INSURANCE NEWS
Waymo Expands in Austin After Tesla Launches Robotaxi Competitor
Waymo is more than doubling its service territory in Austin as the driverless taxi firm looks to fend off competition from Tesla Inc. Through its partnership with ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc., Waymo said Thursday that it will now offer …
AM Best Revises Outlook to Negative for Texas’ Southern Vanguard
AM Best announced it has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Southern Vanguard Insurance Company, based in Houston, Texas. The …
NHTSA Shedding More Than 25% of Employees
The U.S. auto safety agency is shedding more than 25% of its employees under financial incentive programs to depart the government offered by the Trump administration, according to data provided to Congress seen by Reuters. The National Highway Traffic Safety …
China-Linked Hackers Target Taiwan’s Chip Industry With Increasing Attacks: Researchers
Chinese-linked hackers are targeting the Taiwanese semiconductor industry and investment analysts as part of a string of cyber espionage campaigns, researchers said on Wednesday [July 16]. While hacking to steal data and information about the industry is not new, there …
Google to Offer Free AI Certification Courses to Virginia Job Seekers
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Tuesday that Google will partner with his administration to provide free and low-cost artificial intelligence certification courses to Virginians as part of his office’s ongoing effort to connect citizens to new jobs amid changes …
Billionaire-Backed California City Pitches Plans for Factory Hub
California Forever, the proposed futuristic community backed by billionaire venture capitalists, is now billing itself as a manufacturing center a year after local opposition forced it to withdraw plans to incorporate a new city. The project’s organizers said Thursday that …
Everclear High-Proof Alcohol Poses Extreme Risk, Alleges Burn Victim’s Lawsuit
In May 2025, Massachusetts college student Yvette Yuri Lanuza Digan was at a fraternity gathering when another person poured Everclear grain alcohol onto an open fire in the backyard of the house. An enormous fireball instantly erupted, enveloping Digan who …
Inszone Acquires Kansas’ Snell-Nelson Insurance Agency
Inszone Insurance Services announced that it has acquired Snell-Nelson Insurance Agency, Inc, an agency based in Ashland, Kansas, with additional operations throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. Established in 1985 by Monica Meininger, Snell-Nelson Insurance Agency has built a reputation with clients …
Cybersecurity Bosses Grow Increasingly Worried About AI Attacks and Misuse
Nearly a quarter of cybersecurity bosses said their companies have experienced an attack powered by artificial intelligence in the past year, according to a new survey in which AI risk emerged as the defining challenge. The number of AI-enabled attacks …
Illinois Woman Sentenced to 15 Years for Insurance Fraud and Arson Scheme
A district judge this month sentenced sentenced Evette “Betty” Osuegbu, 62, of Granite City, Illinois to 15 years in federal prison for her role in a string of arsons and insurance fraud stretching from 2014 to 2023. Following a five-day …
Markets/Coverages: Price Forbes Adds Construction Capacity to Cross-Class Facility
Price Forbes, the London-based re/insurance broker, announced the further expansion of its exclusive cross-class facility, Lectio, to include construction/builders risk coverage. Lectio will automatically follow pre-approved Lloyd’s leaders across placements for short-period construction within the U.S., Canada and Australia. Price …
Tesla Failed to Stop Autopilot Misuse, Safety Expert Testifies
Tesla Inc. hasn’t done enough to protect against drivers misusing its Autopilot system, a safety expert testified at a trial over a 2019 fatal collision. Mary “Missy” Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University, told jurors in Miami federal …