Latest Small Business Headlines

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

What to Expect in EPLI Under President Trump

Jan 9 2017 // What to Expect in 2017 There is no shortage of liability issues hanging over employers these days as the Trump Administration assumes office. Some controversial rules could be rewritten while others could be rolled back or...

Data Breach: A Wide Coverage Gap for Small Business

Jan 5 2017 // Based on what we see in the trade press, it would appear most large businesses in the U.S. are addressing their exposure to data breaches in some way. But what about the small, Main Street businesses such as those we write...

Top 12 Insurance Trends and News Stories of 2016: Countdown

Dec 27 2016 // In the year 2016, as in past years, there were the familiar or continuing stories including reinsurers still wishing and hoping for a hardening market; property/casualty insurance carriers reporting financial results...

Insureon CEO on Growth, Hockey Pucks and the Perils of Complacency

Dec 6 2016 // A major online provider of commercial insurance for small businesses in the United States keeps track of its growth milestones with hockey pucks. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch but Chicago-based Insureon definitely...

Too Often, Small Businesses Learn Insurance Lessons After Disaster Strikes

Nov 28 2016 // A fire at the gun shop next door never reached Kathy Laurienti’s sausage and specialty food store, but the water and smoke damage was enough to shut her business down. Because Laurienti didn’t have enough...

Small Business Insurance Site CoverWallet Pulls In $7.8 Million in Funding

Nov 17 2016 // Online commercial insurance agency CoverWallet announced it has received $7.8 million in funding in a Series A round led by Union Square Ventures, bringing its total raised to date to $9.5 million. In addition to Union...

Starr Launches Site Selling Directly to Small Businesses

Nov 17 2016 // Starr Companies has joined a growing roster of insurers selling insurance directly to small business owners online with its launch of Starr Insure. The new digital agency currently offers property/casualty business owner...

Indio, Tech Startup for Commercial Insurance Brokers, Raises $2 Million

Nov 1 2016 // Indio, a commercial insurance platform for brokers that aims to do what Sabre did for travel agents or Schwab did for wealth managers, said it has secured $2 million in seed financing. Venture capital firms NEA, Compound,...

Could Allstate’s ‘5 Minute’ Small Business Policy Transform Commercial Lines Sales?

Oct 19 2016 // At a time when technology startups are also targeting the small commercial insurance market, giant Allstate has debuted a hi-tech business insurance quoting platform that it says makes it possible for small business owners...

9 Top Cyber Attacks Reported by Small Businesses; Most Still Unprotected

Oct 19 2016 // Most small-business owners (78 percent) still don’t have a cyberattack response plan, even though more than half (54 percent) were victim to at least one type of cyberattack. About 60 percent of those who did...

The Hanover Expands BOP for Small Businesses, Increases Coverage Limits

Oct 7 2016 // The Hanover Insurance Group demonstrates further commitment to supporting small businesses with significant enhancements to its business owner’s policy (BOP) base form and product offerings, adding coverages and...

Assurant Partners with Website Security Firm on Cyberattack Prevention for Small Businesses

Oct 6 2016 // Assurant, Inc., global provider of risk management options, has partnered with website security company GamaSec to help small and medium businesses lower the risk of attacks on their websites. Assurant is providing support...

CoverHound’s Cyber Insurance Site Now Open for Small Businesses

Oct 5 2016 // Two weeks after unveiling insurance offerings for small businesses on its online platform, CoverHound has launched another website—CyberPolicy.com—with cyber protection tools for a similar target market. Initially...

Wells Fargo Account Scandal Included Small Businesses, Says Senator

Oct 5 2016 // The scandal over improper sales practices at Wells Fargo & Co extended to thousands of small-business owners, according to a U.S. lawmaker, raising questions about the scope the bank’s issues with unauthorized...

Insurers Hiscox, American Family Back Bunker, a Startup Broker for Gig Economy

Oct 4 2016 // Bunker, a Hiscox and American Family-backed startup billing itself as the first contract-related insurance marketplace, has officially left startup mode and unveiled its first product. The target audience: independent...

Hamilton, AIG, Two Sigma Small Business Platform to Launch Q4

Oct 3 2016 // American International Group Inc., Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd. and affiliates of Two Sigma Investments plan to launch Attune, a technology-enabled platform to serve the $80 billion U.S. small to medium-sized enterprise...

BTIS announces partnership with Hiscox for new bind-online Small Business Program

Sep 28 2016 // Rocklin, CA, September 28, 2016- Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Services, Inc. (BTIS) is pleased to announce the launch of a new partnership with Hiscox providing access to small business solutions in 49...

Chubb Rolls Out New Business Owner’s Policy for Small Business

Sep 21 2016 // Chubb is rolling out a new business owner’s policy, Chubb BOP. Crafted for small businesses, Chubb BOP incorporates protection for property and liability exposures, a supporting umbrella liability product, and the...

CoverHound Small Business Commercial Suite Goes Live

Sep 21 2016 // Online personal insurance seller CoverHound is adding business insurance offerings— including workers’ compensation and commercial auto— to its online platform at CoverHound.com. The site is starting by focusing...

Covered California Prices for Small Business to Rise 5.9%

Sep 19 2016 // Small business employees who get health coverage through the Covered California health insurance exchange will see an average price increase of 5.9 percent next year. The figure announced last week affects roughly 28,000...