Florida Heads for Smallest Orange Crop in Nearly a Century
Florida’s orange harvest is expected to fall to the lowest in nearly a century, as shrinking groves continue to offset improvements in yields. The state is seen producing 12 million boxes of fruit in the 2025-26 season, down 2% from …
$182M Settlement Reached in 2015 New York Train Crossing Crash That Killed 6
A more than $182 million settlement has been reached with victims of a deadly 2015 collision between a train and an SUV at a suburban New York crossing. The majority of the settlement with Metro-North Railroad goes to the families …
People Moves: SAN Group Names Regional VP; RCM&D Hires Surety Division Director
Satellite Agency Network Group, Inc. (SAN), headquartered in Hampton, New Hampshire, hired Sherri Warcholic as regional vice president for Connecticut and Rhode Island. Warcholic will focus on identifying and developing membership opportunities, supporting agency growth throughout the region. Before SAN, …
Musk’s xAI Faces California AG Probe Over Grok Sexual Images
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup, xAI, is under investigation by the California attorney general’s office after the company’s Grok chatbot was allegedly used to create thousands of sexualized images of women and children without their consent. California Attorney General Rob …
Oklahoma Homeowners Can Apply for Up to $10K Grants for Fortified Roofs
Oklahoma homeowners can now apply for grants of up to $10,000 to upgrade to storm-resistant Fortified roofs. The Oklahoma Insurance Department opened statewide applications for its Strengthen Oklahoma Homes (SOH) Grant Program on Monday, Jan. 12. The statewide expansion follows …
Business Moves: United Risk to Acquire DUAL Crisis Management Program, Team
Managing general agency United Risk said it has an agreement to buy DUAL North America’s crisis management program, with its underwriting and claims teams. The unit will be renamed First Product Protection, serving as an independent division of New York-based …
People Moves: Packer Named to MD Board; Parkhurst New TDCI General Counsel
With litigation and regulation still a major part of the property-casualty insurance business, a national law firm and a state regulator have named attorneys to leadership roles. Marshall Dennehey, with offices in seven Eastern U.S. states, announced that Florida-based insurance …
Railroads and Their Regulators Thwart Safety Fixes, Analysis Finds
Human errors and track defects caused more than 3,000 rail accidents over the last decade, killing 23 people and injuring nearly 1,200. Yet federal railroad regulators failed to implement most of the safety recommendations that emerged from accident investigations. That’s …
Markets/Coverages: ATA Launches $750M Insurance Facility for AI Infrastructure Boom
Advanced Technology Assurance Ltd. (ATA), the London-based managing general underwriter, has launched a $750 million insurance facility to underwrite the projected $7 trillion global AI infrastructure boom. The ATA Global Data Center & AI Infrastructure Insurance facility launches with backing …
Court Orders Justice Family Coal Companies to Pay $1M to Liberty Mutual Unit
A federal judge has ordered coal companies owned by the family of U.S. Sen. Jim Justice to cough up more than $1 million in unpaid workers’ compensation premiums owed to a Liberty Mutual company—five years after an audit showed the …
Markets/Coverages: FM Bumps Up Limits for Data Centers to $5B
Commercial property insurer FM announced a significant increase in capacity to support its global FM Intellium clients and the data and power generation ecosystem. FM can now provide up to $5 billion in capacity for the growing data-center industry. FM …
Iowa Landlord to Pay $325K Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
The Justice Department announced that the owner and property manager of residential rental properties in Davenport, Iowa, have agreed to pay $325,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the property manager sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair …
Iowa Woman Charged With Insurance Fraud
Cristal Gale Kastantin, of Wheatland, Iowa, was arrested on January 3, 2026, on outstanding arrest warrants for committing insurance fraud, the Iowa Insurance Division announced. Kastantin was charged with one count of Ongoing Criminal Conduct (Class B Felony), one count …
California Wants to Mix Hydrogen With Gas to Cut Pollution. Critics Say That Poses Risks
Alma Figueroa began to worry when she learned that her gas provider wanted to test a controversial solution to curb global warming: blend hydrogen with natural gas to power her stove and other appliances. Figueroa, who has asthma and recently …
APCIA Backs Federal Bill to Require Litigation Funding Disclosure
The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) has released a statement in support of federal legislation, up for committee discussion today, that is meant to increase the transparency of third-party financers in litigation. The Protecting Third Party Litigation Funding From …
People Moves: Chaucer Taps Carpenter’s Loh as CEO Singapore; Price Forbes Singapore Names Carpenter’s Heath as Head of Reinsurance and Wholesale
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Chaucer Group and Price Forbes Singapore. A summary of these new hires follows here. Chaucer Taps Carpenter’s Loh as CEO Singapore, AXA XL’s Bryan to Lead Reinsurance APAC Chaucer Group, the …
Door of Swiss Bar Where 40 Died in Fire Was Locked, Says RTS
A service door that might have offered a second escape route at the Swiss bar where a deadly fire claimed 40 lives on New Year’s Eve was locked at the time of the incident, one of the managers told Swiss …
Markets/Coverages: Berkshire (BHSI) Expands Casualty Lines in Italy
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) announced the introduction of primary casualty policies for national and multinational risks in Italy. “We are pleased to launch our modular, proprietary primary casualty solution, expressly designed to meet our customers’ need for simplicity, clarity …
Factbox: Elon Musk’s Grok Faces Global Scrutiny for Sexualized AI Deepfakes
Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia are cracking down on sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk’s xAI chatbot Grok on X, launching probes, imposing bans and demanding safeguards, in a growing global push to curb illegal material. Here …
BBC Defends Documentary Targeted by Trump in $10 Billion Suit
The British Broadcasting Corp. signaled some of its defenses against President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit, telling a judge that the documentary at the center of the case was fair despite a misleading edit of one segment. The BBC …



