INSURANCE NEWS
Viewpoint: Closing the Gap on Risk Mitigation Strategy Created by Cannabis Reform
Nearly 185 million adults in the U.S. have legal access to cannabis. Before legalization, organizations could create cannabis testing policies centered around zero-tolerance, as the drug’s use was uniformly illegal. Policy-holding employers could simply deter employee cannabis use with testing …
Wildfire Mitigation Plan Would Cut 2.4 Million New Jersey Pinelands Trees
BASS RIVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Up to 2.4 million trees would be cut down as part of a project to prevent major wildfires in a federally protected New Jersey forest heralded as a unique environmental treasure. New Jersey environmental …
FTX Was Run as ‘Personal Fiefdom,’ Faces Hacks and Missing Assets: Attorneys
FTX was run as a “personal fiefdom” of former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, attorneys for the collapsed crypto exchange said in its first bankruptcy hearing as they detailed ongoing challenges such as hacks and substantial missing assets. In the highest-profile crypto …
Agency Partnerships: SAN Group Adds Woodland Agency of Massachusetts; Vermont’s Barrett Agency Joins Renaissance
Independent insurance agency alliance Satellite Agency Network (SAN) Group, Inc. recently announced the addition of Woodland Insurance Agency of Hanson, Massachusetts to its network. Founded nearly 40 years ago, Woodland Insurance is an independently owned insurance agency offering home, auto, …
Liberty Mutual Explores $1 Billion Sale of Europe Businesses
Liberty Mutual Holding Co. is exploring a sale of its businesses in Spain, Portugal and Ireland, according to people familiar with the matter, joining other American insurers retreating from the region. The US insurer is working with Bank of America …
Louisiana Court to Hear Appeal of Rare Policyholder Victory in COVID Claim
The Louisiana Supreme Court has agreed to review an appellate court decision that found the COVID virus caused a direct physical loss that was covered by insurance. The Louisiana high court announced Tuesday that it will take up an appeal …
Ohio Dollar General Operator to Pay $341K in OSHA Penalties
When federal workplace safety inspectors opened an investigation at a Dollar General store in Columbus, they discovered violations that were all-too-familiar and the kind that has led to more than $15 million in proposed penalties since 2017 for one of …
Suspect Sought After 4 Killed at Oklahoma Marijuana Farm
LACEY, Okla. (AP) – Authorities have “a suspect in mind” after four people were found dead and one injured at a marijuana farm in rural Oklahoma, but no arrests have been announced. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Capt. Stan Florence …
Indiana Man gets 50-year prison sentence for Indiana barn fires
GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) – A man who pleaded guilty to torching several barns last year in a northern Indiana county was sentenced Monday to 50 years in prison followed by decades on probation. An Elkhart County judge sentenced Joseph Hershberger …
Safety Agency Says Wing Broke Before Plane Crash in Washington
A wing from a Cessna 208B broke away before the plane crashed Friday into a field northeast of Seattle, killing the four people on board, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The NTSB said the wreckage has been recovered and …
Oregon Hemp Plant Fire Injures 5, Town Temporarily Evacuated
A small town in central Oregon was evacuated and five people were hurt due to a hemp manufacturing plant fire Sunday. The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office said five employees were burned in the blaze, including one who suffered significant burns, …
Q3 Combined Ratio for U.S. P/C Industry Highest in 5 Years
The U.S. property/casualty industry posted a combined ratio of about 106.6 in the third quarter – the highest in five years, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. “In addition to the effects of catastrophe losses on various …