Monthly Archives: <span>January 2021</span>

Texas Denies Windstorm Insurer’s Rate Hike Request

Texas regulators have denied a request for a 5% rate increase by the state’s insurer of last resort for wind and hail for properties along the Texas coast. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has rejected the Texas Windstorm Insurance …

Louisiana Woman Uses TikTok Videos in Storm Claims Fight

One Lake Charles, La., woman credits the power of social media in getting one step closer to having her hurricane-damaged home repaired after weeks of roadblocks with her insurance claim. Tara Parks recently posted several videos on the social media …

Russian Spy Tools Linked to SolarWinds Hack, Says Cyber Security Firm Kaspersky

The group behind a global cyber-espionage campaign discovered last month deployed malicious computer code with links to spying tools previously used by suspected Russian hackers, researchers said on Monday. Investigators at Moscow-based cyber security firm Kaspersky said the “backdoor” used …

Tamayo Returns as CEO of MAPFRE North America; Joined by Corral

Jaime Tamayo is returning to MAPFRE North America to be chief executive officer, a post he relinquished in 2016 after eight years to become CEO of international operations for the insurer. In his return, Tamayo is succeeding his successor, Alfredo …

California Hospital Fined for Deadly Post-Holiday Virus Outbreak

Kaiser Permanente has been fined $43,000 for failing to report a deadly coronavirus outbreak that may have been caused by an inflatable holiday costume worn by an unknowingly infected staffer on Christmas Day. The number of cases linked to the …

Colorado City Settles with Man Shot by Stun Gun for $875K

The Boulder City Council in Colorado has approved an $875,000 settlement with a man who was injured after a police officer shot him with a stun gun in March 2019. Christopher Mahan got into the wrong Lyft vehicle while intoxicated …

New Law Forces Shell Companies to Disclose Owners, Expands Whistleblower Awards

For years as a federal prosecutor in New York, Daniel R. Alonso led teams that had to search through a maze of anonymously owned corporate entities to expose criminal activity. “It required all kinds of shoe-leather investigating to identify who …

Canadian Insurtech Apollo Closes C$13.5 Million Funding Round

Apollo Insurance Solutions Ltd., the Toronto-based online insurance company, announced it has closed an oversubscribed C$13.5 million (US$10.6 million) Series A financing round, which exceeded its original C$4 million (US$3.2 million) target. Gravitas Securities Inc. led the financing which resulted …

Voting System Firm Files $1.3B Defamation Lawsuit Against Pro-Trump Lawyer Powell

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against lawyer Sidney Powell on Friday, seeking at least $1.3 billion for Powell’s “wild accusations” that the company rigged the presidential election for Joe Biden. “Dominion brings this action to set the record …

The Gig Economy, Auto Insurance and Surplus Lines

Automobile insurance looks very different today than it did a generation ago. The means by which people (and goods) travel via motor vehicles continue to expand and evolve, as do businesses and their automobile insurance needs, especially in the gig …