Latest Business Insurance Headlines

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

Agents Can Help Small Businesses Stay on Top of New Risks

Apr 7 2014 // Small businesses face a myriad of challenges throughout the business life cycle as they embark on new ventures and grow their operations. And insurance agents can serve as their guide and help them understand risks and...

Fitch Sees Growth, Profitability Continuing for U.S. Commercial Lines

Apr 3 2014 // Fitch Ratings said it maintains a stable rating outlook for the U.S. commercial lines sector due to improving profitability over the past two years and strong capital levels allowing insurers to withstand considerable...

Penn. Workers’ Comp Insurance Rates to Decline for Some Employers

Apr 1 2014 // The Pennsylvania Departments of Insurance and Labor & Industry on Monday announced a 5.15 percent workers’ compensation rate reduction, effective April 1. The officials said the reduction would save millions of...

Employers in Nevada Names Newman Chief Sales Officer, SVP

Apr 1 2014 // Employers named Russel J. Newman chief sales officer and senior vice president. Newman will be based out of Employers’ headquarters in Reno, Nev. He has more than 12 years of experience in the insurance industry, and...

ACE Names Charlton President of P/C and Micro-Business Division

Apr 1 2014 // ACE Group today announced that David Charlton has been appointed president of the Property and Casualty and Micro-business Division for ACE Commercial Risk Services. He will lead ACE’s expansion efforts into the...

Penn. High Court Reaffirms Statutory Employer Defense

Mar 31 2014 // Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court on March 26 reaffirmed statutory employer defense in a general contractor liability case, in which a subcontractor was injured during construction work. The high court’s decision...

1 in 10 Small Businesses Report Workers Under Influence of Alcohol, Drugs

Mar 28 2014 // One in 10 small businesses had employees show up for work last year while under the influence of at least one controlled substance. Small-business owners reported that alcohol, marijuana and prescription painkillers were...

Massachusetts Report Examines Workplace Risks for State Employees

Mar 27 2014 // About 3,000 Massachusetts state employees experienced job-related injuries from 2010 to 2012 serious enough to require time off, while four workers lost their lives. That’s one of the findings of a special advisory...

West Virginia Enacts Bill Protecting Pregnant Women in Workplace

Mar 27 2014 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has approved a measure to help accommodate pregnant women in the workplace. The Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act allows employees to request modified duties and other accommodations...

Business Risk Partners, LIU Launch New E&O Policy Form for Agents, Brokers

Mar 26 2014 // Program administrator Business Risk Partners (BRP) has launched a new insurance agents and brokers professional liability form through Liberty International Underwriters (LIU), a division of Liberty Mutual Insurance....

Texas Issues Special Data Call for Commercial Property Insurance Coverage

Mar 24 2014 // The Texas Department of Insurance is issuing a special catastrophe areas data call to property/casualty insurers who write direct commercial property and businessowners insurance in Texas. Information collected under this...

Oregon Workplaces Claim 29 People In 2013

Mar 24 2014 // State workplace safety officials say 29 people died on the job in Oregon during 2013. The statistics released last week by the Department of Consumer and Business Services show a slight decrease from 2012’s figure of...

Commercial Lines Price Hikes Slowing: Towers Watson

Mar 24 2014 // Commercial insurance prices have risen for 12 straight quarters, including the latest jump of 5 percent in aggregate during the fourth-quarter of 2013. But price gains are slowing down, says Towers Watson. The global...

Agents Can Help Small Businesses Stay on Top of New Risks: Hartford School

Mar 20 2014 // Small businesses face a myriad of challenges throughout the business life cycle as they embark on new ventures and grow their operations. And insurance agents can serve as their guide and help them understand risks and...

New Jersey’s Small Business Owners Say Sandy Grants Don’t Add Up

Mar 13 2014 // A group of small business owners in New Jersey is the latest to criticize how New Jersey is awarding federal money to help recover from Superstorm Sandy, complaining the state has parceled out only a fraction of the grant...

Employers Raise Employees’ Deductibles to Curb Health Costs

Mar 13 2014 // Four of five U.S. companies have raised deductibles or are considering doing so as health costs increase, according to a survey of more than 700 employers. About one-third of the companies have already increased...

Federal Report Details Problems at Indiana’s Workplace Safety Agency

Mar 12 2014 // Federal investigators say Indiana’s workplace safety agency mishandled complaints, put its inspectors under strict time constraints and didn’t help whistleblowers. The federal Occupational Safety and Health...

Maine Gov. LePage Resists Workplace Safety Data Plan

Mar 11 2014 // A proposal from the federal government to make more specific workplace safety data available online could violate individuals’ privacy and embarrass employers and workers, Maine officials said. Republican Gov. Paul...

Illinois Medical Marijuana Law Poses Workplace Dilemma

Mar 11 2014 // Illinoisans hoping to make use of the state’s fledgling medical marijuana law may risk their jobs if their employers opt to maintain or adopt zero-tolerance drug policies. The Rockford Register Star reported that the...

Commercial Lines Price Hikes Slowing: Towers Watson

Mar 11 2014 // Commercial insurance prices have risen for 12 straight quarters, including the latest jump of 5 percent in aggregate during fourth-quarter 2013. But price gains are slowing down, according to Towers Watson. The global...