Features

Winter Storm to Break Insurance Records; Other February Storms

February saw a spate of winter storms in the United States, including the period from Feb. 12-20, which will become the U.S. insurance industry’s costliest winter weather peril on record, according to insurance broker Aon plc in its monthly Global …

Rejecting ‘Absurd’ Argument, 5th Circuit Says Insurer Must Pay for Harvey Damage

While Hurricane Harvey dumped 60 inches of rain on the Houston area in August 2017, the authority that operates the Lake Conroe Dam opened the floodgates to release water at a rate almost equal to the flow over Niagara Falls. …

4 Progressive Jobs Insurance Agencies Will Hire in 2021

When it comes to insurance agency hiring, producers and account managers are a broken record. Yes, your agency still needs them, but that isn’t newsworthy. These four positions gained momentum last year. If they didn’t hit your radar screen then, …

Workers’ Comp Rates to Drop Again in Louisiana

Workers’ compensation insurance rates will continue to decrease in Louisiana with a new rate reduction beginning in May, the insurance department reported. Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon approved a loss cost filing by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) …

A New Kind of Startup

It is estimated that entrepreneurs created between 6,000 and 8,000 new independent insurance agencies over the last decade. Each of these entrepreneurs sought to create their own unique vision of the future. But their start-ups, while they may offer some …

Insurance Agents on the Front Line of Florida’s Mounting Property Market Problems

While carriers face growing financial losses in Florida’s distressed property insurance market, insurance agents are on the front lines trying to help their clients who are being hit with double-digit rate increases, non-renewals, coverage restrictions or refusals from the admitted …

Marine Market Delivers Challenges for Buyers in 2021

As if dodging the punches of a global pandemic isn’t hard enough, maritime operators and cargo shippers continue to take shots on the chin in the insurance marketplace, both in the U.S. and throughout Lloyd’s of London. On the heels …

California Comp Virus Claim Volume Plummeted in February

The wave of COVID-19 claims that hit the California workers’ compensation system at the end of 2020 has subsided for the time being as the number of claims reported to the state Division of Workers’ Compensation for February fell to …

Due Diligence Pitfalls and Solutions

Mergers and acquisitions continue to occur at a very fast pace, despite COVID-19, election results, unemployment, natural disasters, etc. After price and terms are negotiated, and a letter of intent is executed, then it is time for buyers and their …

Oregon Lawsuits Seek $1B from Pacific Power over Wildfires

Two new lawsuits filed in Marion County, Ore., seek more than $1 billion in damages from Pacific Power, claiming the utility’s negligence led to wildfires in the Santiam Canyon last year. The two lawsuits filed in mid-March represent over 100 …

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