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Buffett’s BNSF Railway Considering Safer Oil Tank Cars

BNSF Railway Co., the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., is reconsidering a plan to buy 5,000 oil-tank cars built to new safety standards after some customers voiced concern about the initiative. “At first everybody applauded us for …

FHA Lowering Premiums Puts Pressure on Private Mortgage Insurers

Private mortgage insurers in the United States may have to cut premiums to better compete with the Federal Housing Administration, which plans to reduce premiums in the government’s latest attempt to encourage first-time homebuyers. Companies such as MGIC Investment Corp. …

Revised TRIA Law Could Harm Small Insurers, Warns S&P

Standard & Poor’s offered a note of caution about the reauthorization of the federal terrorism reinsurance program, warning that changes made by Congress to boost co-insurance and deductibles could hurt small insurers moving forward. The revised Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, …

BP, Anadarko Lose Appeal Over Gulf Oil Spill Fines

BP Plc and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. narrowly failed to persuade a U.S appeals court to reconsider its 2014 ruling that they could face civil fines under federal pollution laws over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. By a 7-6 …

Penn. Commissioner Consedine to Leave Post After Gov.-Elect Wolf Is Sworn In

Michael Consedine, Pennsylvania’s insurance commissioner and president-elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), will leave the Insurance Department after Democratic Gov.-elect Tom Wolf is sworn in as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania on Jan. 20.

Cook & Co. Promotes Shillue to President in Massachusetts

Cook & Company Insurance Services Inc., an insurance and risk management services firm in Marshfield, Massachusetts, has promoted Sue Shillue to president. She succeeds Peter A. Cook who was named managing director of business development at Cook & Company’s parent …

The Walker Group Rebrands to AmWINS Brokerage of New York

Effective Jan. 1, 2015, The Walker Group, an AmWINS Group company, has changed its name to AmWINS Brokerage of New York to expand AmWINS Group’s brand in New York state. Located in Syracuse and Amherst, New York, The Walker Group …

XL to Write Nearly 10th of Lloyd’s Business After Catlin Deal

XL Group Plc said it would buy underwriter Catlin Group Ltd. for about 2.79 billion pounds ($4.22 billion), increasing the Dublin-based insurer’s share of business written in the Lloyd’s of London market to nearly 10 percent. The deal is the …

XL’s McGavick: Hedge Funds Grow in Sophistication in Insurance Arena

Investors such as hedge funds and pensions are becoming more sophisticated as they partner with insurers, XL Group Plc Chief Executive Officer Mike McGavick said. In the past, capital-markets partners would “pat you on the head and they’d say, ‘You …

N.J. Insurance Adjuster Receives 32-Month Prison Term for Defrauding NJTA

The owner of a New Jersey-based insurance adjusting company was sentenced on Thursday to 32 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the N.J. Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and various insurance companies of at least $900,000. Robert …

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