Water
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Illinois alleges that a company that provides water to a Chicago suburb made changes without permission from state regulators that caused lead to contaminate the village’s drinking water. Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit against Aqua Illinois, the company …
German Firm Quits Safety Inspection Business Following Brazilian Dam Collapse
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Germany’s TÜV SÜD has pulled out of conducting safety assessments of dams after the collapse of a Brazilian dam it had vetted killed almost 250 people in January, the industrial inspection firm’s chief executive told Reuters. The collapse of the …
Cigna Eyes Sale of Group Life, Disability Business to Concentrate on Health: Reuters
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
U.S. health insurer Cigna Corp is exploring a sale of its group benefits insurance business, which could be valued at as much as $6 billion, four people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The unit for sale offers disability …
PG&E Will Face Jury Over Billions in Damages from Massive California Wildfire
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Victims of the second-most destructive fire in California history will get a chance to try and persuade a jury that PG&E Corp. should pay them as much as $18 billion in damages. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali on Friday lifted …
CopperPoint in Arizona Names Fuchs Senior Vice President of Data Management
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Phoenix, Ariz.-based CopperPoint Insurance Cos. has named Barb Fuchs senior vice president of data management. Fuchs will serve as the business lead for CopperPoint’s enterprise data warehouse program. She was most recently vice president of information management and analytics at …
3 Steps to Building an Agency Growth Machine
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
How much did your agency grow last year? How about in the past five years? If your answer is anything less than 10%, then this article is for you. In it, I want to share with you three keys to …
Trial Begins Over Insurance for ‘Suspicious’ Boat Sinking Off New England Coast
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
A civil trial that began on Tuesday will determine whether insurance companies must cover an $85,000 claim from a Vermont man for his boat, which sank nearly three years ago off the New England coast. Insurers are refusing to pay …
Connecticut Crumbling Foundations Superintendent to Step Aside
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
The veteran insurance consultant who has overseen the rollout of an assistance program for Connecticut homeowners with crumbling foundations says he’s stepping aside. Michael Maglaras, superintendent of the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company, a captive insurance company created by the …
Florida’s BKS-Partners Appoints Thompson to Managing Advisor
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners (BKS-Partners), an insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Tampa, Fla., has appointed Rich Thompson to managing advisor. Thompson joined BKS-Partners in 2015 as an Employee Benefits advisor. He is focused on partnering with clients …
Industry Flexes Political Muscle in States to Criminalize Aggressive Pipeline Protests
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
After protesters disrupted construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota by chaining themselves to construction equipment and pitching tents along the route, oil and chemical companies found a way to keep it from happening again. They made it a …
Alabama Woman Sentenced for Embezzling More Than $600K from Fire Departments
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
A federal judge has sentenced an Opelika, Alabama, woman to prison for embezzling more than $600,000 from volunteer fire departments in Alabama. U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town said Wednesday that a judge sentenced 63-year-old Andrea Payne to 42 months for …
The Hilb Group Acquires Tennessee’s Mackie Financial Group
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
The Hilb Group LLC (THG) has acquired Tennessee-based Mackie Financial Group LLC (MFG). The transaction became effective August 1, 2019. MFG is a full-service agency primarily providing insurance for employee benefits, Medicare Supplemental/Advantage, individual life and annuities. As part of …
The MEMIC Group Appoints Wilson as Senior Production Underwriter in Georgia
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Workers’ compensation specialist The MEMIC Group has appointed Kim Wilson to the role of senior production underwriter to support continued growth in the Georgia market. Wilson has more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry working for carriers …
Blank Rome Hires Michael to Insurance Recovery Group in Washington D.C.
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Blank Rome LLP has announced that Partner Helen K. Michael has joined the firm’s Insurance Recovery group based in its Washington, D.C., office. Michael joins from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, where she served as former co-chair of the firm’s …
Liberty Mutual Surety Taps Schrift to Develop Subcontractor Default Insurance Offering
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Liberty Mutual Surety has appointed Douglas Schrift and charged him with developing the company’s Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) offering. SDI is a two-party catastrophic insurance coverage that protects general contractors from losses due to a subcontractor’s failure to perform during …
Companies Continue March Towards Robots; Orders Up 7.2% in First Half of Year
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
In the first half of 2019, the North American robotics market is up 7.2%. From January to June, North American companies ordered 16,488 robots, valued at $869 million. For all of 2018, orders totaled 28,478, which was 16 percent more …
Number of Wildfires Down in Louisiana Over 10-Year Period
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
The number of wildfires in Louisiana has dropped significantly over the past decade, agriculture and forestry officials say. According to records, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) firefighters battled and suppressed 1,638 wildfires in 2008. In 2018, LDAF firefighters …
2019 Planting Season Is Ohio’s Worst Weather Weather-Wise, USDA Says
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers show Ohio farmers have been hit with the state’s worst weather-prevented planting season on record. The Columbus Dispatch reports the data released this week shows Ohio had the highest rate nationally of acreage on which …
West Bend Mutual Insurance Promotes Dunn, Ertmer, Jacques, Schwalen and Tighe
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. in West Bend, Wisconsin, has promoted five company executives. Heather Dunn is now senior vice president, as well as chief financial officer, a position she’s held since 2017. Dunn joined West Bend in 2008 as …
Michigan Manufacturing Facility Fined $32.5K After Worker’s Death
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
A suburban Detroit manufacturing facility has been fined after the death of an employee who fell into vat of sulfuric acid. The Detroit News reports the $32,500 fine was issued by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which completed …
Lawsuit Accuses E-Cigarette Makers of Targeting Kids, Deceiving Consumers
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. and Philip Morris USA Inc. were sued for illegally marketing nicotine-delivery devices to minors and deceiving consumers about the risks of vaping. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a 19-year-old, Christian Foss, who says …
Putin Vows Russian Nuclear Accident That Killed 5 Scientists Poses No Further Risk
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
President Vladimir Putin said there’s no risk from the explosion at a Russian military facility that caused a radiation spike and killed at least five people. “There’s no threat there and no increase in the background” radiation following the blast, …
Citing Wealth Gap, Environment, CEOs Say Social Responsibility Matters
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Corporate America is responsible for providing economic benefits to all, not just its investors, the Business Roundtable group said on Monday. The group’s “statement of corporate purpose” was signed by the heads of more than 180 U.S. companies, including the …
Blank Rome Adds Calkins, Rylaarsdam and Edri in California
Tue, 20 Aug 2019
Blank Rome LLP has added Mary Craig Calkins, a partner, Daniel H. Rylaarsdam, of counsel, and Sarah L. Edri as an associate along with additional professional staff to the firm’s insurance recovery group. Calkins, Rylaarsdam and Edri are based in …