The first quarter Small Business Index, which measures small business owner confidence, is 62.3—similar to last quarter’s score of 61.3—reflecting a stable business climate. More small businesses see an improving economy, which drove the headline score up one point. One …

Beat Capital Partners, a London-based venture capital investor that focuses on the insurance industry, announced it is planning to launch a specialty and tech-enabled credit non-payment insurance underwriter. Called “Convergence,” the business is expected to underwrite through a Lloyd’s consortium, …

Jensten Group, the London-based independent insurance broking group, announced it will invest up to £1 million (US$1.3 million) this year to help 15 individuals start their own independent brokerages. The investments will be made through Coversure, the group’s network for …

Mark Zuckerberg won his bid to avoid personal liability in about two dozen lawsuits accusing Meta Platforms Inc. and other social media companies of addicting children to their products. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the cases, …

Inflation continues to have an effect on property exposures with sums insured for European windstorm increasing by 10.1% year-on-year at constant euro exchange rates, at similar levels to 2023, according to PERILS AG, the independent Zurich-based company that provides industry-wide …

UnitedHealth Group expects to take a hit of as much as $1.6 billion this year from disruptions caused by the February cyberattack at its Change Healthcare unit. Despite the disruptions, UnitedHealth still beat estimates for first-quarter adjusted profit, sending its …

More than two dozen river barges broke loose from their moorings and floated down the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, striking one bridge that had already been preemptively closed and damaging a marina, officials said. The boats eventually were pinned to …

An El Niño weather event has ended, Australian weather authorities said on Tuesday, adding that they were uncertain if a La Niña phenomenon would form later this year, as other forecasters have predicted. The cycle between the two is hugely …

BRENHAM, Texas (AP) — A Texas semitrailer driver rammed a stolen 18-wheeler through the front of a public safety building where his renewal for a commercial driver’s license had been rejected, killing one person and injuring 13 others, authorities said …

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will increase what have been among the lowest benefits in the U.S. for workers who are injured or killed on the job under bipartisan legislation that Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law Thursday. The new …

New York City has agreed to pay $17.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two Muslim women who were forced to remove their head coverings to be photographed after they were arrested. The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2018 …

World Insurance Associates LLC acquired the business of InterWeb Insurance in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. InterWeb was founded in 2008 and primarily provides commercial insurance, focusing on errors & omissions coverage for customers in the financial services sector. World Insurance …

Bowhead Specialty Holdings disclosed on Friday that its net profit more than doubled in 2023, as the insurance underwriting company made its IPO filing public amid a rebound in fresh U.S. listings. The U.S. initial public offering market is expected …

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday paved the way for more truck drivers and other transportation workers to file employment-related lawsuits in court rather than private arbitration, ruling that an exemption from arbitration extends to workers outside of the transportation …

The Democratic-controlled Maine Legislature gave final approval Friday to a bill that would protect health care workers who provide abortion and gender-affirming care from legal action brought in other states. If signed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, Maine would join …

The owner of the ship that destroyed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has started a formal process in which companies that own goods on the stricken Dali will have to share some of the financial losses, according to the world’s …

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued $255,000 in fines in March for violations of state insurance laws and regulations. The fines and violations listed by Kreidler’s office included: Coordinated Care Corp.; fined $35,000 Due to a misconfiguration in the company’s …

A small earthquake shook the Southern California desert Saturday near Coachella, where the famous music festival was being held this weekend. No damage or injuries were reported. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 3.8, hit at 9:08 a.m. about …

Munich Re Specialty Insurance is launching a FAIR Plan Commercial Wrap, available to commercial insureds in California who seek comprehensive coverage in tandem with their FAIR Plan coverage. MRSI’s FAIR Plan Commercial Wrap is designed to enable insureds to more …

RT Specialty, the wholesale distribution division of Ryan Specialty, headquartered in Chicago, promoted Jason Murrey to president of commercial lines binding authority. Murrey joined RT Specialty in 2017 through the acquisition of N-Surance Outlets where he served as president and …