Articles by Carolyn Cohn, Suzanne Barlyn and Noor Zainab Hussain

Analysis: Insurers Feel Rising Legal Heat for COVID-19 Business Interruption Exclusions

Daniel Duckett, owner of the Lazy Claire patisserie in Belfast, was hoping for an insurance payout of up to 100,000 pounds ($123,460.00) to cover losses during the coronavirus lockdown. Now he fears for the future as he battles for the …

Some Auto Insurer Premium Discounts Should Be Bigger, Say Consumer Groups

Two consumer groups said on Thursday that some of the largest U.S. auto insurers, including billionaire Warren Buffett’s Geico Corp., are short-changing customers on premium rebates as Americans drive less due to stay-at-home orders aimed at curbing the coronavirus outbreak. …

Travelers Sees Q1 Profit Fall From Storms; It’s Watching COVID-19 Workers’ Comp Claims

Property and casualty insurer Travelers Cos. Inc. reported a 25% drop in quarterly profit on Tuesday and warned that potential claims tied to compensation coverage for furloughed and laid-off employees would hit results for the year. The coronavirus pandemic has …

Life Insurers Go Slow on New Policies to Limit Coronavirus Risk

U.S. life insurers are trying to curb their own risks to coronavirus by imposing waiting periods for applicants who have traveled to regions with widespread outbreaks, industry experts said. Life insurers are worried about insuring U.S. customers who have traveled …

‘Numbers Guy’ Zaffino Expected to Succeed Duperreault as AIG CEO…Eventually

Peter Zaffino sat at 2 World Trade Center poring over financial reports on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when the first plane struck a neighboring building. Zaffino, known by colleagues for his laser-like focus, remained at his desk as …

New Laws Spur Insurers to Reserve for Potential Child Sex-Abuse Claims

Travelers Companies Inc. has set aside a “modest” amount of additional money to cover its possible exposure to child sex-abuse claims, the insurer’s finance chief, Daniel Frey, told analysts during an earnings call on Thursday. Two analysts asked about Travelers’ …

Ransomware Exposure Driving Up Cyber Insurance Costs

U.S. insurers are ramping up cyber-insurance rates by as much as 25% and trying to curb exposure to vulnerable customers after a surge of costly claims, industry sources said. The changes follow a challenging year of hackers using malicious programs, …

Gemini, Seeing Insurance As Key to Future of Virtual Currency, Starts Own Captive

U.S. virtual currency firm Gemini Trust Company announced on Thursday that it has launched its own insurance unit to boost coverage against theft of crypto assets. Gemini’s new in-house insurer, Bermuda-based Nakamoto Ltd, provides a total of $200 million in …

Reinsurers Pressure Life Insurers Over Vaping Health Risks

Global reinsurers are stepping up their warnings to life insurer clients about the potential risks of vaping, putting pressure on underwriters to charge certain vapers higher rates than smokers, or even exclude them altogether. U.S. authorities said last month that …

Why James River Insurance Dumped Uber Account

A Bermuda-based insurer that recently severed ties with an Uber Technologies Inc. affiliate said on Thursday the risk of providing driver ride-hailing coverage had become too great and that it had mispriced policies during its initial years on the account. …