INSURANCE NEWS
Florida CFO Appoints Former Lawmaker, Car Dealer Attorney to Citizens’ Board
Florida’s chief financial officer has named a Pensacola lawyer and businessman to the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors. Frank White, general counsel for one of northwest Florida’s largest car dealerships, and a former state legislator and former candidate …
Battery Firm Pulls Plug on $2.6 Billion Plant in Georgia
ATLANTA (AP) — A clean energy company is abandoning a plan to build a giant electric battery factory in Atlanta’s suburbs after it shifted to buy a solar panel plant in Texas. Freyr Battery told officials in Newnan last week …
Smart Choice Agency Network Reports Record Growth in 2024
Smart Choice, a North Carolina-based firm that works with independent agencies, reported record growth, with more than 1,450 agencies joining the network in 2024. Last year marked the eighth-straight year with more than 1,000 agencies joining, along with new carriers, …
CFPB Disarray Puts Future Fintech, Bank Oversight Into Question
Less than two months ago, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was pumping out lawsuits against some of the world’s biggest firms, suing JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Walmart Inc. within a single week. On Monday, the …
Police Scramble to Learn Who Stole 100,000 Eggs Worth $40K From Farm Trailer
Police are trying to crack a whodunit over the heist of 100,000 eggs from the back of a trailer in Antrim Township, Pennsylvania. Regarding the theft that law enforcement officials say could be tied to the sky-high cost of eggs, …
Newsom Wants to Speed up Delayed Rule to Make California Homes More Fire Resistant
As Los Angeles reels from deadly January wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an order last week directing the state to advance long-delayed regulations requiring homeowners in high-risk areas to clear combustible materials around their …
Registration for Next Round of LA Fortify Homes Program Grants Opens Feb. 12
The Louisiana Department of Insurance announced that registration for the next round of Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) grants will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, February 12. Registration will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 16. Participants will …
Lyft to Launch Mobileye Robotaxis in Dallas as Soon as 2026
Lyft Inc. will launch driverless rides with technology vendor and Intel Corp. spinoff Mobileye Global Inc. in Dallas as soon as 2026, building on a partnership that was first announced last November. Lyft customers in the Texas city will be …
First Chicago Insurance Group’s Credit Ratings Upgraded to Positive Outlook by AM Best
AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICRs) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B (Fair) and the Long-Term ICRs of “bb” (Fair) of First Chicago Insurance Company …
Acting CFPB Chief Tells all Staff to Cease ‘Any Work Tasks’
President Donald Trump’s newly installed chief of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told all of the agency’s staff on Monday to stay away from the office and do no work, according to an email reviewed by Reuters. The move, …
Russia’s Rostelecom Says Baltic Sea Cable Damaged, Tass Reports
A Russian underwater cable in the Baltic Sea has been damaged by an unspecified external impact, Tass reported on Saturday, citing the telecommunications provider PJSC Rostelecom. Restoration work is underway and the incident has had no impact on subscribers so …
Farmers Turn to Airbnb, Corn Mazes to Outlast Agricultural Downturn
A dead-end dirt road cutting through rural Wisconsin leads to a pasture dotted with shaggy-coated Highland cattle, fluffy Icelandic sheep and a vintage Airstream trailer that farmer Brit Thompson turned into an Airbnb to capitalize on an explosion of urbanites …