Markets/Coverages: BHSI Updates Private Company Executive Lines Suite in Canada
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has introduced an update to its Private Company Executive Lines suite of products in Canada and named Shaun Lue as private company leader. The new modular offering includes expansive directors & officers liability, fiduciary liability …
New Report Shows Rise in Cargo Theft, With Three States Leading the Way
Cargo theft across the U.S. and Canada continued to rise in 2024, with three states making up the bulk of losses, a new report shows. Multimodal hubs in California, Texas, as well as around Chicago, continue to be top targets …
Increased Writings in Homeowners Adds to US Surplus Lines Growth
Increasing movement of homeowners insurance risk to the U.S. surplus lines market has continued to contribute to growth for nonadmitted insurers. According to a report from AM Best, surplus homeowners direct premiums written in 2023 eclipsed $2 billion for the …
Spanish Grid Operator’s First Assessment Rules Out Cyberattack Behind Blackout
Spanish electricity grid operator REE said on Tuesday its preliminary assessment had ruled out cyberattack as the cause of the nationwide power outage that hit most of Spain and Portugal on Monday. Lights went off in most of the two …
Why Restarting a Power Grid After Massive Collapse Is So Hard
It’s a worst case scenario that grid operators plan for but hope never to encounter. After one of the worst blackouts in Europe in more than a decade, electricity grid operators in Spain and Portugal are trying to get networks …
Indiana Steel Mill Processor Fined $190K for Clean Air Act Violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act with Phoenix Global, a company in Burns Harbor, Indiana, that processes slag from a steel mill. The company paid $190,860 in penalties. Slag is …
Wastewater Is Polluting Rivers and Streams in Central Texas
Margo Denke set out to rally the town when she learned that a Christian youth camp planned to build a wastewater treatment plant and discharge its effluent into the pristine Hill Country creek that ran through her small ranch. Denke, …
NOAA Risks Loss of Data Network and Web Service
A key contract that supports the network service provider for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is set to lapse this week, threatening internet access and the transmission of internal data nationwide for much of the agency. The N-Wave …
North Dakota Enacts Law Shielding Bayer From Roundup Lawsuits
A new first-of-its-kind law enacted in North Dakota could shield agrochemical manufacturer Bayer from lawsuits claiming it failed to warn customers that its popular weedkiller Roundup could cause cancer. Though the immediate effect may be small, given that North Dakota …
Tariff ‘Chaos’ Drags Key Texas Manufacturing Gauge to Worst Since 2020
A widely followed measure of Texas manufacturing activity weakened significantly as executives used words like “chaos” and “insanity” to describe the turmoil spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. A …
Many Snowbirds Looking to Pack Up and Fly North For Good; Florida Hit Hard
The number of Canadian “snowbirds” planning to sell their second homes in sunny Florida and Arizona has surged this spring, many of them put off by the sudden chill that has blanketed relations between their homeland and the U.S. Real …
23andMe Bankruptcy Bid Deadline Extended as DNA Privacy Woes Linger
The sale of the bankrupt DNA data bank 23andMe is facing delays as the company tries to find a lead bidder that can quickly clear regulatory hurdles and guarantee customer privacy rules will be honored. The former Silicon Valley startup …
People Moves: Smith Joins Alliant Employee Benefits as VP, Sales Director
Josh Smith has joined Alliant Insurance Services as senior vice president and sales director within its employee benefits group. Based in California, Smith will direct business development activities across the western region. Smith has nearly 30 years of sales leadership …
California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks
California regulators have released a new proposal to allow the testing of self-driving heavy duty trucks on public roads. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles announced proposed regulations last week to allow the testing of self-driving vehicles over 10,001 pounds, …
New Hampshire Settles Second Youth Center Abuse Case for $4.5M
New Hampshire has agreed to pay $4.5 million to a woman who accused a youth detention center staffer of raping her in storage closet just before he handed out candy to other children as a reward for good behavior. Natasha …
FAA Delays Traffic to Newark Airport After Equipment, Staffing Issues
The Federal Aviation Administration said a series of issues prompted it to dramatically slow traffic at Newark Liberty Airport on Monday, prompting United Airlines to divert at least 35 flights to other airports. United Airlines, the largest carrier at the …
Major Automakers Want Congress to Bar California 2035 Electric Vehicle Plan
Major automakers want Congress to bar California’s landmark plan to end the sale of gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 that has been adopted by 11 other states, warning the rules could begin impacting vehicle shipments in a few months. The U.S. …
Severe Weather Outbreak Threatens Central US With Tornadoes and Large Hail
A multi-day severe weather outbreak is expected to bring heavy thunderstorms, large hail and the threat of tornadoes across the central U.S. Parts of the Upper Midwest – particularly southern and western Minnesota and northern Iowa – is at highest …
CIBA Expands NexEdge in Midwest and Southeast
CIBA, a commercial real estate insurance program, announced the expansion of its NexEdge individual limits property product to the Upper Midwest and Southeast regions. The expansion builds on the success of the program’s initial launch of NexEdge in the Western …
Midwest Trucking Company to Pay $45K Over Discrimination Disability Lawsuit
Mail Hauler Trucking, LLC., which delivers mail for the United States Postal Service in North Dakota and South Dakota, will pay $45,000 and provide other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) disability discrimination lawsuit, the federal …