INSURANCE NEWS

Freight Broker Sues Liberty Mutual for ‘Excessive’ Work Comp Premiums

An Illinois freight broker has filed a lawsuit accusing Liberty Mutual of overcharging it by demanding payment of workers’ compensation premiums for independent contractors who are ineligible for benefits. Virnich Corp., which does business in West Chicago, says in a …
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Director of 9/11 Fund Picked to Estimate Cost of J&J Talc Claims

The lawyer who oversaw payments to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be appointed by a federal judge to estimate the total liability that Johnson & Johnson faces for claims that talc in its baby powder causes cancer. …
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State Farm Settles Alabama Class Action Charging it Underpaid Claims

Did State Farm Insurance employ a clever device to reduce its payout – sometimes to zero – on thousands of property claims in Alabama? The insurance company has denied underpaying claims and other wrongdoing, but has agreed to settle a …
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AM Best Removes Golden Bear in California from Under Review and Affirms Credit Ratings

AM Best removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a” (Excellent) of Golden Bear Insurance Co. headquartered in Stockton, California. The …
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Another One: American Traditions Stops New Business in Florida

Another property insurer has halted writing new policies in Florida. For homeowners, condominiums and rental properties, “new business will be paused temporarily until further notice,” American Traditions Insurance explained Thursday in a bulletin to agents around the state. “We will …
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U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council to ID More Climate-Related Risks

The Financial Stability Oversight Council convened on Thursday to identify and address climate-related financial risk. The FOC last year published an extensive report on climate-related financial risk and issued dozens of best-practices recommendations to U.S. financial regulators to identify and …
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United P&C Completes Florida Restructuring Amid Catastrophe Losses

United Insurance Holdings, parent of United Property & Casualty Insurance, said it has completed most of its major reorganization plan, consolidating its four Florida-based carriers into two. The news was accompanied by second-quarter catastrophe losses of $17 million after taxes, …
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OSHA Investigating After Construction Worker Electrocuted at Charlotte Airport

A construction worker at a North Carolina airport was electrocuted, according to a California-based company for whom he worked. The Charlotte Observer reports Rosendin Electric, a company based in San Jose, California, filed a report Monday morning confirming Sunday’s death …
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EU Mulls New Unit With Antitrust Veterans to Enforce Tech Rules

The European Commission is considering creating a new directorate that may be headed by two top antitrust officials to enforce tough new rules aimed at reining in the powers of Big Tech, two people familiar with the matter said. Such …
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Lemonade Closes Deal for Auto Insurer Metromile

Digital insurer Lemonade said it has closed of the acquisition of pay-per-mile car insurance provider Metromile in an all-stock transaction. Metromile shareholders received 7.3 million Lemonade shares, while Lemonade received a business with over $155 million in cash, over $110 …
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Hilb Group Acquires King and Cushman Agency in Massachusetts

The Hilb Group has acquired Massachusetts-based King and Cushman Agency, further expanding the company’s presence throughout New England. Based in Northampton, King and Cushman has served the area for nearly 100 years, offering personal and commercial property/casualty insurance. Agency Principal …
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Judge Questions 3M’s Use of Bankruptcy to Fight Veterans’ Suits

The federal judge administering more than 230,000 lawsuits against 3M Co. questioned whether the industrial giant acted in good faith when it decided to try to shift the cases to bankruptcy court instead of facing separate jury trials around the …
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