Monthly Archives: <span>February 2020</span>

Analyst Warns Regulatory Battle Over AI Bias to Grow; Lemonade Argues It’s Fair

As insurers introduce artificial intelligence into pricing and claims handling activities, regulatory focus on disparate impact will grow into “one of the biggest topics of the next 10 years,” a well-known insurance analyst predicted at an industry conference. V.J. Dowling, …

SCOR Buys Majority Stake in Brazil MGA with Agricultural Specialty

Global reinsurer SCOR said it has acquired a majority stake in AgroBrasil, an MGA focused on distributing fruit and grain loss of crop quality and yield insurance protection to Brazilian farmers. Neither side disclosed financial details. Paris-based SCOR has partnered …

Insured Losses for Europe’s Storm Ciara-Sabine Could Hit $2 Billion: Modeling Firms

Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that insured losses due to wind from Europe’s winter storm Ciara (also known as Sabine) will range between €1.1 billion and €1.9 billion (US$1.2 billion and US$2.1 billion), with the majority of claims …

B3i’s Blockchain Platform Places 30 Reinsurance Contracts, Including Cat XoL Treaties

B3i Services AG, a two-year-old company owned by members of the insurance industry, announced that 30 contracts of reinsurance have been concluded on its platform, including some of the most complex catastrophe excess of loss (XoL) reinsurance treaties. Nine insurers, …

Lawsuit Alleges Pennsylvania School District Knew About Lead, Asbestos Contamination

Current and former employees of a Pennsylvania school district claimed in a lawsuit filed Monday that officials knew for years that unsafe levels of lead and asbestos posed potential health risks for students and staff but never disclosed the information …

Vermont Governor Announces Decreases in Workers’ Comp Rates

Vermont Governor Phil Scott announced that rates for workers’ compensation premiums will drop by about 11% when new rates take effect in April. Scott’s administration said the reductions are part of a trend in workers’ compensation rates, which have decreased …

Man Gets 15 Years for Conspiring to Set Fire to His Business in Maryland

A man convicted of conspiring to set fire to his Maryland business to collect insurance money has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. The office of the U.S. Attorney in Maryland said Demetrios Stavrakis, 54, of Lutherville-Timonium, was …

Commissioner Navarro Responds to Report of Premium Increases for Military Members

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro responded strongly to a Consumer Federation of America report that Delaware service members may return home from deployment to increased auto insurance premiums, calling the practice completely unacceptable and issuing a formal bulletin to insurance …

Real Estate Investor and Property Insurance Program Webinar for Agents to be Held Tuesday, February 18

Atlanta, GA, February 14, 2020 — The Specialty Property team at Blue River Underwriters will host an informative webinar on the real estate investor property insurance market and other commercial excess and surplus property coverages for interested agents and brokers. …

Coronavirus Epidemic Could Infect Two-Thirds of World’s Population: WHO Scientist

As the number of coronavirus cases jumps dramatically in China, a top infectious-disease scientist warns that things could get far worse: Two-thirds of the world’s population could catch it. So says Ira Longini, an adviser to the World Health Organization …