Latest Business Insurance Headlines
All the headlines from our Business Insurance Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ohio Workers’ Comp Bureau: Lower Rates for Public Employers Proposed
Sep 29 2011 // Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) Administrator/CEO Stephen Buehrer has proposed an overall five percent decrease in rates for public employer taxing districts (PEC). The reduction would be effective Jan. 1,...
Workplace Fatalities Decline in Virginia
Sep 28 2011 // The number of workplace fatalities in Virginia last year fell to the lowest level since the state began reporting such data in 1992. The number of fatalities fell to 104 from 119 in 2009. The state Department of Labor and...
Facebook Policies Tricky for Employers, Employees
Sep 28 2011 // In the age of instant tweets and impulsive Facebook posts, some companies are still trying to figure out how they can limit what their employees say about work online without running afoul of the law. Confusion about what...
IRS Gives Employers Break on Misclassified Employees
Sep 23 2011 // The Internal Revenue Service is offering a break to employers who come clean about wrongly classifying workers as independent contractors to avoid paying federal payroll taxes, the agency announced this week. What happens...
The Hartford Launches Data Breach Coverage For Small Businesses
Sep 19 2011 // While data breaches at large companies continue to dominate the headlines, breaches involving smaller businesses are also on the rise. According to a 2011 report from Verizon Business of more than 760 data breaches...
Appalachian Underwriters Launches Commercial Lines Rater for Auto Dealers
Sep 19 2011 // Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. (AUI) launches a new commercial lines online rater for independent auto dealers, www.xpressdealerpro.com. Xpress DealerPro is the latest installment of enhancements to be integrated into...
California Passes Bill on Employer Rights in Workers’ Comp Arbitration
Sep 19 2011 // The California State Legislature passed legislation in early September that California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said will make workers’ compensation policies more transparent and fair. The measure, Senate...
North Carolina Defends Workplace Safety Record as Inspections Drop
Sep 19 2011 // Twenty years after the worst industrial accident in North Carolina history, there are signs that progress in worker safety made after the deaths of 25 people in a chicken plant fire is beginning to wane. The Charlotte...
Enhanced Technology, Workflows Contribute to Workplace Satisfaction
Sep 19 2011 // Over the years, I’ve engaged with thousands of independent insurance agents and brokers. Today, my work centers on enhanced technology and workflows. It sounds dry, but nothing could be further from the truth,...
Business Risk Partners Launches Lloyd’s-Backed Home Inspectors E&O Coverage
Sep 14 2011 // Business Risk Partners has launched a new standard E&O (errors & omissions) policy form for home inspectors. The policy, underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, reflects improvements across the board as a result...
Prices Up in All Commercial Lines: Towers Watson
Sep 13 2011 // In an indication that the market may be hardening, commercial insurance prices in aggregate increased by nearly 1.5 percent during the second quarter of 2011. It’s the first time since the fourth quarter of 2003 that...
Mass. Court Rules on Joint Employers’ Responsibilty for Workers’ Comp
Sep 8 2011 // Two employers can be held jointly responsible for workers’ compensation benefits for an injured worker whom they both classified as an independent contractor, a Massachusetts appeals court has ruled. The...
California Passes Bill on Employer Rights in Workers’ Comp Arbitration
Sep 7 2011 // The California State Legislature on Tuesday passed a bill that California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said will make workers’ compensation policies more transparent and fair. The measure, Senate Bill 684,...
North Carolina Defends Workplace Safety Record as Inspections Drop
Sep 6 2011 // Twenty years after the worst industrial accident in North Carolina history, there are signs that progress in worker safety made after the deaths of 25 people in a chicken plant fire is beginning to wane. The Charlotte...
MMA Insurance UK Expands Commercial Auto Coverage
Aug 22 2011 // The UK’s auto (motor) insurance market is extremely competitive, and over the past few years usually unprofitable. As a result a number of insurers are reducing capacity and/or contracting their distribution for...
Business Risk Partners Launches Lloyd’s-Backed Miscellaneous E&O Form
Aug 19 2011 // Business Risk Partners (BRP) now offers a new standard professional liability (E&O) policy form for hundreds of service professions. Policies will be underwritten by Lloyd’s of London, the company’s partner...
Florida Employers May Face Higher Workers’ Compensation Costs
Aug 19 2011 // Florida business owners could see their workers’ compensation premiums go up if regulators agree to raise rates by a recommended statewide average 8.9 percent. The National Council of Compensation Insurance (NCCI)...
Agents Say Insurers Out of Touch with Needs of Small Businesses
Aug 11 2011 // Insurance agents and brokers think that their insurance carriers may be out of touch with what the small business segment needs. For one, carriers have been busy coming out with new products and coverage enhancements for...
Acentria Acquires Florida’s Concord Commercial Insurance
Aug 4 2011 // Destin, Florida-based insurance agency Acentria has acquired Concord Commercial Insurance Agency in Punta Gorda, Florida. Bob and Tyler Wilson along with their employees are joining Acentria and continue to offer...
How Top 100 Firms Impact Business Risk
Aug 1 2011 // Many members of the Insurance Journal Top 100 have at least one business objective in common. They all understand the importance of impacting their client’s business risks. These include not just the hazard risk but...
