INSURANCE NEWS
GM Ends OnStar Driver Safety Program After Privacy Complaints
General Motors Co. has ended its OnStar Smart Driver program after customers complained it violated their privacy. OnStar had cut deals with LexisNexis and Verisk to share personal driving data as part of the program, which they then shared with …
People Moves: BHSI Names Humble as Head of Customer & Broker Engagement for South Central
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) today announced that it has appointed Hart Humble to the newly created role of Head of Customer & Broker Engagement (C&BE) for the South Central U.S. Humble has spent more than 30 years in the …
Chubb Wins Latest Battle With New York Diocese in Bid to Avoid Sex Abuse Claims
A New York state appeals court has reinstated Chubb insurance companies’ bid for judgments declaring that they are not obligated to cover thousands of sex abuse lawsuits brought against the Archdiocese of New York (ADNY). Chubb insurers have maintained that …
AM Best Downgrades Credit Rating of Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Group
AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a-” (Excellent) from “a” (Excellent) of Farm Bureau County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas and Texas …
Marsh McLennan Agency to Buy Fisher Brown Bottrell for About $316M
Marsh McLennan Agency, a subsidiary of Marsh, said it has a definitive agreement to acquire one of the largest agencies in the Southeast—Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, Inc. Marsh McLennan Agency will pay $315.9 million in cash, subject to customary purchase …
Berkley CEO: Property E&S Momentum Slows but ‘Some More Hay’ to Be Made
When it comes to observations of the excess and surplus lines market, there is a difference between the momentum of liability and property lines, said W.R. Berkley CEO W. Robert Berkley, Jr. Addressing some talk that has painted a picture …
Oakbridge Adds Strawn & Co. in Georgia
Atlanta-based OakBridge Insurance Agency has continued its rapid expansion with the acquisiton of Strawn & Co., headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, south of Atlanta. Strawn is one of the Atlanta area’s oldest and largest independent insurance agencies and has been in …
Workers’ Comp Apportion Evals Must be Well-Reasoned, WV Supreme Court Says
West Virginia law, like statutes in a number of states, allows employers to try and apportion contributions to a worker’s injury, including how much a pre-existing condition may have played a role. The employer/insurer holds the burden of proof. In …
Chamber of Commerce Sues to Block FTC’s Non-Compete Ban
Business groups led by the US Chamber of Commerce sued the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday seeking to block a rule finalized this week that would outlaw non-compete provisions that prohibit workers from switching jobs within an industry. In a complaint …
FAU Gets Grant to Study Seaweed Harvesting, Just as Blobs Approach South Florida
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are using a $1.3 million grant to see if huge blobs of seaweed can be harvested to help mitigate the economic impact on Florida beaches. The FAU Harbor Beach Oceanographic Institute this month announced the …
District of Columbia AG Settles With NRA Over Alleged Violations of Nonprofit Law
District of Columbia Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb last week announced a resolution of his office’s lawsuit against the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the NRA Foundation that alleges misuse of nonprofit funds and other violations of the District’s Nonprofit …
Jury Weighing Military Contractor’s Claim of Immunity for Abu Ghraib Abuse
A lawyer for the military contractor being sued by three survivors of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq told jurors Monday that the plaintiffs are suing the wrong people. “If you believe they were abused … tell them to …