Latest News & Insights

Acrisure Buys UK Broker CRK Commercial Insurance Services Ltd.

Acrisure, the fintech company that operates a top-10 global insurance broker, announced it had acquired CRK Commercial Insurance Services Ltd., the specialist commercial schemes provider. Financial details of the deal, which is expected to close in early October, were not …

Cyber MGA Resilience Launches UK Operation

Resilience, the San Francisco-based cyber managing general agent, has launched an operation in London to serve the UK market. In a deal brokered by Lockton Re LLP, this expansion is backed by a capacity agreement with HDI Global Specialty SE, …

New York Bus Driver Pleads Guilty to $30K Workers’ Compensation Fraud

A New York bus driver faces sentencing for fraudulently collecting more than $30,000 in workers’ compensation wage indemnity benefits by falsely claiming that she was unable to work as a result of a disability, officials announced. State Inspector General Lucy …

Employees Sickened by Substance at California Plastics Recycler

Authorities say nine people were taken to the hospital this week after being exposed to a caustic substance at a California plastics recycling company. Seven workers had breathing problems or other symptoms while two firefighters who entered the building were …

Alliance 360˚ Acquires M.I. Insurance Solutions in California

Alliance 360˚ Insurance Solutions acquired M.I. Insurance Solutions, located in Cypress, California. M.I. Insurance Solutions was founded in 2005 as a joint venture between The J. Morey Company and Miyuki Inouye to provide clients with life and health benefits for …

OSHA Seeks $1.2M Fine From Demolition Firm in Fatal Boston Garage Collapse

A heavy equipment operator doing demolition on the eighth floor of the Government Center garage in downtown Boston died on March 26, 2022, when the partially demolished floor collapsed, and the 11,000-pound excavator and its operator fell 80 feet. It …

Some 349,000 Still Without Power in Puerto Rico After Fiona

An estimated 349,000 homes and businesses were still without power in Puerto Rico on Wednesday after Hurricane Fiona hit on Sept. 18, causing an island-wide power outage for its 3.3 million people. After hitting Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, …

New Jersey Insurance Law on Ride-Hailing Does Not Apply to Food Delivery: Court

A New Jersey court has ruled that an insurer is not required to provide coverage to an Uber Eats food delivery driver under the state’s law requiring app-based transport services to provide underinsured motorist for their drivers. The law requiring …

Hurricane Ian Spurs Evacuations as Airports, Schools Shut

Hurricane Ian, projected to be one of the costliest storms in US history, prompted mass evacuations, school shutdowns and thousands of flight cancellations across the third-largest state. The storm, which has already caused a nationwide power outage in Cuba, has …

Typhoon Noru Makes Landall in Vietnam, Causing Floods, Property Damage

Typhoon Noru made landfall in Vietnam early Wednesday morning, knocking out power for more than 500,000 households and causing flooding and property damage along the country’s central region. Noru’s eye struck the coast between Danang and Quang Nam at about …

Australian Police Probe Purported Ransomware Attack at Telecom Firm Optus

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian police were investigating a purported hacker’s release of the stolen personal data of 10,000 customers of the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier and demand for a $1 million ransom in cryptocurrency, the company’s chief executive said …

Jury: Sheriff Should Pay $15M for Death of Florida Teen Outside Fair in 2014

A Florida sheriff has been ordered by a jury to pay $15 million to the parents of a teenager who died while trying to cross a highway after being kicked out of the state fair by deputies. The 10-person jury …

Florida Keys Boat Captain Charged in Fatal Parasailing Accident

A boat captain has been charged with manslaughter in a Memorial Day parasailing crash in the Florida Keys that killed a 33-year-old Illinois woman and injured her young son and nephew. Daniel Gavin Couch, 49, was booked into the Monroe …

How to Avoid Being a ‘Sitting Duck’ During a Disaster-Related Ransomware Attack

Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs from June 1 through November 30, had a slow start this year but has begun ramping up as Hurricane Fiona made its way across the Atlantic last week and brought with it damage across Puerto …

EU Suspects Sabotage Is Cause of Leaks in Russia Gas Pipelines

Any deliberate disruption to the EU’s energy infrastructure would meet a “robust and united response,” its top diplomat said, after several states said two Russian pipelines to Europe that have been spewing gas into the Baltic had been attacked. It …

