Maine to Launch Dashboard Tracking Local Opioid Settlement Spending
Local governments across Maine have received just over $22 million in opioid settlement funds from pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the overdose epidemic, with nearly $54 million more expected over the next decade and a half. The money is meant …
Marsh McLennan Agency Acquires Three Brokerages in Hawaii
Marsh McLennan Agency acquired three privately owned Honolulu, Hawaii-based insurance brokerages from Tradewind Group. Collectively, Atlas Insurance Agency, Pyramid Insurance Centre, and IC International created an insurance brokerage presence in the state. They provide insurance services to businesses and individuals …
Starbucks to Pay $38.9 Million to Settle NYC Probe Over Worker Schedules
Starbucks has agreed to pay $38.9 million to settle claims by New York City that the coffee chain violated a local law requiring fast food businesses to give workers predictable and stable schedules more than half a million times over …
South Korean Police Probe Massive Data Leak at E-Commerce Giant Coupang
South Korean police said on Monday they were tracing IP addresses and looking into possible tech vulnerabilities at Coupang after the e-commerce giant suffered the country’s worst data breach in over a decade. Shares of the company fell 6.5% in …
Missouri AG Secures $60K Restitution Judgment in Roofing Fraud Case
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced last month that her office obtained a final consent judgment and permanent injunction against Xcel Roofing of Kansas City, LLC, and its owner, James Patrick Harding, for defrauding Greene County consumers out of thousands …
Third Russia-Linked Oil Tanker Suffers Explosions at Sea
An oil tanker carrying diesel suffered four external explosions near Dakar, Senegal, its manager said, the third vessel with links to Russia to have been struck over the last few days. Seawater entered the engine room of the Mersin, Besiktas …
Taiping Insurance Shares Hit by Over $200 Million Exposure to Hong Kong Fire
Shares of China Taiping Insurance Holdings fell as much as 8% on Thursday [Nov. 27] on concerns about its coverage exposure of more than $200 million to a Hong Kong apartment complex where a huge fire killed at least 55 …
Illinois Roofing Company Sued for Race and Sex Harassment
Anthony Roofing Tecta America LLC and Tecta America Corporation, roofing services providers in Illinois and nationwide, violated federal law when they subjected African American and female employees of their Aurora, Illinois location to race and sex harassment, the U.S. Equal …
Tyson Foods’ Decision to Close Nebraska Beef Plant Could Hurt Ranchers Nationwide
Tyson Foods’ decision to close a beef plant that employs nearly one third of residents of Lexington, Nebraska, could devastate the small city and undermine the profits of ranchers nationwide. Closing a single slaughterhouse might not seem significant, but the …
Tornado Damages More than 100 Homes Near Houston
More than 100 homes have been damaged after a tornado touched down in a residential area outside Houston, authorities in Texas said Monday. No injuries were reported. Photos and drone video posted on Facebook by the Harris County Precinct 4 …
West Texas County Struggles to Secure Funding for Flood Prevention
When it rains here, West Texans brace for the worst. With nowhere to go, water collects across sidewalks, roads and highways — the flat, desert landscape becomes a wetland in the blink of an eye. Local officials in Ector County, …
Markets/Coverages: CFC New Tool Helps Brokers Engage SMEs on Cyber
Specialist insurer CFC said it has a new tool available to brokers worldwide to help facilitate client conversations and unlock new streams of SME cyber clients. CFC said its new bite-sized Cyber Threat Review reports hone in on the real …
Best Quarter in a Quarter Century, Says S&P Q3 Analysis of US P/C
With a combined ratio of 89.1 for third-quarter 2025, the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry had its best quarter in at least a quarter of a century—and maybe longer, S&P Market Intelligence said. In a research report titled, “For U.S. P/C …
Does Quiet Hurricane Season Mean Lack of Experience for Adjusters?
A lack of bad weather isn’t always a good thing. It looks like the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is wrapping up in quiet fashion—aside from Hurricane Melissa, which caused catastrophic damage in Jamaica before impacting the surrounding area—without any U.S. …
Trafigura Lawyers Claim Gupta Had History of Fraud Before Alleged $600M Nickel Scam
Trafigura lawyers accused Prateek Gupta of having had a history of fraudulent dealings before he allegedly organized a $600 million metals scam with the commodity group, as the Indian businessman gave evidence for the first time on Wednesday. Gupta acknowledged …
OpenAI Says ChatGPT Not to Blame in Teen’s Death by Suicide
OpenAI defended itself against a lawsuit accusing ChatGPT of coaching a 16-year-old to kill himself, saying the chatbot directed the teenager to seek help more than 100 times. In a court filing Tuesday, the artificial intelligence startup called the death …
Insurance Fraud in UK Topped £1B in 2024, With Motor Scams Causing 53% of Claims
Insurers in the UK detected £1.16 billion (US$1.5 billion) worth of fraudulent insurance claims in 2024 – a 2% increase from £1.14 billion reported during the previous year, according to the Association British Insurers. Insurers uncovered at least 98,400 fraud-related …
Philadelphia Transit Agency Vows It’s Upgrading Railcars Implicated in Fires
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and leaders of Philadelphia’s mass transit agency said Monday that the system is fully complying with federal orders to take measures to help prevent fires in an aging electric railcar model that is heavily used in …
Allianz Unit Discussing Call Center Jobs Cuts in AI Transition
Allianz SE is in talks about potential job cuts at its assistance and travel insurance subsidiary Allianz Partners as it seeks to use more artifical intelligence. The cuts will likely affect call center positions, the person said, declining to be …
Africa Specialty Risks Launches Lloyd’s Syndicate 2454 in South Africa
Africa Specialty Risks (ASR), a re/insurance group that focuses on developing markets, announced the launch of Lloyd’s Syndicate 2454 in South Africa. Based in Sandton, ASR’s syndicate underwriters will underwrite insurance and reinsurance risks in South Africa and neighboring countries, …