Latest News & Insights

Another State, Tennessee, Warns Insurers About the Proper Use of Drone Images

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance has joined a few other states in urging insurers to be careful about using aerial imagery in making claims and nonrenewal decisions, following some complaints from homeowners. The department is not aiming to …

Texas Cannabis Businesses Sue State to Block Smokeable Hemp Ban

Texas hemp industry leaders and advocacy groups have sued the state to block new regulations that eliminate natural smokeable hemp products and increase licensing fees. The Texas Hemp Business Council, Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, and several Texas-based dispensaries …

South Dakota Construction Company Sued Over Whistleblower’s Firing

The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against a Valley Springs, South Dakota construction contractor for the wrongful termination of an employee who reported a severe work-related injury. An investigation by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration found …

Waco Business Earns TDI’s Lone Star Safety Award

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has honored Laminate Technologies Inc. in Waco, Texas, with the Lone Star Safety Award for exceptional dedication to protecting its employees through a strong and proactive safety program. This facility’s …

NFP Acquires Minnesota’s Sherman

NFP, an Aon company and leading property and casualty (P&C) broker and benefits consultant, announced the acquisition of Sherman Insurance Agency, Inc., a full-service agency specializing in trucking, commercial, personal and benefits insurance solutions. Based in South St. Paul, Minnesota, …

Investors Press Amazon, Microsoft and Google on Water, Power Use in Data Centers

Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google have each recently abandoned construction of multibillion-dollar data centers over community opposition and now the companies are coming under shareholder pressure over the environmental impact of their projects. More than a dozen investors are cranking …

UBS Loses Bid to Limit Liability for Nazi-Linked Crimes, Judge’s Ruling Shows

A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected UBS’ bid to clarify a $1.25 billion settlement from 1999 of Holocaust-related litigation against Swiss banks by shielding it from claims based on new revelations about Nazi-linked accounts. U.S. District Judge Edward Korman in …

Risk Strategies Claims Ex-Employees’ Talent and Customer Raid Has Cost It $900K

Boston-based specialty insurance broker Risk Strategies Co. is suing two former employees and their new employer for allegedly stealing customers and poaching employees in a scheme the firm says has thus far cost it nearly $900,000 in revenue. On March …

Russia-Linked Hackers Hijack Routers to Steal Passwords, UK Says

Russian government-linked hackers are compromising popular internet routers to steal passwords for email accounts and other online services, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has warned. The hackers, a group known as APT28, are associated with Russia’s GRU military intelligence …

Resuming Normal Shipping to Take 6-8 Weeks Once Middle East Stabilizes: Hapag-Lloyd

Hapag-Lloyd voiced cautious optimism on Wednesday on the prospect of resuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after a two-week ceasefire agreed between the U.S. and Iran, but said that resuming normal traffic throughout its network would take at least …

Markets/Coverages: Marsh Risk Enhances Cyber Facility With Up to $200M of Capacity

Insurance broker Marsh Risk, the Marsh subsidiary, announced that its Cyber ECHO facility now provides Marsh clients with up to $200 million of cyber insurance. Marsh Risk describes Cyber ECHO as the largest cyber insurance facility of its kind in …

Maersk Cautious on Strait of Hormuz Shipping Despite US-Iran Ceasefire

Maersk said on Wednesday the two-week ceasefire agreed between the U.S. and Iran could open some opportunities for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, but did not yet provide enough security certainty to resume normal operations. “At this point, we …

Update: US, Iran Agree to Two-Week Ceasefire as Israel Escalates Parallel War in Lebanon

Relief over a truce between the United States and Iran gave way on Wednesday to alarm that fighting was still raging across the region, as Israel launched its biggest attacks yet on Lebanon, and Iran struck Gulf neighbors’ oil facilities. …

Shipowners Eye Hormuz Truce With 800 Vessels Still Trapped

Shipowners are rushing to understand the fine print of a US-Iran ceasefire that could temporarily unblock the Strait of Hormuz and, at least in theory, provide an exit window for more than 800 vessels trapped in the Persian Gulf. The …

Traveling for Business? Don’t Forget to Pack Your Emergency Preparedness Plan

We live in risky times. War with Iran, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Mexican cartels—global tensions are at an all-time high. The Department of State is advising Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution. And yet, C-suite and other …

