National News

I.I.I. Adds Ruiz, NAIC’s Holeman to Communications Team

The New York-based Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) has appointed two new full-time employees with experience in consumer education, media relations, public affairs and strategic communications to the organization. Janet Ruiz, an I.I.I. consultant for the past four years, is now …

Last Chance: Participate in the 2019 Agency Salary Survey

ALL retail agency owners, principals, producers, CSRs — the entire agency — are invited to participate in Insurance Journal’s exclusive independent insurance agency salary survey. Results will be published in the February 18 edition of Insurance Journal Magazine. The deadline …

Travel Insurer Allianz Predicts More New England Than Los Angeles Fans at Super Bowl

Even though the New England Patriots already have 10 Super Bowl appearances behind them, its fans will be showing up in droves to this year’s game, which pits them against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, February 3 in Atlanta. …

Private Equity Again Drove Agency M&As in U.S., Canada in 2018: OPTIS

Mergers and acquisitions of insurance agents and brokers last year broke several records in 2018, with private equity/hybrid buyers accounting for 68 percent of the total. According to consultants at OPTIS Partners’ annual report, there were a record 626 deals …

Accenture Software Now Does What 40,000 Employees Used to Do

Accenture Plc, the global consulting firm, will begin selling software and services that it’s already used internally to automate tasks and redeploy about 40,000 workers. The new platform, that’s been five years in development, suggests ways to streamline and automate …

Judge Denies Monsanto Bid to Block Certain Evidence from Roundup Trials

A federal judge overseeing lawsuits alleging Bayer AG’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer causes cancer on Monday tentatively allowed pieces of controversial evidence that the company had hoped to exclude from upcoming trials. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria during a hearing …

Who Pays for Injuries Blamed on E-Scooters?

Over the past few years, cities across America have experienced sudden downpours of shared electric scooters, piling up almost overnight on curbs, sidewalks and front-yards from Atlanta to Los Angeles. The phenomenon has quickly built billion-dollar startups, a new urban …

Assessing Effects of Government Shutdown on Wildfires, Workforce, Research

The government may be reopening, but the consequences of the longest federal shutdown in U.S. history are likely to linger for national parks, forests, the federal workforce and cutting-edge scientific research. Some may even be permanent. Many fire crews missed …

Small Businesses Under Scrutiny Over Classifying Independent Contractors

Small business owners who want to use independent contractors need to be sure these workers really aren’t employees. Federal and state government agencies are on the lookout for businesses that use independent contractors, or freelancers, to evade Social Security, Medicare …

How Cell Phone Use While Driving Is Changing

Manipulating a cellphone was a contributing factor in more than 800 crash deaths on U.S. roads during 2017 amid a marked increase in the percentage of drivers observed interacting with cellphones, new research by the insurance institute for highway safety …

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