Insurance
Small Businesses See Stable Business Climate; Cite Cybersecurity as Top Threat
The first quarter Small Business Index, which measures small business owner confidence, is 62.3—similar to last quarter’s score of 61.3—reflecting a stable business climate. More small businesses see an improving economy, which drove the headline score up one point. One …
Read More Beat Capital Partners to Launch Credit Insurance Business, Naming Pike as CEO
Beat Capital Partners, a London-based venture capital investor that focuses on the insurance industry, announced it is planning to launch a specialty and tech-enabled credit non-payment insurance underwriter. Called “Convergence,” the business is expected to underwrite through a Lloyd’s consortium, …
Read More UK’s Jensten to Invest Up to £1M to Help Individuals Launch Their Own Brokerages
Jensten Group, the London-based independent insurance broking group, announced it will invest up to £1 million (US$1.3 million) this year to help 15 individuals start their own independent brokerages. The investments will be made through Coversure, the group’s network for …
Read More Zuckerberg Avoids Personal Liability in Meta Addiction Suits
Mark Zuckerberg won his bid to avoid personal liability in about two dozen lawsuits accusing Meta Platforms Inc. and other social media companies of addicting children to their products. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the cases, …
Read More Inflation Continues to Increase Insured Property Exposures Globally: PERILS
Inflation continues to have an effect on property exposures with sums insured for European windstorm increasing by 10.1% year-on-year at constant euro exchange rates, at similar levels to 2023, according to PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company that provides industry-wide …
Read More UnitedHealth Expects Up to $1.6 Billion Hit from Change Healthcare Hack
UnitedHealth Group expects to take a hit of as much as $1.6 billion this year from disruptions caused by the February cyberattack at its Change Healthcare unit. Despite the disruptions, UnitedHealth still beat estimates for first-quarter adjusted profit, sending its …
Read More Barges Break Loose on Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Damaging Marina, Striking Bridge
More than two dozen river barges broke loose from their moorings and floated down the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, striking one bridge that had already been preemptively closed and damaging a marina, officials said. The boats eventually were pinned to …
Read More Australia’s Weather Bureau Says El Niño Has Ended, Unsure About La Niña Formation
An El Niño weather event has ended, Australian weather authorities said on Tuesday, adding that they were uncertain if a La Niña phenomenon would form later this year, as other forecasters have predicted. The cycle between the two is hugely …
Read More Dutch Chipmaker Nexperia Hacked by Cyber Criminals
Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia was victim of a hacking attack by cyber criminals last month, the Chinese-owned company said on Friday, and was investigating the incident with the help of outside specialists. “Nexperia has become aware that an unauthorized third party …
Read More EVs Head for Junkyard as Mechanic Shortage Inflates Repair Costs
Electric car sales already are in a funk in key markets around the globe. Challenges finding enough repair technicians threatens to further stifle demand in the UK, where consumer uptake has stagnated for the better part of two years. A …
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