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Record Flooding and Tornadoes This Spring In Iowa Caused $130M in Damage

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Record flooding and powerful tornadoes ravaged parts of Iowa for weeks this spring, destroying or damaging thousands of homes, closing roads and bridges and costing over $130 million in infrastructure damage, officials said Thursday. The …

Minnesota Workers’ Comp System Stable Despite COVID-19 Impact

Workers’ compensation claim rates and benefits paid in Minnesota continue to be stable or follow their long-term downward trajectories, a new Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) report shows. The 2024 Minnesota Workers’ Compensation System Report presents trend data regarding …

Blue Cross Won’t Appeal: Aetna Set to Run NC State Worker Health Benefits

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Aetna is poised to manage health coverage plan benefits for North Carolina state workers and teachers starting early next year because Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina said Monday it won’t appeal a judge’s …

BMW Recalling Over 1,100 More Vehicles Over Airbag Concern, NHTSA Says

BMW is recalling 1,145 vehicles in the United States over a potential issue that may cause the driver’s airbag to explode during deployment, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday. The recall includes the 2015 6 Series …

OPTIS: Insurance Agency M&A Reaches 4-Year, First-Half Low

The total of insurance agency mergers and acquisitions during the first six months of 2024 was the lowest over the first half since 2020, according to investment banking and financial firm OPTIS Partners. OPTIS Partners’ M&A database counted 300 announced …

AM Best Revises A.I.M. Mutual Outlook to Positive, Affirms ‘Excellent’ Ratings

AM Best reports that it has revised the outlook to positive from stable for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of members of A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies. The ratings agency has also affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and …

High Condo Premiums a Top Issue in Hawaii Legislative Races

Jillian Anderson was planning to make fighting crime in Waikiki the top issue in her campaign for a seat in the Hawaii House of Representatives. Then came the letter from her condo association announcing a 300% increase in insurance premiums, …

Rebuilding After Hurricanes is Complex, Can Change Character of a Community

HORSESHOE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Before Hurricane Idalia smashed into a small fishing village in northwestern Florida, Charles Long, 68, was fixing up a two-bedroom house for him and his wife. After the August storm, he found remnants of it …

Russian Tactics Make Secret Tanker Oil Switching Harder to Trace

Two near-identical oil tankers trying to beat western sanctions. A secret transfer of Russian crude halfway between Iran and Oman. A supertanker giving a false location. Welcome to the modern trade in Russian petroleum as western sanctions get tougher. Earlier …

Squishmallows Maker Can Sue Build-A-Bear Over Alleged Plush Toy Knockoffs

A U.S. judge rejected Build-A-Bear Workshop’s effort to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that its Skoosherz plush toys were unauthorized knockoffs of Squishmallows, the popular plush toys made by a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. In a decision on Monday, …

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