INSURANCE NEWS
Japan Earthquake Halts Auto and Chip Plants, Testing Supply Chain Resilience
The 7.1-magnitude quake that struck southern Japan this week has brought many car and semiconductor factories in the area to a halt, but hopes are high that disruptions will be less severe than a similar-sized temblor that rocked the region …
Anthropic AI Models Hacked Three Organizations During Tests
nthropic PBC said its artificial intelligence models breached three organizations during cybersecurity tests that went awry, a little more than a week after its chief rival, OpenAI, disclosed a similar incident. Anthropic said in a blog post Thursday that it …
Police Am-Bush Catches 74 Drivers Using Cell Phones
Someone must have challenged the Dunellen Borough (New Jersey) Police Department to get creative with traffic enforcement. As the department reported on Facebook, an officer conducted a distracted driving enforcement detail on a “highly-trafficked, pedestrian-heavy” downtown area on Wednesday of …
Former Insurance Agent Sentenced to Jail for Fraud, Again
A Baltimore County judge has sentenced Michael C. Okolo of Pikesville, Maryland, to six months incarceration for 10 counts of insurance fraud for acting as an insurance agent without a license. According to Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, the jury …
Climate Change Made ‘Fire Weather’ in France, Spain More Likely
Climate change made the weather that fueled Europe’s recent wildfires at least twice as likely in France and at least 20 times as likely in Spain, scientists at the World Weather Attribution group said on Friday. The global climate is …
French Insurer AXA’s Profit Rises 2% as Expected, Confident on Outlook
AXA SA reported first half profit higher than the same period a year ago, as the Paris-based insurer assesses the impact of wildfires currently affecting France and Spain. The French insurance group’s underlying earnings came in up 2% to €4.5 …
Mapfre Acquires Stake in Insurtech Tuio; Bolsters Commitment to AI, Digital Innovation
Just a week after revealing a $1.5 billion deal to acquire U.S.-based Safety Insurance Group, Spain’s Mapfre has announced a deal closer to its European roots—taking a 38.9% stake in the Spanish insurtech Tuio. The Tuio stake strengthens Mapfre’s commitment …
State Farm to Begin Issuing Dividend Payments to Louisiana Drivers
State Farm Mutual Auto will soon begin issuing $136 million in dividends to Louisiana drivers. The carrier informed the Louisiana Department of Insurance that eligible customers will receive an email between early August and early September asking them to select …
Texas Ban on Several THC Products Goes Into Effect
Texans’ access to a variety of hemp-derived THC products will significantly narrow on Friday. Texas will ban several hemp-derived THC cannabis products, including those containing delta-8 and delta-10 THC variants, punishing people in possession of them with jail time and …
Musk’s xAI Sues Minnesota Over Ban on Nudification Technology
Elon Musk’s company xAI has sued Minnesota over the state’s first-in-the-nation law that bans “nudification” technology on websites and apps, potentially providing a test for how far states can go in constitutionally regulating the use of artificial intelligence. Musk’s company …
CBIZ to Be Spun Off, Backed by Private Equity, After $5B Grant Thornton Deal
Grant Thornton’s US arm has agreed to buy rival CBIZ Inc. in a deal that could reach $5 billion, making it one of the largest professional services acquisitions in recent years. After the deal closes in the fourth quarter this …
Cyber Firm Wiz Says Flaw Could Have Exposed Thousands of Microsoft Cloud Customers
Alphabet-owned cybersecurity company Wiz said on Thursday it had found a sweeping flaw that could have compromised Microsoft and thousands of its cloud customers. Wiz said in a post on its website that a now-patched vulnerability in a key Microsoft …