Latest Business Insurance Headlines
All the headlines from our Business Insurance Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Workplace Bullying Could Become Safety Violation in Hawaii
Feb 27 2012 // Bullying, abuse and verbal harassment in the workplace may cause employees physical and psychological harm. That’s part of the rationale behind a proposal in Hawaii to make abusive conduct against an employee an...
Wisconsin Assembly Ends Workplace Discrimination Awards
Feb 23 2012 // The Wisconsin State Assembly has passed a bill that would put an end to punitive and compensatory damages for workplace discrimination. Currently, workers can file discrimination complaints with the state Department of...
Missouri House Approves Workplace Discrimination Bill
Feb 13 2012 // Despite several lawmakers voicing fears about reversing decades of hard-fought civil rights gains, the Missouri House approved a measure that would change the rules for workplace discrimination cases heard in state...
Hanover Posts $49M Q4 Profit; Pricing Improved in Commercial Lines
Feb 10 2012 // The Hanover Insurance Group, based in Worcester, Mass., reported $49.3 million for its 2011 fourth-quarter net income, down 15.6 percent from one year ago when the insurer posted $58.4 million profit. For the 2011 full...
Mississippi College Appeals Workplace Retaliation Award
Feb 8 2012 // A federal appeals court has scheduled arguments on Hinds Community College’s appeal of a workplace retaliation case. In 2010, the school was ordered to pay a former professor $345,020 after a federal jury found she...
Mercury Insurance Launches Commercial Auto Product
Feb 7 2012 // Mercury Insurance has introduced a commercial auto product that offers agents a new point-of-sale system that makes it easy to rate, qualify and issue new business, as well as online service capabilities. The new product...
Former Cal-OSHA Chief Defends Workplace Safety Program
Feb 6 2012 // The former chief of the California Occupational Safety and Health Division defended its Injury’s Illness Prevention Program following a study by think tank RAND Corp. showing the occupational safety program that...
Tougher U.S. Commercial Market Conditions in 2012: Marsh
Feb 6 2012 // U.S. commercial insurance rates are expected to climb across many lines of business in 2012, continuing a trend that began in the second half of 2011, according to a report by insurance broker Marsh. Substantial...
U.S. Offers Small Businesses Free Cyber Security Tool
Feb 6 2012 // The U.S. government is making it easier for small businesses to beef up defenses against cyber criminals through a free, online tool. The Small Biz Cyber Planner allows business owners to create customized cyber security...
Employers’ Alert
Feb 6 2012 // Leading employment law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP has issued its annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report. The report, written by Seyfarth Shaw partner Gerald L. Maatman Jr., examines 976 class action decisions rendered...
Missouri Senator Delays Workplace Discrimination Vote
Feb 3 2012 // A black senator from St. Louis area who said she was fearful of reversing decades of hard-fought civil rights gains held the Missouri Senate floor for hours on Feb. 1 while vowing to block a vote on legislation changing...
Study: California Workplace Safety Program Only Superficially Enforced
Feb 1 2012 // An occupational safety program that requires California businesses to eliminate workplace hazards only works when it’s adequately enforced. That revelation comes from Santa Monica, Calif.-based think tank RAND Corp.,...
Florida Firefighters Win Workplace Retaliation Claim Against Union, County
Feb 1 2012 // A federal jury has awarded $189,000 to two Tampa Bay area firefighters in a workplace retaliation case. The Tampa Bay Times reported that most of this week’s verdict was assessed against the International Association...
Tougher U.S. Commercial Market Conditions in 2012: Marsh
Jan 25 2012 // U.S. commercial insurance rates are expected to climb across many lines of business in 2012, continuing a trend that began in the second half of 2011, according to a report by insurance broker Marsh. Substantial...
Travelers CEO: Business Insurance Renewal Price Up 10% in December
Jan 25 2012 // Travelers Companies Inc.’s business insurance had renewal premium rate gains of 8 percent for the fourth quarter 2011 and 10 percent for December, said CEO Jay Fishman. He offered his remarks during the company...
Missouri Senate Debates Workplace Discrimination Bill
Jan 25 2012 // Democrats in the Missouri Senate say a bill revising workplace discrimination laws would make it harder for people to prove the claim against employers. Senate Bill 592 would require workers who fight firings or other...
Report: Most Workplace Homicides Happen During Robberies
Jan 25 2012 // What do robberies and healthcare patients have in common? Workplace violence. While the numbers of workplace homicides and injury-causing assaults have fallen since the 1990s, homicides that do occur in the workplace...
Wyoming Governor Backs Workplace Safety Recommendations
Jan 23 2012 // The state’s occupational epidemiologist who spent a year studying the high rate of workplace deaths in Wyoming said his research points to lack of a “culture of safety” in Wyoming. Dr. Timothy Ryan said...
Oklahoma to Require Medical Certification for Some Commercial Drivers
Jan 23 2012 // On Jan. 30, 2012, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) will begin adding medical certification status and medical examiner’s certificate information to commercial driver’s license system (CDLIS)...
Chartis Realigns Global Business Units Amid Departure of Key Executive
Jan 18 2012 // Chartis said it is streamlining its geographic structure to add greater focus on its growth economies initiatives. The move comes amid the departure of Chartis Growth Economies CEO Julio Portalatin, who is leaving the...