INSURANCE NEWS
US Property-Focused-MGA Avatar Launches in UK, Led by Clapham From Aon
Avatar MGA Ltd., a next generation managing general agent (MGA), has received Lloyd’s coverholder and UK regulatory approval to begin binding business from Aug. 1, 2025. The US D&F property-focused MGA is backed by three market-leading syndicates at Lloyd’s, the …
Strong Storms in Upper Plains and Midwest Damage Buildings, Cause Power Outages
Strong storms that brought hurricane-force winds to an area stretching from the Upper Plains to the Midwest have been preliminarily classified by the National Weather Service as a derecho, defined as a long-lived line of storms with extreme winds. The …
Potential Removal of Petrochemical Watchdog Puts Texans at Risk, Critics Say
Even today, more than five years later, residents still talk about the fire. The chemical facility burned for three days, leaked toxic runoff into the waterways, forced schools and businesses to close and prompted a shelter-in-place order for everyone in …
Viewpoint: ‘AI Action Plan’ Does Not Address AGI, Superintelligence, or Alternate Intel
On July 23, 2025, the White House released its policy document entitled Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan. The Action Plan provides a thorough analysis of strategies, measures, and potential concerns to guide the future development of AI. It …
Dating Advice App Tea Suspends Messaging After Breaches
The women-only U.S. dating advice app Tea has suspended direct messaging following a series of security breaches that exposed its users’ personal details and sensitive communications, the company said on Tuesday. In a series of posts to TikTok, Tea Dating …
Viewpoint: Green Technologies Bring New Property Risks – and Opportunities
From roof-mounted solar panels and automated warehouses to electric vehicle depots, green technologies are transforming commercial property risk profiles. While these innovations improve energy efficiency and sustainability, they also introduce new challenges: including fire hazards from solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, …
Risk Strategies Acquires Assets of 3 New Mexico Firms
Risk Strategies acquired the assets of Santa Fe, New Mexico-based firms Zia Insurance Services, Tyra Enterprises Inc. and Capitol Insurance Services Inc. The firms will become part of the Risk Strategies West Region, and report to Pat Roth, west region …
Suspect in Michigan Walmart Stabbings Charged With Rarely Used Terrorism Count
A Michigan prosecutor filed a terrorism charge this wek against a man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart store. The charge has been rarely used in the state’s courts since it was adopted more than 20 years ago …
California City Suing Former Officer Who Skied, Went to Festival on Workers’ Comp
A California city has filed a civil lawsuit against a former police officer who went skiing and attended a music festival while collecting workers’ compensation. Westminster filed the suit against a former police officer who was charged with 15 felonies …
Verisk’s $2.35B Buy of AccuLynx ‘Natural Fit’ for Claims Management Solutions
Insurance data analytics and technology firm Verisk said it has an agreement in place to acquire AccuLynx, a software-as-a-service platform designed for residential roofing contractors, for $2.35 billion. Verisk said in a July 30 announcement that both companies play key …
Cotality Estimates $1.1B in Damage to Residential Buildings from Central Texas Floods
Cotality estimates that the recent Central Texas flash floods caused $1.1 billion in damage to residential buildings, with the National Flood Insurance Program providing as much as $135 million in insurance recoveries to home and business owners across the impacted …
People Moves: LSM Hires Nelson, Ciraci and Prout to Boost Renewables Offering; BMS Promotes Wookey to Managing Director, Bermuda Product Line Development
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Liberty Specialty Markets and the broker BMS. A summary of these new hires follows here. Liberty Specialty Hires Nelson, Ciraci and Prout to Boost Renewables Offering Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part …