INSURANCE NEWS
U.S. Says It ‘Hacked the Hackers’ to Bring Down Hive Ransomware Gang
The FBI on Thursday revealed it had secretly hacked and disrupted a prolific ransomware gang called Hive, a maneuver that allowed the bureau to thwart the group from collecting more than $130 million in ransomware demands from more than 300 …
British Financial Services Damaged by Slow Supervisors, Report Warns
Britain’s regulators can be slow, inefficient and unpredictable, raising costs and slowly damaging the financial sector’s global competitiveness, industry body TheCityUK said in a report. Complex, opaque and slow authorizations, such as for a new chief executive or a new …
Amazon Rainforest Is Deteriorating Too Fast for Species and Climate to Adapt: Reports
Two new scientific review articles by international teams of researchers paint a bleak picture of the state of the Amazon rainforest: The critical ecosystem is being damaged at an unprecedented pace, they warn, which may usher in “a qualitatively different …
EU Eyes $100/Barrel Cap on Russian Premium Oil Products in Next Round of Sanctions
The European Commission is proposing that the EU set a $100 per barrel price cap on premium Russian oil products like diesel and a $45 per barrel cap on discounted products like fuel oil, European Union officials said on Thursday. …
British Motor Insurer Direct Line’s CEO James Steps Down
Direct Line Insurance Group’s chief executive of nearly four years, Penny James, will step down with immediate effect after the British motor and home insurer faced “significant headwinds” in recent months, the company said on Friday. James, who joined Direct …
Tesla, Insurers Address Expensive Repairs in Sharply Different Ways
Tesla Inc.’s electric vehicles are expensive to repair – so much so that the automaker and insurers are addressing the issue in sharply different ways. Chief Executive Elon Musk says Tesla is making design and software changes to its vehicles …
Risk Strategies Buys Tanenbaum-Harber Agency in Florida
Risk Strategies, a national insurance brokerage, has acquired Florida’s Tanenbaum-Harber, a risk management and insurance advisor. Based in Miramar, Florida, Tanenbaum-Harber traces its beginnings to 1860, the companies said in a news release. It is considered one of the largest …
Alera Group Acquires Hackney Agency in North Carolina
Alera Group, an independent insurance and wealth management firm, has acquired the John Hackney Agency in North Carolina. Hackney, with offices in Wilson, in the eastern part of the state, was founded in 1895 by the Hackney brothers’ great-grandfather, the …
Maryland AG Files Environmental Complaint Against Recycling Firm for Open Dumps
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has filed a civil complaint, on behalf of the Maryland Department of the Environment, against World Recycling Co. and three related entities (WRC). The complaint, filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, …
Tesla Confirms Nevada Expansion to Make More Electric Trucks
Tesla confirmed it intends to invest $3.6 billion to expand its manufacturing capabilities in Nevada for “high-volume” production of electric semi-trucks and make enough cell batteries for 2 million light-duty vehicles annually. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo had said during his …
Virginia Teacher Lawyer: Administrators Were Warned 3 Times Boy Had Gun
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Concerned staff warned administrators at a Virginia elementary school three times that a 6-year-old boy had a gun and was threatening other students in the hours before he shot and wounded a teacher, but the …
Light Earthquake Confirmed in Southern California
A light earthquake centered offshore gave Southern California an early morning wake-up call Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed. There were no reports of damage. The 2 a.m. quake occurred beneath the ocean 10.6 miles south of Malibu, the USGS …