EU Draft Rules Would Make It Easier to Sue Drone Makers, AI Systems

Individuals and companies that suffer harm from drones, robots and other products or services equipped with artificial intelligence software will find it easier to sue for compensation under EU draft rules seen by Reuters. The AI Liability Directive, which the …

EU Weighs Ban on Shipping Russian Oil as Part of Price Cap

The European Union is considering adding shipping restrictions to its oil sanctions as the bloc continues to discuss the introduction of a price cap on Russian oil, according to people familiar with the matter. A shipping ban would prohibit EU …

Oklahoma Town Facing Probation From National Flood Insurance Program

Moffett, Oklahoma could soon face probation by the National Flood Insurance Problem due to deficiencies and violations with the town’s floodplain management program, FEMA announced this week. FEMA will place the town on probationary status on Nov. 26 unless Moffett …

16 Wall Street Firms Fined $1.8B for Talking Deals, Trades on Personal Apps

U.S. regulators on Tuesday fined 16 financial firms, including Barclays, Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS, a combined $1.8 billion after staff discussed deals and trades on their personal devices and apps. The sweeping …

Gun Violence Costs the U.S. $557 Billion a Year

Gun violence that causes tens of thousands of US deaths each year — far more than any other developed nation — is having a significant, negative impact on the country’s economy, Harvard Medical School researchers said. Harvard Medical School researchers …

Appeals Court Won’t Certify Class Action on State Farm’s Diminished Value Formula

Auto and property insurers in the last three months have settled class-action lawsuits in Southern states alleging the carriers systematically underpaid claims. A federal appeals court in Georgia has decided a similar issue in favor of the insurer, noting that …

Washington Insurance Commissioner OKs Coverage for Doctors who Provide Abortions

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s office approved coverage requested by Physicians Insurance A Mutual of Seattle to reimburse its policyholders for legal fees and expenses incurred defending against a criminal action from providing patient care, including performing abortions. Abortion is …

Civil Rights Law Targets Louisiana ‘Cancer Alley’ Discrimination

Sprawling industrial complexes line the drive east along the Mississippi River to the majority-Black town of Reserve, Louisiana. In the last seven miles the road passes a massive, rust-colored aluminum-oxide refinery, then the Evonik chemical plant, then rows of white …

60-Ton Crane Crashes Onto Downtown Oklahoma City Building

A 60-ton crane being used to remove a video display board from a downtown Oklahoma City building toppled onto the building that houses several news offices, officials said. The crane’s operator suffered minor injuries in the Saturday afternoon accident. Two …

EEOC: Indiana-Based Pharmaceutical Corporation Sued for Age Discrimination

Lilly USA, LLC, a pharmaceutical corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, violated federal law by intentionally failing to hire older workers based on their age for pharmaceutical sales representative positions from April 2017 to 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission …

Louisiana Marine Services Company Sued for Disability Discrimination

Eagle Marine Services Electrical & Refrigeration, LLC, a marine services company based in Berwick, Louisiana, violated federal law when it refused to hire or accommodate a worker because he used medication prescribed by his doctor to treat attention deficit hyperactivity …

Advocates Seek More Say in How Ohio Opioid Settlements Are Spent

The tattoos on Billie Stafford’s hands — inspired by street art and full of references to her work helping prevent drug-related deaths — have become an indelible memorial to the friend who inked them and the opioid crisis that killed …

People Moves: AXA XL Taps SCOR’s Croese for Energy & Construction Team, APAC & Europe; Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Promotes O’Neill and Reddin in Ireland

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at AXA XL Insurance and Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI). A summary of these new hires follows here. AXA XL Taps SCOR’s Croese for Energy & Construction Team, APAC & Europe AXA …

Biogen Agrees to Pay $900M to Resolve Kickback Claims

A Biogen Inc. whistle-blower will collect almost $250 million for bringing to light a kickback scheme the company agreed to resolve by paying the US and state governments $900 million. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by former Biogen employee …

Cyber Threats Still No. 1 Business Concern: 2022 Travelers Risk Index

Cyber threats were the top concern for business decision-makers for the third time in four years, according to the 2022 Travelers Risk Index. Cyber threats were chosen as a top concern by 59% of respondents, followed by broad economic uncertainty …