INSURANCE NEWS
Texas Got Early Warnings About Costly Grid Policy, Records Show
Texas grid officials received repeated warnings last summer that their efforts to shore up the state’s increasingly strained electric grid risked driving up power prices, records show. Concerns first arose just days after the state launched a new policy meant …
Oklahoma Man Falsely Identified as Racist Announcer Awarded $25M
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma jury awarded a man $25 million on Monday after finding the state’s largest newspaper defamed him when they mistakenly identified him as the announcer who made racist comments during a 2021 broadcast of a …
People Moves McCarthy Joins Alliant Insurance Services in Chicago; Rockford Mutual Promotes Team Members
McCarthy Joins Alliant Insurance Services in Chicago Connor McCarthy has joined Alliant Insurance Services, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., as vice president within the Alliant Americas division. The Chicago-based producer will service a national client base with an eye toward continued …
North Carolina Commissioner Rejects Proposed 42% HO Rate Hike, Sets Hearing Date
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has rejected an average 42% hike in homeowners insurance rates proposed in January by the state’s rate bureau, setting the stage for a public hearing and negotiations. “Homeowners were shocked with the high amount …
Ransomware Hackers Stole More Than $1 Billion in 2023
Ransomware gangs stole more than $1 billion in 2023, the largest amount ever recorded, according to a report published Wednesday by blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis Inc. With ransomware hacks, cybercriminals block access to a victims’ data or files until they …
Google Calls Out Spyware Firms and Advocates for Tighter Regulation
Internet giant Google on Feb 6 called out a series of surveillance software companies that it said were enabling the use of dangerous hacking tools, and urged the United States and its allies to do more to rein in the …
Swiss Re, Others, Drop Call for Moscow Aviation Dispute Hearing
Swiss Re is among a growing list of reinsurers to drop its demand that a near $10 billion battle with aircraft leasing companies, seeking payouts for more than 200 jets stuck in Russia, should be heard in Moscow, court filings …
Florida Specialty Insurer Fortegra Shelves IPO Plans at the Last Hour
Jacksonville-based specialty insurer Fortegra Group has withdrawn its plans for an initial public offering in the United States, just hours before the IPO and nearly three years after the company scrapped its earlier listing plans. The move by Fortegra, a …
Chinese Ships Get Cheaper Insurance to Navigate Red Sea
Chinese-owned merchant ships are getting hefty discounts on their insurance when sailing through the Red Sea, another sign of how Houthi attacks in the area are punishing the commercial interests of vessels with ties to the west. The militants began …
Sweden Scraps Probe Into Nord Stream Gas Pipeline Blasts
The sabotage of two undersea gas pipelines in 2022 remains a mystery as Sweden ended a probe without reaching any clear conclusions on the identity of the perpetrators. The preliminary investigation was dropped given nothing indicates that the attack involved …
New York Proposes Pharmacy Benefit Manager Regulations
The New York State Department of Financial Services has proposed market conduct regulations to govern pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) operating in the state. The regulations have been developed to implement a law passed in 2021 that requires licensing of PBMs …
NFL Diversity Policies Are Racist, Conservative Group Says
A conservative U.S. legal group has accused the National Football League (NFL) and its teams of engaging in discrimination through its influential “Rooney Rule,” which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for coaching and executive positions. America …