Latest News & Insights

Vietnam Flood Deaths Climb as Heavy Rain Drenches Coffee Region

The death toll in Vietnam from days of severe flooding has climbed to 43 as heavy rain drenches coffee-producing regions in the central highlands and waters remain high in some tourism areas. Around 61,000 people have been evacuated and half …

Silent Cyber Threats: How ‘Shadow AI’ Could Undermine Digital Health Defenses

Across Canada, doctors and nurses are quietly using public artificial-intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini to write clinical notes, translate discharge summaries or summarize patient data. But even though these services offer speed and convenience, they also …

Ex-Lloyd’s CEO Lost $17 Million AIG Job After Office Romance

American International Group Inc.’s announcement last week that it was parting ways with incoming President John Neal stunned insurance industry observers and raised questions about what caused the veteran executive to lose a $17 million job before he’d even started. …

Viewpoint: Sins of Policy Interpretation. A Call to Repentance

Written words have an intended meaning. Fair-minded readers try to grasp that meaning. But other readers impute motives to the writer either to serve their own ends or to protect the writer from unforeseen consequences. Once, early in my career, …

Ohio’s FirstEnergy Ordered to Pay More Than $250M for Bribery Scheme

Ohio utility regulators ordered Akron-based FirstEnergy on Wednesday to pay more than $250 million in fines and refunds as a result of its misconduct in a sweeping Statehouse bribery scandal whose fallout continues five years on. The punishment meted out …

P/C Insurer Rankings Down Overall on Higher Costs, Changing Customer Expectations

Rising costs and changing customer expectations are driving satisfaction in the insurance and mortgage industry, according to an American Customer Satisfaction Index study. Among the four industries studied — health insurance, life insurance, property and casualty insurance (P/C), and mortgage …

Federal Judge Denies TRO to Marsh in Case Against Former Employees

A federal judge has denied a temporary restraining order against seven former employees of Marsh sued in one of several lawsuits against defectors to join Howden US. Marsh USA early this month filed a lawsuit against the group of former …

Europe to Launch Service to Measure Role of Climate Change in Extreme Weather

The EU is launching a service to measure the role climate change is playing in extreme weather events like heatwaves and extreme rain, and experts say this could help governments set climate policy, improve financial risk assessments and provide evidence …

SEC’s Epic Post-Shutdown Filing Backlog Risks Stalling US IPOs

Rank-and-file US Securities and Exchange Commission workers have returned to face the paperwork that piled up during the longest government shutdown in US history, and supervisors say the order of the day is “triage.” Deal first with the tasks still …

Florida Reforms Are Paying Off for Drivers. Don’t Mess it up With Repeal of PIP

For years, I’ve warned that Florida’s legal climate was out of control — driven not by consumers or local businesses, but by a handful of billboard trial lawyers who made fortunes exploiting loopholes in our laws. Their tactics fueled one …

California Refinery Closures Spark Pipeline Race to West Coast

A race is on among energy companies to build a major fuel pipeline to the U.S. West Coast, a potentially lucrative prize as the planned closure of two California refineries threatens to send gasoline prices in the isolated market soaring. …

Jury Orders Massachusetts State Police to Pay $6.8M Over Discrimination Claims

A jury has ordered the Massachusetts State Police to pay $6.8 million after a finding that it discriminated against female and minority troopers. The verdict confirmed Tuesday by a Suffolk Superior Court clerk came in a lawsuit accusing the agency’s …

People Moves: XPT Specialty Adds Ornce to Workers’ Comp Division

XPT Specialty, headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, appointed Chris Ornce as a senior vice president in its workers’ compensation division. With over 15 years in the industry, Ornce has a reputation for building and growing agency distribution channels. Most recently, …

The Hartford CEO Takes Lead in Shaping the City of Hartford’s Future

The Hartford Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift has convened a group of corporate and community leaders in greater Hartford to develop a unifying vision for the city. According to the announcement from the namesake insurer based in the city, the …

World Insurance Acquires Van Syckel Insurance of New Jersey

World Insurance Associates announced that it acquired the business of Van Syckel Insurance of Bound Brook, New Jersey on August 1, 2025. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Van Syckel Insurance, which was started in 1865, is managed by …

People Moves: Skyward Specialty Promotes Burkhart to President, U.S. Property & Casualty

