Singapore Urges Global Cooperation to Tackle Shadow Fleet Ships
Singapore is urging for international cooperation to curb shadow fleet vessels operating just beyond its territorial waters, as scrutiny intensifies on ships used to evade sanctions. “Singapore fully implements United Nations Security Council resolutions and does not condone illegal or …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 9:57 AM |
Chlorofluorocarbon Replacements Cause Vast ‘Forever Chemical’ Pollution: Research
When the phaseout of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was first agreed in 1987, the world narrowly avoided an environmental catastrophe. However, the replacement of CFCs is causing the pollution of the Earth’s surface with a “forever chemical” that could remain in …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 9:03 AM |
Safety, State Involvement Should Be Central to AV Regulation, Says Trades
Industry trade associations side with caution to ensure regulations promote safety as autonomous vehicles (AVs) share the road with traditional automobiles. The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the American Property Casualty Association each submitted statements to the Senate …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:37 AM |
What Analysts Are Saying About the 2026 P/C Insurance Market
Following in the footsteps of groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, analysts from Fitch Ratings and Morningstar weighed in with these P/C insurance market forecasts in the past week: “Fitch Ratings expects the U.S. property/casualty market to continue softening in 2026, with increased …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:06 AM |
Viewpoint: Underwriting at an Inflection Point – The AI Advantage
The U.S. commercial insurance market is demonstrating clear signs of rate fatigue and an overall softening. Since 2017, the industry has experienced increased loss pressures from climate events, social inflation in legal judgments, and loss inflation from economic, political, and …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:05 AM |
Florida Senate President Says No Major Insurance Changes This Year. Committee Advances 5 ‘Minor’ Ones
Three weeks into the 2026 Florida legislative session, with bill deadlines approaching, Florida Senate President Ben Albritton said Wednesday that he expects no major changes to Florida’s property insurance laws this year. The reason: Landmark legislation passed in 2022 and …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:01 AM |
Immunity Upheld for State Officials Over COVID-Related Nursing Home Deaths
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed a proposed class action against New Jersey government officials on behalf of families of nursing home residents who died early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 10,000 elderly residents of New Jersey nursing …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:00 AM |
Trapped Tesla Driver’s 911 Call: ‘It’s on fire. Help please’
Samuel Tremblett pleaded with a 911 operator to be rescued from his burning Tesla Inc. Model Y SUV after a crash in October: “I can’t get out, please help me.” The transcript of the 20-year-old’s emergency call was included in …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:00 AM |
People Moves: Capital Insurance Group Promotes Noel to Regional Field Executive
Capital Insurance Group promoted Kimberly Noel to regional field executive for their Northwest region, overseeing underwriting teams and line of business performance in Oregon and Washington. Noel has more than 20 years of underwriting and leadership experience, including more than …
POSTED FEBRUARY 05, 2026 6:00 AM |
Governor ‘Not Convinced’ California Wants to Take Over PG&E
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he doesn’t see the state having the appetite to take over PG&E Corp., which has come under criticism recently for blackouts that hit San Francisco. “I’m not convinced” the state wants to get into the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 6:05 PM |
Business Moves: Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Germany’s Reck & Co.; Howden Buys Polygon Insurance Brokers Ltd.; Clear Purchases Gauntlet and Shire Insurance Services
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Germany’s Reck & Co. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., the Rolling Meadows, Illinois-based insurance brokerage, announced its claims and risk management solutions subsidiary, Gallagher Bassett, has acquired Bremen, Germany-based Reck & Co GmbH. Terms of the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 5:43 PM |
Ohio Couple Sentenced for Arson in $2M Insurance Fraud Scheme
An Ohio couple have been sentenced for devising a scheme to collect more than $2 million dollars in insurance money by conspiring to set insured houses on fire, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio announced this week. Lonnie …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 5:19 PM |
Hotel Management Company Sued for Discrimination at Illinois Property
