National News

AM Best Outlook of US E&S Market Revised to ‘Positive’

Insurance industry rating agency AM Best has upped its view of the excess and surplus market as it continues to absorb business from the admitted market. AM Best on Monday changed its U.S. E&S outlook from “stable” to “positive,” considering …

Viewpoint: ChatGPT, Laden With Hacker-Inserted Malware, Is Writing Code for Companies

If yours is like many companies, hackers have infiltrated a tool your software development teams are using to write code. Not a comfortable place to be. Developers have long used sites like stackoverflow.com as forums where they could get code …

Microsoft Offers to Help Politicians Crack Down on Deepfakes

Microsoft Corp. is offering US politicians and campaign groups a tool aimed at helping fight the rise of deepfakes ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The new tool will allow parties to authenticate their videos and photos with so-called watermark …

Average Premiums Keep Rising for Most Commercial Lines: IVANS

Ivan’s Index for the third quarter found the average premium renewal rate increased for all major commercial lines of business except workers’ compensation. Compared to the same period a year ago, Q3 2023 average renewal rate increases were: Commercial Auto …

Catalytic Converter Thefts Down by Half as Precious Metal Prices Drop

The number of insurance claims filed for catalytic converter thefts plummeted this year after rising dramatically in 2021 and 2022. National Insurance Crime Bureau data shows that as of Sept. 30, the number of claimed catalytic converter thefts averaged 2,675 …

People Moves: Marsh McLennan Appoints Potter US, Canada Chief Commercial Officer; Rokstone Names Berisha, Vandermyde to Marine Team

Marsh McLennan Appoints Potter US and Canada Chief Commercial Officer Marsh McLennan, headquartered in New York, N.Y., appointed Susan Potter as U.S. and Canada commercial officer. Based in Washington, D.C., Potter brings more than 25 years of commercial and public …

FAA to Hold New Round of Runway-Safety Meetings After Close Calls

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday it would hold runway safety meetings at 16 additional airports in the coming weeks after a series of troubling close-call aviation incidents. In August, the FAA said it was holding meetings …

Ransomware, Extortion Claims See ‘Worrying Resurgence,’ Says Allianz

Following two years of high but stable loss activity, 2023 has seen a “worrying resurgence” in ransomware and extortion claims as the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, Allianz Commercial writes in a new report. The business insurance company’s analysis …

FTX Investors Shift Focus to Celebrity Endorsers After SBF Conviction

Sam Bankman-Fried’s criminal fraud conviction came just as the FTX implosion was approaching its first anniversary. But for others who helped promote the cryptocurrency exchange, the legal fallout will continue for years. Attention now turns to a sweeping class-action suit …

Right Turn on Red? With Pedestrian Deaths Rising, US Cities Are Considering Bans

Sophee Langerman was on her way to a bicycle safety rally in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood in June when a car turning right rolled through a red light and slammed into her bike, which she was walking off the curb and …

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