INSURANCE NEWS

Southern California Wildfire Has Now Burned Nearly 27,000 Acres

A Southern California wildfire that grew to be the biggest of the year is now at nearly 27,000 acres. The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County erupted on Friday northeast of Los Olivos. An evacuation order was issued for an …
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Michigan DIFS Bulletin Prohibits Discounting Labor Costs for Depreciation

Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) Director Anita Fox released a new bulletin explicitly prohibiting insurers from discounting labor costs for depreciation when paying a homeowners insurance claim unless the insured has agreed in advance to the reduction …
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Ohio Apartment Building Set to Reopen After Nearby Deadly Gas Explosion

A 16-story apartment building in Ohio may reopen early next month, several weeks after it was temporarily shuttered following a deadly natural gas explosion that severely damaged a neighboring building. Youngstown officials had ordered the evacuation of the International Towers …
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Last Survivors of Tulsa Race Massacre Challenge Oklahoma High Court Ruling

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Attorneys for the last two remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court last week to reconsider the case they dismissed last month and called on the Biden administration to help …
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Houston Will Feel Like 106F as Millions Remain Without Power

Houston is set for a dangerous bout of heat as more than 2 million homes and businesses remain without power in the area around the nation’s fourth-largest city after Hurricane Beryl’s battering. The region is under a heat advisory, with …
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Chubb Shakes Up North American Insurance Leadership

Chubb today said it has made several executive leadership changes in its North American general insurance business, with John Lupica becoming executive chairman. Lupica was vice chairman of Chubb Group and president of North American insurance. In his new role, …
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Greece Evacuates Hospital as Wildfire Threatens City of Patra

Greek authorities evacuated a hospital after a wildfire broke out in Patra, the country’s third-biggest city. Firefighters, assisted by planes and helicopters, safely evacuated a hospital and a nursing home, state-run ERT TV reported. The fire destroyed cars and damaged …
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People Moves: IMA Group Adds High and Marentette; Kinsman Joins EagleView

High Named EVP of Evaluation Services; Marentette VP of Payer Services Independent insurance broker The IMA Group, headquartered in Tarrytown, New York, named Matt High as executive vice president of evaluation services operations and Elijah Marentette as vice president of …
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NHTSA: Traffic Deaths Decrease Again in Q1 2024

Less people died in traffic accidents during the first three months of 2024, compared to the same time the prior year. The quarter looks to be the eighth in a row for a decline in traffic fatalities, dating back to …
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People Moves: SiriusPoint Int’l Managing Agency Names Castel’s Williams as Chief Risk Officer; Everest Promotes Townsend to Chief Ceded Reinsurance Officer

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at SiriusPoint and Everest Insurance. A summary of these new hires follows here. SiriusPoint International Managing Agency Names Castel’s Williams as Chief Risk Officer SiriusPoint Ltd., the Bermuda-based specialty re/insurer, announced the …
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Report: Fewer Claims but Higher Losses for California Workers’ Comp Private Self-Insureds

Private self-insured claim volume in the California workers’ compensation system fell 9.5% in 2023, the biggest year-to-year decline in private self-insured claim frequency in more than 15 years. However, double-digit increases in the average amounts paid and incurred on these …
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Review of Prescribed Fires Following Record New Mexico Blaze Finds Gaps

Two years after the U.S. Forest Service sparked what would become the largest and most destructive wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history, independent investigators say there are gaps that need to be addressed if the agency is to be successful …
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