INSURANCE NEWS
Fire Damages 40 Buses at Philadelphia Transit Lot
A fast-moving fire erupted early Thursday at a transit bus lot in Philadelphia and burned dozens of decommissioned vehicles, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the sky but causing no injuries. The fire did not impact the morning …
South African Insurers to Face Climate Stress Test, SARB Says
South Africa’s central bank plans to expand its examination of climate risk to the insurance industry, as it seeks to anticipate threats that can do far-reaching economic harm. “This year we put out our first climate-risk scenario, common stress test, …
Extreme Weather Is Stress-Testing India’s Infrastructure Drive
Indian monsoons this year — the earliest onset since 2009 — damaged new public infrastructure across the country, putting pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for an infrastructure upgrade in the world’s fifth-largest economy. A recently inaugurated underground metro …
Chinese Hackers, User Lapses Turn Smartphones Into a ‘Mobile Security Crisis’
Cybersecurity investigators noticed a highly unusual software crash — it was affecting a small number of smartphones belonging to people who worked in government, politics, tech and journalism. The crashes, which began late last year and carried into 2025, were …
UK’s Visa Crackdown Leaves City of London Immigrants in Limbo
One banker in the City of London is faced with paying an extra £40,000 a year in university fees for his children. Nursing homes are worried about finding enough caretakers for residents. The insurance industry says overseas relocations have now …
US DOT Declares Fuel Economy Rules Exceeded Legal Authority
The Transportation Department paved the way for looser U.S fuel economy standards on Friday by declaring that former President Joe Biden’s administration exceeded its authority by assuming high uptake of electric vehicles in calculating rules. The department made the declaration …
Hub International Acquires Wycoff Insurance Agency in Washington
Hub International Ltd. acquired the assets of Wycoff Insurance Agency Inc. in Mount Vernon, Washington. Wycoff Insurance will be referred to as Wycoff Insurance Agency, a Hub International company. Chris Eisses, president, Donnie Keltz, vice president, secretary and treasurer, and …
Homeowners Suing AAA Insurers and USAA over LA Wildfires
A group of homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires filed lawsuits against three large insurers over claims payouts they say didn’t cover their losses. The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court this week. …
Texas Lawmakers Reined in Recreational THC for More Medical Marijuana
Texas lawmakers this year heavily focused their drug policy agenda on banning tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, products in the state. Senate Bill 3, which prohibits the possession of consumable hemp products that contain any synthetic cannabinoid, often known as delta-8, was …
Scientists Take on Severe Storms to Study Hail, Costliest Weather Danger
As severe storms once again soak, twist and pelt the nation’s midsection, a team of dozens of scientists is driving into them to study one of the nation’s costliest but least-appreciated weather dangers: Hail. Hail rarely kills, but it hammers …
Mattel Settles Baby Sleeper Death Suits Before Start of a Trial
Mattel Inc. and its Fisher-Price unit have settled lawsuits alleging their recalled Rock ‘n Play baby sleeper was so defectively designed that it led to the deaths of infants. The agreement, disclosed in a Delaware court filing last week, resolves …
Storm Damage Costs Are Often a Mystery. That’s a Problem for Understanding Risk
On Jan. 5, 2025, at about 2:35 in the afternoon, the first severe hailstorm of the season dropped quarter-size hail in Chatham, Mississippi. According to the federal storm events database, there were no injuries, but it caused $10,000 in property …