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Indiana Fire Marshal Threatens to Shutter Pallet Factory Over Safety Issues

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:56:51

A northern Indiana fire marshal has threatened to shut down a pallet company because factory conditions pose a threat to worker safety. Michigan City Fire Marshal Kyle Kazmierczak wants to shutter Calumet Pallet’s plant until company officials improve safety conditions, …
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Combs Named Oklahoma Deputy Commissioner of Insurance Business Transfers

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:55:24

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has named Buddy Combs the new deputy commissioner of insurance business transfers at the Oklahoma Insurance Department. The move is in preparation for the new Insurance Business Transfer (IBT) law, which becomes effective in November. …
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Detroit Mayor, 8 Motorists Sue Insurance Commissioner Over Michigan’s No Fault Law

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:37:38

Asserting that Michigan’s no fault auto insurance law is unfair to the poor, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, seeking to have the 45-year-old law declared unconstitutional. The suit names Department of Insurance and Financial …
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China’s Giant Ping An Insurance Sues U.S. Broker Over Use of Name

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:22:22

China’s giant Ping An Insurance Group is suing a California-based wholesale brokerage over its use of the name Ping An. The Chinese financial services firm is demanding that Ping An Insurance Center (www.pingan-is.com), based in El Monte, Calif., cease using …
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Ohio Jury Awards $3.4M to Female Ex-Firefighter in Harassment Claim

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:20:02

A federal jury has awarded $3.35 million to a female ex-firefighter in Ohio who says she was the longtime victim of sexual harassment. Amie Morningstar of the Circleville Fire Department alleged she was subjected to equipment tampering, clothing destruction and …
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In Harvey’s Wake: 68 Dead; Damage Costs in the Billions

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:17:52

Hurricane Harvey slammed into Texas last August as a powerful Category 4 storm, killing dozens of people and causing billions of dollars in damage. Though its fiercest winds quickly dissipated, the storm hovered for days as it trudged inland, dumping …
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One Year Post-Harvey, Recovery Toughest for the Poor

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 16:12:30

Shirley Paley’s life before Hurricane Harvey was already a struggle: The 61-year-old former postal worker was raising her 17-year-old autistic grandson while dealing with a workplace injury that left her legally blind, on disability and in need of three cornea …
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U.S Traffic Fatalities Dip Slightly in First Half of 2018

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 15:43:40

Preliminary estimates indicate a leveling off of the recent upward trend in motor vehicle deaths, with the number of fatalities in the first six months of 2018 dipping just slightly – less than 0.5 percent – from six-month 2017 estimates. …
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M6.3 Earthquake Confirmed on Remote Alaskan Island

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 15:25:32

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Wednesday night in Alaska, the Alaska Earthquake Center confirmed. The center reported the quake occurred in the remote Andreanof Islands region of Alaska, but was felt almost 70 miles away in Adak. It had a …
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Rains from Hurricane Pummel Hawaii, Causing Floods and Landslides

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 15:21:12

Hurricane Lane has brought record rainfall to Hawaii, where flooding threatens $8 billion of homes and few can remember such torrential downpours. In 12 hours, 16.48 inches of rain fell on the Big Island of Hawaii and daily records were …
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As Hurricane Lane Neared Hawaii FEMA Promises to Do Better

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 14:57:08

As a Category 4 hurricane roared toward Hawaii, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it’s learned the lessons of last year’s devastation of Puerto Rico and is vowing a better response. Calling 2017 “historic,” Jeff Byard, FEMA’s associate administrator for …
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Sixth Tornado of the Year Confirmed in Pennsylvania

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:52:25

Weather officials say a tornado touched down in western Pennsylvania, but no injuries were reported. The National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh says Tuesday’s EF-1 tornado was confirmed in Jefferson County just south of Brockway packing winds of 85 to …
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Wilson Elser Hires Sharp in New Jersey

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:42:22

Wilson Elser has hired James Sharp as of counsel in its New Jersey office. Sharp’s practice focus is professional liability and insurance defense with a particular emphasis on health care. He most frequently represents hospitals and health care facilities, physicians, …
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Kaplansky Insurance Acquires Massachusetts’ Lit-Flynn Insurance Agency

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:24:45

Kaplansky Insurance, an independent, locally owned agency in the Northeast, has acquired Lit-Flynn Insurance Agency in Randolph, Mass. Lit-Flynn Insurance Agency offers coverage on individual and personal insurance policies. The addition of the agency marks Kaplansky Insurance’s 30th overall acquisition …
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New York Health Officials Investigating Illnesses Linked to McDonald’s Outlet

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 13:16:23

New York state health officials said on Thursday they were investigating reports of multiple illnesses potentially associated with a McDonald’s Corp restaurant in Jamestown, N.Y. The state health department and the Chautauqua County Health Department said 22 individuals reported symptoms …
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Big Insurers Still Taking a Pass on Marijuana Profits

