INSURANCE NEWS
Wildfire Season Preview: Rest of 2025 Is High-Risk, May Follow LA Wildfires Paradigm
Following the “paradigm-shifting” Los Angeles wildfires in January, the 2024-2025 wildfire season will be remembered as a turning point for the insurance industry, and a warning that “wildfire is no longer a seasonal or rural phenomenon, a new outlook asserts. …
Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office Announces Investigations Leading to Guilty Pleas
The Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO), a division of the Texas Department of Insurance. announced three investigations that have led to guilty pleas: James Levorn Rias pleaded guilty to a first-degree murder charge following a May 2024 fire in …
People Moves: Burns & Wilcox Promotes Gatewood to EVP, Personal Insurance
Burns & Wilcox, a globally recognized leader in wholesale insurance brokerage headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, promoted Bill Gatewood to executive vice president, personal insurance, effective July 1. Burns & Wilcox is a member of H.W. Kaufman Group, a privately …
Kansas Insurance Commissioner to Visit Butler County After Widespread Flooding Event
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and Kansas Department of Insurance staff will be on-site Tuesday, June 10 in El Dorado to assist Kansans affected by widespread flooding in Butler County, the department said. KDI staff will assist with insurance claims …
Bally’s Settles Suit by White Men Over Chicago Casino Stake
Bally’s Corp. said it has settled a lawsuit brought by two white men and a conservative legal group that challenged a $1.7 billion Chicago casino project that offered ownership stakes only to women and people of color. The settlement comes …
Staff Vacancies Hit Texas Weather Offices as They Prepare for Hurricane Season
With hurricane season underway and an above-normal activity forecast, some National Weather Service offices like Houston — where as many as 44% of positions are vacant — are operating with staff shortages, prompting concerns about their capacity to monitor future …
Multiple Injuries in Skydiving Plane Crash in Tennessee
Several people were injured after a skydiving plane crashed outside a small Tennessee airport, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration said a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter plane carrying 20 people crashed shortly after departing Tullahoma Regional Airport on …
Alabama Sheriff Arrested for Hiring Uncertified Officers, One Accused of Violence
The sheriff of an Alabama county mired in allegations of abuse was arrested on Monday for hiring officers without state training or certification, according to an indictment. Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith, 41, was indicted on six misdemeanors in state …
Baptist College in Georgia Places President on Leave as it Probes Sex Abuse Claims
A Baptist college in northeast Georgia has placed its president on leave while it investigates whether he ignored claims that a former administrator was abusing students. Trustees at Truett McConnell University in Cleveland announced on Friday that they had placed …
Severe Weather Left Damage, Deaths Across South
Two people were killed by falling trees and tens of thousands were left without power as severe storms rolled through the South over the weekend. The storms downed trees and powerlines and brought heavy rainfall, hail and gusty winds as …
Brown & Brown to Acquire Risk Strategies, One80 Parent for $9.8 Billion
Brown & Brown Inc. said it has entered into an agreement to buy Accession Risk Management, the parent company of specialty brokerage firm Risk Strategies and wholesaler One80 Intermediaries, for about $9.8 billion. Daytona Beach, Florida-based Brown & Brown will …
It Will Take 5 Months to Transport Hawaii Wildfire Debris to Massive Landfill
Fifty trucks will spend five months hauling Lahaina wildfire debris to a landfill in the center of Maui starting next Monday, Maui County said. There’s enough debris to fill five football fields five stories high. About two years ago the …