Three years after it purchased BenefitMall, Alabama-based CRC Group is rebranding its employee benefits division as CRC Benefits, the company announced this week. The change marks a significant step in aligning the division with CRC Group’s broader go-to-market strategy and …

AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B- (Fair) from B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings to “bb-” (Fair) from “bbb” (Good) of Oregon Mutual Insurance Company and Western Protectors Insurance Company, which are domiciled in …

Erie Insurance said it has “seen no evidence of ransomware and there is no indication of ongoing threat actor activity” in a June 17 update on its 10-day long network outage. That statement would appear to contradict claims in two …

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara named new leadership of the Insurance Diversity Task Force. The 15-member task force elected its newest chair to be Vikita Poindexter, CEO of Poindexter Consulting Group, and vice chair to be Dr. Fabiola Cobarrubias, CEO …

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has reached an agreement with an Idaho grocery store requiring the employer to pay $250,833 in civil money penalties and $5,078 in back wages and damages—and take steps to ensure future compliance with federal …

The pathway to M&A activity/liquidity in the insurance brokerage industry traditionally has followed a common pattern: small to mid-sized brokers were either traded between financial sponsors or bolted onto a larger strategic partner with minimal friction. While these approaches have …

Philadelphia Insurance Companies said it has been able to restore limited network access as it continues to deal with a network outage that has affected operations since June 9. “Employees across the country are beginning to regain access to key …

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to prepare a memo on how to abolish itself and create a re-branded, radically smaller disaster response organization, according to a copy of the document reviewed by Bloomberg News. …

Flash flooding caused by torrential rains killed five people in northern West Virginia and rescue crews were searching for three other people who were missing Sunday as authorities assessed damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure. Officials …

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear a bid by Chevron, Exxon Mobil and other oil and gas companies to have lawsuits brought by two Louisiana localities accusing them of harming the state’s coast over a period of …

Purdue Pharma has won support from the attorneys general of 55 U.S. states and territories for its $7.4 billion settlement to resolve thousands of opioid lawsuits against the drugmaker and its owners, members of the Sackler family. A framework for …

Artemis Insurance, the parent brand of Texan Insurance, Ozark Insurance, and Marek Insurance, announced the acquisition of Baton Rouge-based Tyner Jeter Insurance. Formerly part of McInnis Tyner Agency since 1972, the team launched Tyner Jeter Insurance in August 2012. Earlier …

A jury in federal court ruled that a New Orleans police officer who shot and killed a puppy had violated its owners’ constitutional rights but was shielded from punishment under qualified immunity because of his government role, according to the …

A Wisconsin dairy farmer alleged in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities. The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit …

Everest announced its international insurance division has launched a unified specialties business, bringing together its offerings across marine, aviation, energy & construction, cyber, and industry practices. Paul Trueman has been appointed to lead the new unit, as head of Specialty …

The Washington Post is investigating a cyberattack on the email accounts of some journalists, prompting the newspaper to beef up its online security. The intrusion was discovered late Thursday and the company carried out a forced reset of login credentials …

College basketball turned heads in March. Now, we're have the final rounds of Verisk's emerging issues bracket that could hold the attention of insurance pros for years to come.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday said it was streamlining reviews of requests filed by automakers seeking to deploy self-driving vehicles without required human controls like steering wheels, brake pedals or mirrors. NHTSA has authority to grant petitions …

Florida’s governor has signed House Bill 1549 into law, eliminating the requirement that insurance agents make a “diligent effort” to find coverage before placing properties with a surplus lines carrier. Thanks to a late amendment to the bill in May, …

Canada’s WestJet Airlines is investigating a cybersecurity incident that has disrupted access to its mobile app and some internal systems, affecting an undisclosed number of users, the airlines said in a statement on Friday. WestJet said specialized internal teams are …