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 10:44:47

Marijuana is already a multibillion-dollar business in the U.S. that’s drawing attention from some lawmakers eager for tax revenue and investors looking for profits. So far, however, some of the biggest insurers are taking a pass. Allianz SE, Hartford Financial …
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South Korea Braces for Typhoon Soulik, While Typhoon Cimarron Aims at Japan

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 09:01:39

An approaching typhoon has whipped up strong winds, waves and heavy rain in southern South Korea, leaving one person missing and one injured, while another typhoon headed for western Japan on Thursday. Typhoon Soulik is forecast to make landfall at …
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AFL Insurance Brokers Appoints Gagg from Towergate Insurance as CFO

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 08:44:33

Independent Lloyd’s broker AFL Insurance Brokers Ltd. (AFL) has appointed Chris Gagg as chief financial officer and a member of the AFL board of directors, effective Sept. 1. Most recently group head of Treasury at Towergate Insurance (the Ardonaugh Group), …
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Bayer’s Monsanto Faces 8,000 U.S. Lawsuits on Glyphosate-Based Weedkillers

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 08:24:14

The number of U.S. lawsuits brought against Bayer’s newly acquired Monsanto has jumped to about 8,000, as the German drugmaker braces for years of legal wrangling over alleged cancer risks of glyphosate-based weedkillers. Bayer had previously disclosed 5,200 such lawsuits …
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Swiss Re Names Higginbotham as CEO Reinsurance EMEA, Succeeding Henchoz

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 07:30:38

Swiss Re announced that Russell Higginbotham has been appointed CEO Reinsurance EMEA and regional president EMEA and member of the group executive committee, effective Sept. 1, 2018. Higginbotham succeeds Jean-Jacques Henchoz, who has decided to leave Swiss Re to become …
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Genoa Bridge Was Crumbling onto Homes Below for Many Years Before Disaster

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 07:20:11

People living under the Italian bridge that collapsed last week with the loss of 43 lives had known for years it was crumbling: pieces kept falling on their homes and cars. A month earlier, residents met officials in charge of …
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Stunt Coordinator Injured on Atlanta Set of ‘MacGyver’ Series

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 04:47:37

A stunt coordinator has been injured on the set of the CBS TV series “MacGyver” in Atlanta. CBS Television Studios said in a statement Wednesday that Justin Sundquist was injured late Monday after an accident. The studio says he remains …
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Chairman of Florida Citizens Board Gardner Resigns, Aubuchon Appointed Interim Chair

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 04:45:12

Christoper Gardner, chairman of the Board of Governors of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s insurer of last resort, has resigned. Gary Aubuchon, formerly vice chair, has been appointed as interim chair by Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Gardner notified …
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Kentucky Fines Justice Companies Additional $3M Over Coal Mine Clean-Ups

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 04:41:36

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice’s family coal companies are breaching their environmental responsibilities, according to Kentucky regulators, who are seeking millions in additional fines for surface mining areas that haven’t been cleaned up. The Justice companies, which are now being …
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Report Outlines Climate Change Risks Faced by Insurance Sector

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 21:45:53

A newly issued report that’s being touted as the “first important review of climate risk by an international financial standard setting body” may get the attention of the insurance community. If it does, mission accomplished. That’s what the report was …
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EU Action Needed to Ensure Post-Brexit Continuity of Cross-Border Insurance: UK

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 18:29:17

Britons living in the European Union could lose access to their UK bank account services and businesses on the continent could be cut off from investment banks in London if there is a no-deal Brexit, the British government said on …
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California High Court: Workers’ Comp Law Provides Exclusive Remedy in Utilization Review Case

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 17:48:18

The California Supreme Court issued an opinion today that utilization review physicians cannot be sued for malpractice, upholding established law that the workers’ comp system provides injured employees an exclusive remedy against an employer for compensable work-related injuries. The court …
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Texas Seeking Money for ‘Coastal Spine,’ Government Protection from Climate Change

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 16:22:53

As the nation plans new defenses against the more powerful storms and higher tides expected from climate change, one project stands out: an ambitious proposal to build a nearly 60-mile “spine” of concrete seawalls, earthen barriers, floating gates and steel …
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Survey: 10% of Texans Displaced by Harvey Still Haven’t Gone Home

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 16:17:38

One year after Hurricane Harvey slammed the Texas coast, 10 percent of the people impacted by the disaster have not been able to return to their homes, according to a report from two nonprofits that surveyed Texans about how the …
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Hull Insurance Agency, Higginbotham Join Forces in Fort Worth

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 16:00:07

Higginbotham and the Hull Agency have merged their insurance services operations in Fort Worth, Texas. The Hull Agency will partner with Higginbotham’s downtown offices to service its more than 300 commercial and personal property/casualty clients and expand its services to …
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