Latest Business Insurance Headlines

All the headlines from our Business Insurance Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida CFO to Focus On Pandemic Business Liability Protections in 2021 Session

May 27 2020 // Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis said he will pursue legislation that establishes liability protections for businesses in the next legislative session slated to start in March 2021. The Florida Department of Financial Services...

Mississippi to Offer $300M in Virus Relief Grants for Small Businesses

May 20 2020 // Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said last week that he expects to sign a bill to create grants for small businesses by using part the state’s coronavirus relief money. The governor’s staff was involved in...

U.S. Employers Shying Away From Using Coronavirus ‘Immunity’ Tests in Reopening

May 19 2020 // U.S. employers have cooled to the idea of testing workers for possible immunity to the coronavirus as they prepare to reopen factories and other workplaces. Blood tests that check for antibodies to the new coronavirus have...

Here’s What Happened to Commercial Insurance Renewal Premiums in April

May 14 2020 // Year over year, all lines of property/casualty insurance business experienced an increase in average premium renewal rate, except workers’ compensation, which saw a premium decrease, according to the April results of...

Debate Over Business Liability in Pandemic Turns to OSHA Regulation, CDC Guidelines

May 13 2020 // Congressional Republicans have made liability protection for employers a nonnegotiable demand in any new coronavirus stimulus, but Senator Lindsey Graham, an ally of President Donald Trump, says that regulators have a role...

Commercial Insurance Rates in Q1 Rise 14%, Even Before Impact of COVID-19: Marsh

May 12 2020 // Global average commercial insurance prices increased 14% in the first quarter of 2020 – but the rate hikes were not due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to insurance broker Marsh in its quarterly Global Insurance...

Small Businesses See Coronavirus Effect Lasting 12-16 Months

May 12 2020 // Eighty-one percent of small U.S. companies surveyed by Veem, a global payments network, expect the new coronavirus pandemic to affect their business over the next 12-16 months, and nearly 90% are bracing for an economic...

Maine’s The MEMIC Group Releases Back-to-the-Workplace Safety Guidance

May 8 2020 // As states begin to lift restrictions on employers in various segments of the economy, MEMIC, a Portland, Maine-headquartered workers’ compensation insurance specialty company, has released an employer guide for...

Brand and Waterman Appointed to New Roles in Zurich’s Commercial Insurance Team

May 8 2020 // Zurich Insurance Group announced it has appointed Ralph Brand as global head of Casualty, Financial Lines and Cyber, and Chris Waterman as global head of Property, Marine and Technical Lines. With these newly created...

Louisiana’s Donelon Asks Commercial Auto Insurers to Offer COVID-19 Relief

May 6 2020 // Louisiana’s chief insurance regulator wants insurers to consider offering premium relief to their commercial auto insurance customers due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon...

Zurich North America Adds Chubb/ACE Veteran Wells as U.S. Head of Middle Market

May 4 2020 // Zurich North America has appointed Alexander Wells as U.S. head of Middle Market. He will be responsible for the strategic management and development of Zurich’s Middle Market business. Wells, who is new to Zurich,...

Trump Administration Defends Workplace Safety Record During Coronavirus Crisis

May 1 2020 // U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia on Thursday defended his department’s handling of workplace safety during the coronavirus pandemic, saying “the cop is on the beat” in response to union criticism about...

Employers Hope to Limit Liability by Catching Social Distancing Scofflaws on Video

Apr 28 2020 // Stores and workplaces eager to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus are equipping existing security cameras with artificial intelligence software that can track compliance with health guidelines including social...

AXA XL Forms New Leadership Team, Aims to Restructure with Regional Business Units

Apr 21 2020 // AXA XL announced a new leadership team and proposed changes to the operating model of its Insurance business following a strategic review. Key proposed changes to the operating model include the creation of a single global...

Layoffs, Small Business Exits Likely Major Coronavirus Effects on Workers’ Comp: NCCI

Apr 20 2020 // A new analysis of the economic effects of the coronavirus finds that while layoffs of workers will have the most immediate effect on workers’ compensation, a rise in business failures could pose a major challenge...

Employers May Exclude Payroll to Employees Not Working for Workers’ Comp: NCCI

Apr 20 2020 // Businesses that have suspended operations due to COVID-19 but continue to pay employees who are at home but not working will not have to include the payroll paid to these employees in the calculation of their...

As Cyber Risks Grow, So Does the Need for Small Business Coverage

Apr 20 2020 // With cyberattacks on the rise and many small businesses unaware of the dangers, independent insurance agents are in a good position to educate clients about their risks, recommend preventative measures, and provide...

Who Got Money in Small Business Paycheck Protection Program?

Apr 17 2020 // WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO, April 17 (Reuters) – Over two frantic weeks, the U.S. government pledged $350 billion to Main Street businesses across America desperate for cash after coronavirus lockdowns. Now a picture...

Washington Commissioner Says Most Business Insurance Policies Exclude Pandemic, Virus Coverage

Apr 17 2020 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler polled Washington state insurers to get a thorough picture of business interruption insurance and found that only two insurers offer coverage for a pandemic event through...

Louisiana’s Stonetrust Commercial Insurance Promotes Treigle; Adds Chou, Jones

Apr 17 2020 // Baton Rouge, La.-based Stonetrust Commercial Insurance Co. has promoted Michael “Shane” Treigle as executive vice president and chief financial officer, and hired Tracy Chou as executive vice president and...