Brightline Lands $350 Million Assured Loan in Case of Bankruptcy
Brightline has reached a deal with municipal-bond insurer Assured Guaranty Ltd. that would provide the debt-laden Florida railroad with at least $350 million in new loans if it heads into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to people familiar with the matter. …
Arbella Opens Commercial Lines Office in New Hampshire
Quincy, Massachusetts-based Arbella Insurance Group has opened a Bedford, New Hampshire commercial lines office. The Bedford office gives Arbella its first official brick-and-mortar presence in the state, which the insurer says reflects the company’s growing New Hampshire business and its …
AI-Driven Cyber Risk Is Top Concern for Global Financial Stability, Watchdog Says
Financial Stability Board Chair Andrew Bailey said on Monday that the impact of AI on cyber risk was the most immediate concern for the global financial system, saying the technology could change the speed, scale and economics of an attack. …
China’s Humanoid Robots Aren’t Smart Enough to Take Your Job – Yet
Inside a training center in southern China, more than 100 humanoid robots stand in neat rows. A dozen human trainers wearing headsets guide some of them through simple tasks – sorting crates, packaging noodles, making coffee. The humanoids are slow …
Michigan Houses Are Getting Older, Creating Problems for the State
When the typical Michigan home was built, Richard Nixon was president, US forces were withdrawing from Vietnam and “The Exorcist” would become the year’s highest-grossing film. While pop culture has changed dramatically since 1973, much of the state’s housing stock …
How a $1 Texas Insurance Fee Funded Thousands of Flock Cameras
In 2023, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed a law raising auto insurance costs for Texans by $1 to combat rampant catalytic converter theft. Three years later, a little-known state agency has devoted at least $30 million of that fee toward …
As AI Agents Go Rogue, Cyber Insurers Are Adapting Their Policies
Cyber insurers have spent years defining what constitutes a hack and when coverage should pay out, but the rapid emergence of AI agents is raising new questions, forcing insurers to review their policies. Leading AI developers OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta …
Major Tech Companies Call for Defensive Surge to Defeat AI-Driven Hacks
Major tech companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are calling for a society-wide defensive surge to defeat what they describe as an impending wave of hacks driven by artificial intelligence. In a joint letter issued Thursday, the companies …
Sydney Developer in Distress Sounds Alarm for Private Credit
The downfall of an Australian property developer that borrowed heavily from non-bank lenders is stoking fears that cracks are starting to emerge in the nation’s A$200 billion ($144 billion) private credit market. Bathla Group, a major property developer in Sydney, …
Florida Grand Jury Finds DeSantis Admin Misused $10M; Yaworsky Signed Off on it
A Florida grand jury found that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration “misappropriated” $10 million in taxpayer money it diverted to a charity connected to his wife, but the grand jury declined to file criminal charges due to a lack of …
County Approves New $2.3B Stadium Project for Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays won county approval Friday on a financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will replace the domed …
Oregon Regulators Extend Wildfire Emergency Orders to Pause Insurance Cancellations
The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation is extending its order for insurers to suspend cancellations and nonrenewals for residents impacted by wildfires. The DFR issued a wildfire emergency order and bulletin in late July that was to expire. However, DFR …
Judge to Hear Recantation of Sexual Abuse Claim Against Ex-Penn State Coach
A judge has granted a hearing to explore claims that a man wants to recant allegations of sexual abuse years ago by Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Sandusky, 82, has been serving a decades-long prison sentence since he …
Aon Acquires USI Insurance From KKR in $17 Billion Deal Targeting Middle Market
Aon plc early Monday confirmed a definite agreement to buy USI Insurance Services from private equity firm KKR for $17 billion. Aon said the deal bolsters its goal to target the U.S. middle market segment, building upon its 2024 acquisition …
New Illinois Law Requires Insurance for High-Speed E-Bikes
Some Illinois e-bike riders will need to carry insurance starting in 2027 under a law signed this week by Governor JB Prtizker. The new law requires riders of e-bikes and e-motors capable of traveling over 28 mph to have a …
Ross Fire Grows Into One of Largest Wildfires on Record in North Texas
The Ross Fire has grown into one of the largest wildfires in the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s recorded history, scorching 85,000 acres across Palo Pinto and Jack counties in just three days. The fire, which began Monday near Palo Pinto, grew …
First US Phosphate Plant in Decades Planned Amid Global Conflict
Farm cooperative CHS Inc. and fertilizer producer OCP North America are proposing a $450 million phosphate fertilizer plant in Louisiana, bolstering domestic supplies as global conflicts have increasingly thwarted the flow of foreign crop nutrients. The proposed plant in Waggaman, …
Inszone Acquires Michigan’s Aviza Insurance Agency
Inszone Insurance Services announced the acquisition of Aviza Insurance Agency. The acquisition expands Inszone’s footprint in Michigan, welcoming a respected, community-rooted agency with deep expertise in farm, agribusiness, commercial, personal lines, and benefits into the Inszone network. Founded in 1966 …
Florida, Hit by Obamacare Drop-Off, Feels the Squeeze of Health Care Costs
Florida chef Elijah Button was chopping onions in June when his knife slipped and sliced his middle finger to the bone. It was his worst kitchen accident to date. But having given up his Affordable Care Act health insurance plan …
Tropical Storm Dolly Forms in the Atlantic, Not Named After Dolly Parton
Tropical Storm Dolly formed in the Atlantic far from land, making it the fourth named storm this season, forecasters said. The name is quite a coincidence, but has no connection to country music star Dolly Parton, who died this week. …