Explainer: Limits on PFAS in Drinking Water Could Fuel Litigation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the first federal regulations on toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water, setting tight limits that essentially require public water systems to all but eliminate their presence in American tap water. The highly anticipated …
Soaring Insurance Costs Hit as US Buyers Finally Get a Break on Car Prices
A new form of sticker shock has hit American car buyers like Darin Davis. In January, when the 56-year-old Dallas real estate agent renewed the insurance on the pearly-white 2024 Cadillac XT4 that he bought just a few months earlier, …
CISA Says Russian Hackers Used Microsoft Access to Steal Government Emails
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Russian government-backed hackers have used their access to Microsoft’s email system to steal correspondence between officials and the tech giant, an emergency directive by the U.S. watchdog released on Thursday showed. In …
SC High Court Strikes ‘Troubling’ Denial of Comp Claim, Says Can’t Be Based on Stats
An employer cannot use an ergonomics report, showing that a work injury is statistically unlikely, to deny a workers’ compensation claim, the South Carolina Supreme Court said this week in an opinion that sharply questioned an appellate panel’s decision making. …
Mayor Says New York City Will ‘Iron Out Kinks’ in Errant Chatbot
An artificial intelligence-powered chatbot created by New York City to help small business owners is under criticism for dispensing bizarre advice that misstates local policies and advises companies to violate the law. But days after the issues were first reported …
kWh Analytics, Aspen Raise Capacity for Property Insurance, Renewable Projects
kWh Analytics Inc. secured an increase in its capacity agreement with Aspen Insurance to support its property insurance offering for renewable energy projects. With this increase, kWh Analytics can underwrite up to $75 million per renewable energy project location and …
Assistant Principal Faces Criminal Charge in Case of 6-Year-Old Who Shot Teacher
A former assistant principal at a Virginia elementary school has been charged with felony child neglect more than a year after a 6-year-old boy brought a gun to class and shot his first-grade teacher. A special grand jury in Newport …
People Moves: SLA of California Elects New Leadership
The Surplus Line Association of California (SLA), headquartered in San Ramon, California, elected Rich Gobler of Burns and Wilcox as chair of the SLA Board of Directors. Also elected to leadership were John Washington of Arch Insurance Group as vice …
Ping An Insurance’s Delayed Trust Repayment Shows Lingering Property Woes
Ping An Insurance (Group) Co.’s trust business delayed repayment on a property-linked investment product, showing how the financial giant’s asset-management operations are still reeling from China’s prolonged real estate downturn. Ping An Trust apologized on Wednesday to its customers for …
Tech Updates: Sayata Risk Engine Flags High-Risk Accounts With AI; Canopy Connect and Hawksoft Launch Integration to Eliminate Data Entry for Agents
Sayata Unveils AI-Powered Risk Engine That Flags High-Risk Accounts Sayata has launched the Sayata Risk Engine, an AI-powered platform that uses sophisticated AI to flag specific high-risk accounts expected to drive up loss ratios. Sayata’s Risk Engine’s SmartExtrapolation technology uses …
NAIC Adopts Climate Resilience Strategy to Close Coverage Gaps, Improve Recovery
To assist property insurers in reducing losses and speeding up recovery from natural disasters, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) adopted the first-ever National Climate Resilience Strategy for Insurance. Developed under the coordination of the NAIC’s Climate and Resiliency …
US Senate Votes to Reject Rule to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Highways
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a resolution that would overturn a federal agency’s rule requiring states to measure and set declining targets for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles using the national highway system. The Federal Highway Administration rules were …
Europe’s Wildfires in 2023 Were Among Worst This Century: Report
The 2023 wildfire season in the Europe was among the worst this century, according to a European Commission report published on Wednesday. Last year, more than half a million (504,002) hectares, an area twice the size of Luxembourg, was scorched …
FTC Asks Congress for Authority Over Its Own Consumer Cases
The US Federal Trade Commission is asking Congress to change the law so it can handle its own privacy settlements and other consumer protection cases that it’s currently forced to refer to the Justice Department. The DOJ has been slow-walking …
Florida Public Adjuster, Renter Charged with Filing Claim on Rental Home
Florida authorities have charged a public adjuster and a rental property tenant with fraud after they allegedly falsified documents, filed a false claim and received a check from Scottsdale Insurance Co., a Nationwide surplus lines subsidiary. The Florida Department of …
Probe Underway of Fatal Crash Inolving Ford Mustang With Assisted Driver System
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Wednesday it was opening an investigation into a March 3 fatal crash between a Ford F.N Mustang Mach-E and two stationary cars on the I-95 interstate highway in Philadelphia. In March, …
US Investigators Interview Cargo Ship Personnel in Maryland Bridge Collapse
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said at a Senate hearing Wednesday that investigators had conducted interviews with key cargo ship personnel in the investigation of the March 26 Baltimore bridge collapse. The Dali cargo ship crashed into …
Alliant Insurance Services Acquires Vinsa Insurance Associates in California
Alliant Insurance Services acquired Vinsa Insurance Associates within its Alliant Public Entity division, expanding its footprint in California. Based in Lancaster, California, Vinsa is an independent property/casualty insurance agency that specializes in providing insurance coverage services for commercial and personal …
Oregon Schools Sued for $9M After Young Girl Allegedly Raped
A young girl and her guardian have sued an Oregon nonprofit organization, Portland Public Schools and Multnomah County for $9 million, alleging they were negligent when male classmates sexually abused her at school and raped her during an after-school program …
People Moves: IC International Appoints Kim VP; WCF Promotes Riedley to SVP and Curtis to CUO, Small Business; Island Insurance Promotes Onofrietti and Chong
IC International Appoints Kim Vice President IC International, headquartered in Honolulu, appointed Nova Kim as vice president. Kim oversees the execution of IC International strategy and provides oversight of daily operations. Kim has more than 30 years of experience in …