California Smoke Damage Act Would Enable Wildfire Victims to Expedite Claims
A bill touted as the nation’s first public health and insurance standards to protect families from toxic smoke contamination is making its way through California legislature. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Assemblymember Mike Gipson on Wednesday introduced Assembly Bill …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 8:57 PM |
‘Structural Shift’ Occurring in California Surplus Lines
The Los Angeles wildfires that kicked off 2025 not only sped up a statewide homeowners insurance market pullback, but they also played a part in an ongoing reshaping of California’s surplus lines market, according to a new report. The state’s …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 8:17 PM |
Fingerprints, Background Checks for Florida Insurance Execs, Directors, Stockholders?
Florida insurance company officers, employees, board members and even stockholders would have to undergo background checks and fingerprinting under a wide-ranging bill approved by a state House panel Wednesday morning. House Bill 1263, sponsored by state Rep. Linda Chaney, R-St. …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 5:23 PM |
Illinois Sees ‘Unprecedented’ Budget Pressure From Trump Cuts
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s budget office is warning that the state is facing higher costs and more uncertainty as President Donald Trump’s administration threatens to pull back federal funding. “Over the past year, federal policy changes have altered the federal-state …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 5:22 PM |
Texas’ Equal Parts Raises $23M to Support Acquisition Strategy
Equal Parts, an Austin, Texas-based insurance agency startup, announced it has raised $23M in Series A funding led by Inspired Capital. The investment will accelerate the company’s acquisition strategy and further develop AI tools that extend the reach and impact …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 5:04 PM |
OSHA Fines Nebraska Manufacturer $148K Over Fatal Explosion
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Horizon Biofuels Inc., a manufacturer of fuel pellets, for willful and serious safety violations after a deadly explosion at the company’s Fremont, Nebraska facility in July 2025. An …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 4:55 PM |
El Paso Airspace Reopened After FAA Rescinds 10-Day Flight Restrictions
The Federal Aviation Administration reopened airspace over El Paso and part of southern New Mexico on Wednesday morning after shutting it down for a few hours overnight amid an announcement there would be no flights for 10 days. The White …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 4:51 PM |
Western Snow Drought Raises Fire and Drought Concerns
Rain and snow are expected to return to the Rockies and the Western U.S. over the next few weeks, but it’s likely to only make a small dent in the snow drought and dry conditions across parts of the West. …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 3:39 PM |
Tennessee Approves Smallest Drop in Workers’ Compensation Costs in Years
The average workers’ compensation rates for the Tennessee voluntary market should drop about 2% this year, marking the 13th straight year for lower rates in the state. It’s also the smallest decrease in years. “Safer workplaces where Tennessee workers are …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 3:26 PM |
New Mexico Lawsuit Accuses Meta of Failing to Protect Children
Meta has failed to disclose what it knows about the harmful effect of its platforms on children in violation of New Mexico’s consumer protection laws, a state prosecutor said Monday as a trial began over the dangers of child sexual …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 2:45 PM |
West Virginians Could Soon Lose Access to 28% of Affordable Housing
At 93, Anna Lee Pettit lives alone in a first-floor apartment at Morgantown’s Unity House Apartments, where she can get her mail indoors and avoid hauling garbage outside in the winter. She survives on Social Security benefits and said she …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 2:30 PM |
House Votes to Restrict China’s Global Financial Institution Ties If Taiwan Threatened
The US House on Tuesday passed a bill that would seek to exclude China from global financial institutions if it were to threaten Taiwan and pose a danger to American interests. The legislation would establish US policy to block Chinese …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 2:16 PM |
Portuguese Insurer Fidelidade Said to Be Worth at Least €3 Billion in Revived IPO
Fidelidade-Companhia de Seguros SA, the Portuguese insurer controlled by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd., is carrying out preliminary work toward a potential listing in Lisbon that could value the company at more than €3 billion, according to people familiar with …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 2:05 PM |
FDA to Review Decades-Old Food Preservative in Safety Overhaul
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday launched a broad review of a long-used synthetic preservative used in packaged foods, as the agency steps up efforts to reassess chemicals long allowed in the U.S. food supply. The FDA issued …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 1:54 PM |
Local Regulators Deny Rezoning Request for Pennsylvania Data Center Development
A county commission in Pennsylvania on Tuesday denied a request by Talen Energy to rezone hundreds of acres of land for the development of data centers, marking the latest example of local pushback hampering the U.S. expansion of server warehouses. …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 1:11 PM |
EU Aims to Use Global Upheaval to Drive New Single Market Push
European Council President Antonio Costa said leaders are ready to make another push to unify their markets, arguing that a fracturing world order could force action on languishing reforms. “My feeling is there is a real commitment for all the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 12:22 PM |
Estee Lauder Sues Walmart Over Alleged Counterfeit Fragrances
Estee Lauder sued Walmart in California federal court on Monday, accusing the retail giant of selling knockoffs of Estee Lauder fragrance and skin care brands including Clinique, Tom Ford and Le Labo. Estee Lauder said in the lawsuit that Walmart …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 11:26 AM |
South Korea Crypto Exchange Bithumb Says System Flaws Led to $40 Billion Error
South Korea’s Bithumb said on Wednesday that serious flaws had left the crypto exchange’s internal system susceptible to potential sabotage and failed to prevent an erroneous transfer of more than $40 billion in assets last week. The country’s second-largest virtual …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 11:21 AM |
Climate Change and Budget Cuts Fueled South American Blazes
Human-induced climate change, along with land-use shifts and budget cuts, likely worsened recent wildfires in Argentina and Chile that are threatening some of the world’s oldest trees, an analysis has found. These regions are now receiving 20% to 25% less …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 11:07 AM |
Canadian Airlines Suspend Cuba Flights as Island Set to Run Out of Jet Fuel
Canadian airlines on Monday suspended flights to Cuba, which warned it was running out of jet fuel, as the U.S. tightens its grip on the communist-run nation’s oil supply by blocking shipments from Venezuela. Air Canada, the country’s biggest carrier, …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 10:00 AM |
Acorn Owners Said to Weigh Options for £1 Billion UK Cab Insurer
The owners of British specialist motor and home insurer Acorn Group are exploring strategic options including selling a controlling stake in the company, according to people familiar with the matter. The London black cab insurer’s shareholders, which include Inflexion Private …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 9:36 AM |
Viewpoint: Why Unified Data, Not More Data, Will Decide Insurance’s Next Winners
The role of data across the insurance value chain has evolved noticeably. What was once used primarily for retrospective reporting is now becoming a source of real-time intelligence that shapes daily decision-making. This shift is being driven by three forces: …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 6:10 AM |
A 10-Year Wait for Autonomous Vehicles to Impact Insurers, Says Fitch
Fitch Ratings said it does not expect autonomous vehicles (AVs) to “have any meaningful impact” on insurers in the next decade. Therefore, impacts to credit ratings will be modest. However, over time, the technology “will indelibly alter” the landscapes of …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 6:02 AM |
Trump’s Repeal of Climate Rule Opens a ‘New Front’ for Litigation
The Trump administration’s imminent repeal of an Obama-era scientific finding that greenhouse gases pose a public health threat could open up a new pathway for filing lawsuits against power-plant operators and other companies. Legal experts said the policy reversal could …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 6:00 AM |
Injured Employee Loses Evidence Spoliation Bid Over Video Erased by Employer
A Virginia public school employee must proceed with his workers’ compensation claim appeal without the evidence of a video he believes shows how and when he was injured at work. His employer, the Newport News Public Schools, erased the video …
POSTED FEBRUARY 11, 2026 6:00 AM |