Rational Market? How About ‘Dumb’ and ‘Bizarre’?
Industry executives who described insurance and reinsurance markets as “rational” in the not-so-distant past are now using words like “dumb” and “bizarre” to characterize soft-market competitor moves happening faster than expected, and in unusual places. W. Robert Berkley, Jr., chief …
Newport Specialty Partners Acquires New York Personal Lines MGA Complex Coverage
Newport Specialty Partners, a new specialty insurance platform backed by Lovell Minnick Partners, announced that it has acquired Complex Coverage, Inc. (CCI), a managing general agency focused on homeowners and personal lines coverage in New York. The transaction is Newport’s …
Appeals Court Overturns $8M Defamation Award for Former Alabama Justice
An appeals court has reversed an $8.2 million defamation verdict awarded to Alabama politician Roy Moore, who sued a super PAC over a 2017 political ad detailing misconduct accusations against him. The panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of …
Iran War Fuels Piracy Surge Off Somalia Coast, EU Agency Says
The war in Iran is fueling a resurgence in maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia, according to a European Union naval force patrolling the region. There have been at least three confirmed hijackings in the past week alone, with …
Viewpoint: Japan and Korea Insurers to Accelerate M&As in the US and Globally
Japan and Korea insurers have shown unprecedented demand for M&As and strategic investments overseas in the past few years, targeting opportunities in both developed and emerging markets. While insurers from these two Asian economies have nuanced appetites and different capital …
Russia Shadow Fleet Undeterred by Starmer’s Threat as Ships Keep Crossing UK Waters
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision last month to let the British military board ships of Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet” has had no clear impact on the number passing through UK waters, a Reuters analysis shows. In the month after Starmer’s …
Data Center Boom Strains Texas Homebuilders’ Need for Electricians
Abilene builder Gene Lantrip is on the front lines of Texas’ population boom, but a new force is making it harder to finish construction on homes. Data centers are poaching the electricians he needs to install light switches and wiring …
New MGA Ascendri Aims For High-Value Homes in Catastrophe-Exposed Areas
Ascendri Insurance Services, a new managing general agency, has launched to address high-value risks in catastrophe-exposed markets. Starting in California, Ascendri will provide excess & surplus homeowners coverage for homes with insured values up to $10 million, targeting a segment …
Viewpoint: Insurance’s Data Problem Comes Into Focus at Hormuz
Executive Summary: Rapidly shifting war-risk conditions are exposing structural weaknesses in delegated authority underwriting, according to Alex Babin, CEO of Hercules Systems, who notes that many underwriters still rely on delayed, inconsistent bordereaux data. While AI is accelerating data extraction, …
People Moves: WTW Names Lipkin Chief AI Officer, Wintrob Head of AI Acceleration; ReSource Pro Appoints Fu SVP of Data Strategy
WTW appointed Spike Lipkin as chief AI officer and Gordon Wintrob as head of AI acceleration. These new enterprise appointments will scale Newfront’s AI-native approach and innovative capabilities across WTW. Working in close partnership with WTW’s technology function and businesses, …
Report: Cargo Theft Down for Quarter, But Criminals Are Getting More Savvy
A new report shows 767 supply chain crime events across the U.S. and Canada in the first quarter of the year, down 5.3% from the same period a year ago and down 12.2% the fourth quarter of 2025. However, a …
Another Appeals Court Balks at Class Action Over Auto Insurers’ ACV Methods
In another win for auto insurers, a federal appeals last week struck down a proposed class-action lawsuit over the methods carriers use to value totaled vehicles. At least five appellate courts in the last few years have said “no” to …
FEMA Restoring Slashed Flood Mitigation Funds, Now With $20M for SE Projects
A year after the Trump Administration attempted to halt funding for some resiliency programs, the Federal Emergency Management Administration announced almost $20 million in flood mitigation grants around the Southeast. The funding for projects in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi and …
Inside World’s Largest Art Heist When $500M of Boston Museum’s Paintings Disappeared
For decades, the 1990 theft of 13 artworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — now valued at more than $500 million — has remained unsolved. It remains the largest art theft in history — far surpassing more recent museum …
Six Charged With Reprogramming Key Fobs, Reselling Stolen Autos in US and Africa
An indictment charges six in a sophisticated theft ring that shipped stolen vehicles to countries as far as Africa, according to an announcement by the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. According to the indictment, at least 20 …
Viewpoint: Implications for Insurance, Compliance After Medical Marijuana Changes
The Department of Justice issued an order on April 23, rescheduling state-licensed medical marijuana and Food & Drug Administration-approved cannabis products to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The order is also expected to jumpstart the stalled Drug …
Mother And Son Cited $4.4M for Misclassifying Caregivers in California
A California company was fined $4.4 million for misclassifying caregivers as independent contractors. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Hart Placement Agency Inc., a Canoga Park based company, and its principals, Annie Ghaw and Hartmann Ghaw, for misclassifying 144 caregivers …
Liberty Mutual Says Safeco Brand Is Officially Retired
The Safeco Insurance brand has gone the way of the dodo bird. It’s now all Limu Emu, all the time. Liberty Mutual said on April 27 that it followed through with what it said about a year ago and officially …
Supreme Court Split Over Bayer’s Fight Against Roundup Lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared divided on Monday over Bayer AG’s effort to shut down thousands of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to warn users that the active ingredient in its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The justices heard arguments …
Maryland Top Court Nixes Baltimore’s $152 Million Opioid Public Nuisance Verdict
The city of Baltimore suffered a defeat in its efforts to address the opioid epidemic last week when the Maryland Supreme Court vacated a $152 million public nuisance verdict won by the city against drug distributors McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. The …
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