National News

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Adds Commercial Package Product

Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies is adding a commercial package product that will include coverages for property, general liability, umbrella, and employment-related practices liability insurance (EPLI). The company plans to launch the product in Pennsylvania in early April with other …

Virgin Islands Storm Repairs May Be Jeopardized by FEMA, Contractors Dispute

Companies rebuilding storm-damaged homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands under a federally funded program say they haven’t been paid in months and are threatening to place liens on the houses. The dispute highlights what critics call the slow pace at …

White House Eyes Panel to Question Climate Threat to Security

The White House is advancing plans to form a presidential panel that will question science used in U.S. military and intelligence reports showing that human-driven climate change poses national security risks, according to a source briefed by participants in the …

How People Rationalize Bad Choices

When a reward is tempting enough, people will break their own moral codes to gain the desired prize. Afterward, they’ll tell you exactly how they were justified: “It wasn’t as if anyone was harmed,” “I was only borrowing …,” “My …

Liberty Mutual Boosted Q4, 2018 Profit Helped by Lower Catastrophe Losses

Liberty Mutual Holding Co. and its subsidiaries reported net income of $249 million for the fourth quarter 2018 and $2.160 billion for the full year 2018, increases of $44 million and $2.143 billion over the same periods in 2017. Catastrophe …

BlackBerry Files Patent Infringement Claims Against Twitter

BlackBerry Ltd. on Wednesday filed a patent infringement lawsuit accusing Twitter Inc. of illegally using technology in its mobile messaging applications that had been developed by the former smartphone maker. The lawsuit said Twitter wrongly sought to compensate for being …

2018 Was Big Year for Robot Employment

U.S. companies installed more robots last year than ever before, as cheaper and more flexible machines put them within reach of businesses of all sizes and in more corners of the economy beyond their traditional foothold in car plants. Shipments …

PIA Makes Cyber Product Available for Agents to Sell to Small Business Clients

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National) has given its members a cyber insurance product to sell to their small and mid-sized businesses clients. PIA and ABA Insurance Services (ABAIS) have worked together with Great American E&S Insurance …

Supreme Court Limits International Groups’ Immunity for Commercial Activity in U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court opened some American-based international organizations to lawsuits, ruling that a World Bank affiliate must defend against allegations it is responsible for environmental damage caused by a power plant in India. Voting 7-1 on Wednesday, the court …

U.S. Bans Lithium Battery Cargo on Passenger Planes

The U.S. government said on Wednesday it is issuing new rules barring airlines from carrying potentially hazardous lithium-ion cells and batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, and setting new requirements for transporting them on cargo planes. The U.S. Transportation Department’s …

National News Archives by Month