Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Indiana COVID-19 Lawsuit Shield Legislation Sent to Governor
Feb 17 2021 // A bill giving Indiana businesses and others broad protections from lawsuits by people blaming them for contracting COVID-19 has been given final approval by state lawmakers. The Republican-dominated state Senate voted 39-7...
Viewpoint: Post-Pandemic: Will Employers or Workers Have Upper Hand?
Feb 16 2021 // It’s been a year now since we came under the relentless domination of the coronavirus. After all this time, the picture isn’t pleasant. The end is uncertain and the implications for the future are far from...
COVID-19 Infections in U.S. Nearly 3X Greater Than Reported, University Model Estimates
Feb 12 2021 // World health experts have long suspected that the incidence of COVID-19 has been higher than reported. Now, a machine-learning algorithm developed at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center estimates that the...
Investors Eye Windfall From Denied COVID-19 Insurance Claims
Feb 12 2021 // A growing market niche where investors profit from others’ legal troubles is getting a boost from Covid. Distressed-investing funds and litigation-finance boutiques are likely to be spoiled for choice after a...
Irish Regulator Presses Insurers to Pay COVID-19 Claims Following Court Ruling
Feb 12 2021 // Ireland’s central bank governor told insurers to urgently honor and pay valid claims related to COVID-19 disruption, following a successful test case in court last week, or risk facing legal action by the...
Zurich 2020 Profit Drop of 8% Reflects Pandemic, Catastrophe Claims
Feb 12 2021 // Zurich Insurance’s new capital target disappointed market expectations on Thursday, even as claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic and higher losses from natural catastrophes bit less than expected into full-year...
Amazon Sues New York Over COVID Workplace Safety, Firing Lawsuit
Feb 12 2021 // Amazon.com Inc. on Friday sued New York’s attorney general to stop the state from filing its own lawsuit over the online retailer’s early response to COVID-19, including its firing of activist Christian...
Lawmakers Vote to Extend Georgia COVID Lawsuit Shield by One Year
Feb 12 2021 // The Georgia state House has voted in favor of extending by one year a law that protects businesses from being sued by a person that blames them for contracting COVID-19. The protection is currently set to expire on July...
Texas Bill Would Mandate Business Interruption Cover for Pandemic Losses
Feb 10 2021 // A bill filed in Texas would require business interruption insurance policies to cover losses from a pandemic. Under SB 249, filed by Sen. Charles Schwertner, business interruption insurance would be required to...
California Surplus Lines Weathered Pandemic, Wildfires, Civil Unrest
Feb 9 2021 // In a year marred by a pandemic, massive Western U.S. wildfires, civil unrest, and a contentious election, California’s surplus lines market “didn’t miss a beat.” That was the message from Ben McKay,...
Remote Workers Heading to Wyoming Amid Pandemic
Feb 9 2021 // Ty Lunsford left Casper in 1998 – seeking, as he says, “bright lights, big city.” He was raised here, and moved out of his parents’ house to go chase the action in Denver. In November, after his job at...
It Could Have Been Worse. An Update on COVID-19 Impact on Workers’ Compensation.
Feb 9 2021 // While it obviously presented challenges, 2020 is looking like it may not have been such a bad year for workers’ compensation insurers and insureds after all. Insurers took in less premium but paid fewer claims. They...
Alabama Lawmakers Move Forward with COVID Liability Protections
Feb 8 2021 // Alabama lawmakers on Thursday fast-tracked a pair of pandemic bills – one to exempt coronavirus relief payments from state income tax and another to shield businesses, health care providers and others from...
Pandemic-Related Business Interruption, Cyber Top Business Risks for 2021: Allianz
Feb 8 2021 // There was no escaping the coronavirus in 2020 and the pandemic will dominate the risk landscape again in 2021, according to global leaders in business, risk management and insurance. A trio of Covid-19 related risks...
Insurance Agency M&A Deals Surged 20% in Year of Pandemic: OPTIS
Feb 8 2021 // There were 744 announced insurance agency mergers and acquisitions in 2020, up nearly 20% from 649 reported in 2019. The surge resulted from the pent-up supply of pending transactions from earlier in the year coupled with...
COVID-19 and Employment Practices Litigation
Feb 8 2021 // As soon as the first community was shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus or the first announcement of a safer at home order by a governor, some of us saw the storm of suits coming related to the loss of business...
Surfacing Emerging Risks From Covid, Cyber, Civil Unrest, Mergers, and More…
Feb 8 2021 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, societal unrest and other market forces experienced in 2020. Here are 10 industry sectors that could see new and...
Indiana Lawmakers Fast-Track COVID-19 Lawsuit Shield
Feb 7 2021 // Indiana legislators are poised to finalize a fast-tracked proposal that will give a broad shield protecting businesses and others from lawsuits by people blaming them for contracting COVID-19. The proposal is a top...
The Hartford Q4 Profit Dips Slightly on COVID Life Insurance Claims
Feb 5 2021 // Fourth quarter profit at The Hartford dipped slightly due in part to COVID-related group life insurance claims. Fourth quarter 2020 net income came in at $532 million, down 2% from fourth quarter 2019. Fourth quarter...
3 Ways COVID-19 Will Continue to Impact Insurance Industry in 2021
Feb 5 2021 // The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt by the insurance industry and its customers well into 2021 as consumers and businesses continue to face economic challenges, according to a new survey by consumer credit...
