Monthly Archives: <span>May 2013</span>

Florida Catastrophe Fund Financially Stronger on Eve of Hurricane Season

Florida is heading into a new storm season with some good news for once. The state-created fund that backs up private insurers in Florida is in the best financial shape it has been in years — maybe the best since …

Missouri Senate Backs Bill to Bolster Second Injury Fund

More than a thousand disabled workers could finally begin receiving payments for their job-related injuries if the Missouri House gives final approval to legislation intended to replenish an insolvent state fund. SB 1, which passed the Senate early on May …

UN: $2.5 Trillion in Global Disaster Losses Since 2000

Economic losses from disasters since 2000 are in the range of $2.5 trillion, a figure at least 50 percent higher than previous international estimates, according to a U.N. report. The U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction warned in the 246-page …

Schwab Temporarily Drops Client Class Action Waiver

Charles Schwab Corp. has temporarily reversed its requirement that clients waive their right to bring class-action lawsuits, adding a new twist in a battle closely watched by the securities industry and plaintiffs’ attorneys. “Effective immediately, Schwab is modifying its account …

Developing Countries May Not Be Ready for Coming Increased Investment: World Bank

The percentage of global investment that goes to developing countries should triple in the next two decades as emerging economies catch up to richer nations and become more integrated into financial markets, the World Bank predicted in a report on …

Emerging Markets to Lead in Insurance Growth: Munich Re

Emerging markets will see the highest growth in premiums for insurance companies this year and next, while Europe lags, according to the world’s biggest reinsurer, Munich Re. In a study published on Thursday, Munich Re forecast growth in property/casualty insurance …

Obama Administration Releases Proposed Fracking Regulations

The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a new proposal for regulating hydraulic fracturing on federal lands, rolling back some measures from its original, abandoned draft as it sought to ease concerns the rules would be too burdensome for producers. The …

S&P Cuts Rating on Buffett’s Berkshire Holding Company But Not Insurance Units

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. had its credit rating cut one notch by Standard & Poor’s, which cited a new methodology for evaluating insurers and Berkshire’s dependence on its insurance business for dividend income. The rating was cut to “AA” …

BP Oil Spill Claims Chief Braces for Surge in Filings

The deadline for claims against BP Plc in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is 11 months away, but the man responsible for paying the claims said on Thursday he is already bracing for a late surge …

Southeastern States Battle Against Prescription Drug/Opioid Abuse

Editor’s Note: This is part of a team report on opioid use by injured workers. For the national story read: Opioid Epidemic Plagues Workers’ Comp Deaths from prescription drug overdoses jumped 360 percent in the last decade in the Appalachian …