Monthly Archives: <span>August 2015</span>

New U.S. Satellite Aims to Unlock Mysteries of Hurricanes

Hurricanes hold lots of secrets. Unlocking them can help forecasters predict the next steps the deadly storms will take. That, in turn, will help improve computer forecast models and give meteorologists a better understanding of each system. As the forecasting …

Lawsuit Presses Costco Liability for Thailand Fishing’s Slave Labor

Costco Wholesale Corp. was sued for selling farmed shrimp from Thailand, where slave labor and human trafficking in the fishing industry are widespread, and allegedly misleading U.S. consumers about it. A California woman filed what may be the first such …

A.M. Best Places 2 Chinese Insurers’ Ratings Under Review After Tianjin Blast

As a result of losses resulting from the recent explosions at Tianjin port, A.M. Best has placed under review with negative implications the financial strength rating of two Chinese insurers, which have large exposures to the losses of their motor …

Drone Growth Threatened by Cyber, Human Error, Privacy Concerns: Lloyd’s Report

“Cyber-attacks, reckless pilots and privacy breaches are fundamental threats to the drone industry.” That’s the overall conclusion of a new report published by Lloyd’s, entitled “Drones Take Flight.” The report describes the “drones sector” as a”dynamic and important component of …

Willis Completes Acquisition of Australia’s CKA Risk Solutions

Willis Australia, part of Willis Group Holdings plc, announced the completion of its acquisition of CKA Risk Solutions. The announcement noted that “CKA is a leading independent broker based in Perth with a strong focus on medium to large-sized corporates, …

Texas’ TCOR Management Forms New Agency, TIA-TCOR

TCOR Management, based in New Braunfels, Texas, announced it has formed a new insurance agency, TIA-TCOR LLC, dba Texas Insurance Agency. With Ben Reedy as principal, San Antonio-based TIA-TCOR provides insurance, risk management, surety and employee benefits to organizations across …

Illinois Agencies AAdvantage Insurance, Premier Insurance Merge

AAdvantage Insurance Group in Glen Carbon, Ill., led by founder Dave Viox, recently announced a merger with Premier Insurance Associates located in Edwardsville, Ill. Vince and Deb Valesano, former owners of Premier Insurance Associates, will also join AAdvantage Insurance Group. …

Uber Headache if More Drivers Want Full-Time Status

Thousands of new full-time workers would spring into existence if Uber is forced to stop treating some of its drivers like contract workers, and the benefits that come with that employee status may entice part-time rideshare drivers to beef up …

Hacked Adulterers’ Website Faces Reputation Risk; 36M Users Fear Being Outed

Hackers claiming to have stolen data from AshleyMadison.com, a website that facilitates hook-ups between would-be adulterers, have released information they say includes details of more than 36 million user accounts. The data dump appears to be “legit” and includes full …

Port of Tianjin Blast Highlights Growth of Accumulation Risks: IUMI

The explosions that recently devastated the Port of Tianjin highlight the danger of accumulation risks – when a single event causes an exceptionally large group of related losses, said the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI). IUMI President Dieter Berg …