Hotel Equities Group, a hotel management company, violated federal law when it failed to provide pregnancy accommodations to one employee and religious accommodations to another at an Illinois property, he U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit. …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 5:10 PM |
Texas Cattle Ranchers Fear the Return of a Flesh-Eating Pest
Chris Womack is one of a dwindling number of Texas ranchers who can remember fighting the New World screwworm, a once-vanquished pest threatening to make an unwanted encore in the US after its recent return to northern Mexico. “You never …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 4:49 PM |
Texas Grid Shows How Batteries Can Help Avoid Winter Blackouts
Last month’s sprawling winter storm from Texas to New England was one of the first multi-grid tests in the US for big batteries. They passed. Texas in particular benefited from energy storage, which helped cushion the state’s grid during the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 4:30 PM |
New Hampshire Insurance Department Says It Delivered ‘Real Value’ in 2025
The New Hampshire Insurance Department (NHID) reported that for calendar year 2025 it collected $185.62 million for the state’s General Fund and recovered $3.34 million for consumers. Insurance Commissioner DJ Bettencourt said the numbers show the department is “delivering real …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 3:32 PM |
Former Ole Miss Standout Player Convicted in $194M Medicare, CHAMPVA Fraud
A former standout tight end for the Ole Miss Rebels, who briefly played in the NFL, faces more than 20 years in prison after he was convicted of defrauding Medicare and a veterans insurance program of $194 million. Joel Rufus …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 3:24 PM |
Q4 Global Commercial Insurance Rates Drop 4%, in 6th Quarterly Decline: Marsh
Global commercial insurance rates declined by 4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of rate decreases, after seven years of increases, according to the Global Insurance Market Index published by Marsh Risk, a business of …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 3:17 PM |
Markets/Coverages: Great American Enters Travel Insurance Market With Faye
Great American Insurance Group has selected AI travel insurance platform Faye to enter the travel insurance marketplace. This marks Great American’s first expansion into travel insurance. The companies said that with limited modernization and customer frustration surrounding claims experiences, the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 2:43 PM |
Appeals Court Overturns Former UCLA Gynecologist’s Sex Abuse Conviction
A California appeals court on Monday overturned a sex abuse conviction against a former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist and ordered the case to be retried. A three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Dr. James …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 2:26 PM |
Massachusetts Approves Liberty Mutual Reorganization Involving 3 Domestic Mutuals
Liberty Mutual has received approval to convert three domestic mutual insurance affiliates into stock companies and then merge them into a new wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Holding Company (LMHC). The Massachusetts Division of Insurance has approved the reorganizations of …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 2:23 PM |
Recreational Weed and Other Citizen Initiatives Fail to Qualify for Ballot in Florida
A proposed amendment to Florida’s constitution that would allow recreational marijuana use for adults is one of 22 citizen initiatives that failed to qualify for the 2026 ballot, state officials said. The Florida Department of State announced Sunday that none …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 2:16 PM |
The Hanover Reports 18% Growth in Q4 Net Income
Fourth-quarter 2025 net income at The Hanover Insurance Group was $198.5 million, up about 18% over $167.9 million recorded for the same period in 2024. The Worcester, Massachusetts-based insurer’s Q4 combined ratio remained relatively flat at 89.0 versus 89.2 the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 1:19 PM |
Move to Ban Social Media for Kids Gains Traction Across Europe
European countries are taking their broadest swipe yet at social media, with a growing number weighing bans of the services for minors and setting the stage for a new showdown with some of the biggest US companies. The policy was …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 11:14 AM |
Congo Fighting Drove Spike in Insurance Costs, Squeezing Miners, Insurer Says
Political violence insurance premiums in Democratic Republic of Congo jumped as much as tenfold last year due to unrest in the east, boosting insurers but lifting costs for copper-cobalt miners, insurance executives told Reuters. Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebels overran eastern Congo’s …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 10:52 AM |