Skyward Specialty Insurance Group Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, promoted John Burkhart to president, U.S. property & casualty, Skyward Specialty Insurance. In this expanded role, Burkhart will assume oversight of the Company’s captives & specialty programs divisions in addition to …

People Moves: Encova Insurance Adds Palumbo to Board of Directors

Encova Insurance, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, named Corey Palumbo to their board of directors. Palumbo is an attorney with Bowles Rice in Charleston, West Virginia, where his primary practice areas include energy litigation, deliberate intent and general civil litigation. Palumbo …

State Farm Files for 6.2% Auto Rate Reduction in California

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. submitted a rate filing to reduce personal auto insurance rates by 6.2%. The filing has a targeted effective date of Feb. 23, 2026, and is pending approval from the California Department of Insurance. State …

Another Fire Ignites at Ford Aluminum Supplier Novelis in New York

Another fire ignited on Thursday at Novelis’ aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, that supplies Ford’s lucrative F-150 truck line, about two months after a blaze halted much of the facility’s production. Ford in October cut its profit forecast, citing …

Florida Congresswoman Indicted on Charges of Misusing $5M in FEMA Funds

A federal grand jury in Miami has indicted U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and others, charging that they used federal disaster relief funds for her 2021 Congressional campaign. Federal prosecutors said Cherfilus-McCormick, 46, and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, 51, of Miramar, …

People Moves: IQUW Taps Munich Re’s Gregory as Reinsurance Underwriter; The Fidelis Partnership Names Dlugosch From Swiss Re as Group Head of Aviation

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at IQUW and The Fidelis Partnership. A summary of these new hires follows here. IQUW Taps Gregory From Munich Re as Underwriter in London Reinsurance Team Specialty insurer and reinsurer IQUW announced …

Starbucks Must Face Shareholder Lawsuit Over Surprise Sales Decline

Starbucks must face a lawsuit claiming it defrauded shareholders by concealing declining sales in the United States and China, its largest markets, leading to a 16% drop in its stock price after the coffee chain revealed the unexpected weakness. In …

Trucordia Acquires Eberle Insurance in Arkansas

Trucordia acquired Eberle Insurance in Arkansas. Eberle Insurance is an independent insurance agency serving Sherwood and the greater Central Arkansas region, including nearby Little Rock. Trucordia is the group name for an insurance brokerage headquartered in Lindon, Utah. The firm …

Insurance IPOs Hit 20-Year High on Wall Street

Insurance companies’ first-time share sales on Wall Street hit a 20-year high this year as investors flocked to firms that were insulated from U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. Predictable cash flows and resilient business model gave private equity firms …

Florida Takes Steps to Put Recreational Marijuana on the Ballot Next Year

Florida elections officials have taken early steps under pressure from activists to advance a proposed initiative to legalize recreational marijuana to next year’s ballot, legal filings show. The procedural move comes after the campaign behind the issue, Smart & Safe …

Belgian Farmer Sues French Energy Giant for Damage Caused by Climate Change

A Belgian farmer is facing off against oil giant TotalEnergies in court on Wednesday, arguing the French company should pay for damage caused by climate change, in the latest lawsuit by environmental activists against big energy companies. Ahead of the …

Zurich, Arrowsight Camera-Coaching Pilot Slashes NYC Workers’ Compensation Claims

A three-year pilot program using video surveillance and coaching at New York City construction sites led to enhanced job safety and a more than 50% drop in workers’ compensation claims frequency. According to insurer Zurich North America, Zurich Resilience Solutions …

Court Pauses California Law Requiring Companies to Report Climate-Related Financial Risk

A U.S. appeals court paused a California law set to take effect in January requiring large companies to report every two years on how climate change could hurt them financially. Another new law requiring major companies to annually disclose their …

Europe’s Cold Snap Puts Thousands of New Heat Pumps to the Test

The Arctic cold snap hitting Europe this week will be a test for thousands of Polish families that in recent years replaced coal furnaces with solar panels and heat pumps to heat their homes. Temperatures are expected to drop to …

Major Music Labels Strike Deals With New AI Streaming Service

The world’s largest music companies have licensed their works to a music startup called Klay, which is building a streaming service that will allow users to remake songs using artificial intelligence tools. Klay is the first music AI service to …