Truck Rates at Highest Since 2022 Add to Inflation Pressures

Skyrocketing fuel prices due to the Iran war are fanning the embers of transportation costs, which were already rising due to a shrinking pool of drivers in the US. Trucking operators saw diesel prices spike by almost 50% since the …

Viewpoint: The Missing Link in Commercial? No Paper Trail is Costing Insurers

Consider the moment a major commercial building changes hands. Thousands of hours of engineering work, such as structural specifications, systems commissioning data, compliance documentation, and material certifications, are packaged and transferred to the new owner. Those files land on a …

Convicted Insurance Mogul Lindberg Should Pay $1.6B Restitution to Companies

After almost a decade of litigation, investigations and deliberations, criminal fraud cases against reported billionaire and North Carolina insurance entrepreneur Greg Lindberg appear to finally be nearing an end. A sentencing hearing is expected in the next few months, followed …

Toilet Paper Warehouse in California Destroyed by Fire; Employee Arrested

An employee of a company that operates a distribution center for Kimberly-Clark Corp. has been arrested on arson charges after a massive fire broke out Tuesday at the facility in California that serves around 50 million people. The 1.2 million-square-foot …

How Maine Regulators Say They Saved Residents $5.8 Million on Insurance

The Maine Bureau of Insurance reported that its employees’ work regulating insurance rates saved residents $5.8 million in potential increases for auto and homeowners coverage in 2025. The regulatory agency also said it recovered more than $4.5 million for Mainers …

US Warns of Iran-Linked Cyber Hacks on Water, Energy Systems

The Trump administration warned cyberattackers with links to Iran are targeting critical US infrastructure including drinking water systems and the energy sector. The attacks are aimed at technology used in water and sewer systems along with government facilities and services, …

Marsh McLennan Agency Acquires Seitz Insurance in Montana

Marsh McLennan Agency has acquired Seitz Insurance Agency in Montana. All employees, including David Seitz and Camila Skinner, the agency principals and co-owners, will join MMA and continue to operate out of their existing office locations. Seitz is a Sidney, …

NYC Mayor Wants to Crack Down on ‘Bad Landlords.’ First He Has to Find Them

On a recent weeknight, three tenants of an aging Bronx building were trading apartment horror stories inside a packed ballroom lined with city bureaucrats. The occasion was the third in a series of “rental rip-off hearings,” a new forum launched …

Avalanche Experts Question Decisions by Guides on Deadly California Backcountry Trip

Two months after the deadliest avalanche in modern California history, an analysis by leading U.S. experts is questioning the decisions by the guides to lead such a large group through dangerous terrain amid avalanche warnings. The backcountry skiers were traveling …

Two Firefighters Killed in Collision During Search for Missing Woman

Two firefighters traveling in a utility vehicle along a Pennsylvania road during a search for a missing woman were killed in a head-on crash with a car, officials said. The two members of the Walnuttown Fire Company died after the …

Google Adds Mental Health Tools to Gemini Chatbot After Lawsuit

Alphabet Inc.’s Google plans to introduce new mental health support features for its Gemini chatbot as the company and rivals, like OpenAI, have faced several lawsuits accusing their artificial intelligence tools of leading to harm. Gemini will add an interface …

California AG Opposing Oil Pipeline Special Permit to Waive Safety Regulation

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is opposing efforts to wave safety regulations for the Sable oil pipeline. Bonta filed a comment letter opposing the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s consideration of Sable Offshore Corp.’s request for a special …

Markets/Coverages: INSTANDA MAX Launched for Commercial Lines Insurers; Novacore Launches Aerospace Segment

Artificial intelligence-enabled program administrator INSTANDA said its launch of INSTANDA MAX enables commercial lines and non-admitted insurers to underwrite tens-of-thousands of complex assets under a single policy at both the portfolio and individual item level in real-time. Patent-pending INSTANDA MAX …

Strong Underwriting, Investment Income Bolster P/C Income in 2025, Says Moody’s

Twenty insurers rated by Moody’s reported net income of $69 billion in 2025, up 29% over 2024, as the combined ratio for the group improved in 2025 to 88.4 from 91.7 the prior year. Losses from the Los Angeles wildfires …

House Explosion in Illinois Kills Three People

An explosion at a Troy, Illinois, house and ensuing fire killed three people. The cause is under investigation. Several homes and buildings on the property were still standing, but the home where the explosion occurred was destroyed, according to media …