National News

FM Global Rebrands As FM

FM Global said it will now be known simply as FM. The commercial property insurer on July 17 unveiled its new name and “titanium” logo at the company’s midyear meeting. “We believe that by uniting our businesses under the FM …

Deere Retreats From Diversity Measures After Online Attacks

Deere & Co., the world’s top farm machinery maker, is pulling back from diversity measures in the face of conservative criticism, the second agriculture-related company in less than a month to bend to such pressure. Deere said on the social …

BMW Recalling Over 1,100 More Vehicles Over Airbag Concern, NHTSA Says

BMW is recalling 1,145 vehicles in the United States over a potential issue that may cause the driver’s airbag to explode during deployment, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday. The recall includes the 2015 6 Series …

OPTIS: Insurance Agency M&A Reaches 4-Year, First-Half Low

The total of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions during the first six months of 2024 was the lowest over the first half since 2020, according to investment banking and financial firm OPTIS Partners. OPTIS Partners’ M&A database counted 300 announced …

Squishmallows Maker Can Sue Build-A-Bear Over Alleged Plush Toy Knockoffs

A U.S. judge rejected Build-A-Bear Workshop’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that its Skoosherz plush toys were unauthorized knockoffs of Squishmallows, the popular plush toys made by a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. In a decision on Monday, …

Viewpoint: Deepfake Fraud Is On the Rise. Here’s How Insurers Can Respond

It is interesting—and telling—that one of the concerns around generative artificial intelligence has to this point largely revolved around copyright infringement. The most high-profile lawsuits around GenAI have so far centered on the idea that this technology will absorb the …

Insurers Tied to Apollo, KKR Buy Mortgages Outright in New Twist

Yield-hungry insurance firms are adopting an unconventional strategy: they’re skipping mortgage-backed bonds and buying the underlying whole loans outright. It’s a trend that’s picked up pace over the last few years. Last year alone, insurers increased their holdings of residential …

Disaster-Struck Cities Fight for Aid as FEMA Funding Runs Low

A once in 200-years storm dumped 11 inches of rain over four hours on the central Massachusetts town of Leominster in September, washing away culverts, creating a sinkhole that swallowed cars at a dealership and flooding the city council chambers …

Occupational Healthcare Firm Concentra Eyes $3.3 Billion Valuation in IPO

Concentra Group, a Select Medical unit, is eyeing a valuation of $3.30 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, joining a growing list of firms testing the market after a near two-year dry spell. The occupational health services company is …

Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Sets, Closes at Record High

Berkshire Hathaway’s share price set a record high on Monday, reflecting investors’ confidence in Warren Buffett’s company, which is often regarded as a microcosm of the broader American economy. The price of Berkshire’s Class A shares closed up 2.1% at …

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