Markets/Coverages: Willis’ Merger Protect to Help With M&A Compliance Costs; Axon Cyber Launches for Small Enterprises
Willis, a WTW business, has launched Merger Protect, a specialty insurance solution to help organizations manage the financial impact of U.S. antitrust regulatory review in mergers and acquisitions transactions. Merger Protect forms part of Willis’ broader transactional risk offering, designed …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 12:13 PM |
Nearly All of Europe Had Above-Average Heat Last Year, as Climate Records Toppled
Almost all of Europe experienced above-average heat in 2025, a year that broke records for wildfires, sea temperatures and heatwaves as climate change worsens, EU scientists and the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday. At least 95% of Europe experienced …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 9:37 AM |
Australia Regulator Threatens Enforcement for Poor AI Controls
Australia’s top prudential regulator said it will take action against companies that fail to adequately control cybersecurity threats, as concerns within the industry mount over Anthropic PBC’s latest AI model Mythos. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority is finalizing a plan …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 8:58 AM |
Red-State AGs Call Out Credit-Rating Companies Over ESG
A group of state attorneys general wrote to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and major credit-rating firms, raising concerns about the use of environmental, social and governance factors in downgrade decisions. The officials from 23 Republican-led states, which include …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 6:00 AM |
Cyber Threat Literacy, AI Disruption Top Risks to an Organization’s People
According to thousands of human resources and risk professionals surveyed by Marsh, inadequate cyber threat literacy ranks as the number one risk to people. It makes sense, since human error continues to be a top cause of cyber losses. Phishing …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:08 AM |
Portugal Launches $26.5 Billion Resilience Plan After Storms and Blackout
Portugal’s government on Tuesday announced a 22.6 billion euro ($26.5 billion) investment program to roll out over nine years, aimed at mitigating risks including climate change and power outages. The plan was initiated after severe storms hit central mainland Portugal …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:05 AM |
Families of Canadian Mass Shooting Victims Sue OpenAI in US Court
Family members of victims of one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootings sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in U.S. court on Wednesday, alleging the company identified the shooter as a credible threat eight months before the attack but did …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:03 AM |
Billionaire Tax Proposal in California on Track to Qualify for Ballot, Say Backers
A controversial proposal in California to temporarily increase taxes on billionaires has enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, a labor union backing the measure said. The proposal, backed by the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers West, would …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:00 AM |
People Moves: The Doctors Company Makes Key Medical Professional Liability Leadership Appointments
The Doctors Company made several leadership appointments to add its medical professional liability operations. Todd Zeiter has been promoted to chief underwriting officer. He has amassed an underwriting and reinsurance background and nearly three decades at The Doctors Company. He …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:00 AM |
Public Adjuster Charged with Stealing $140K in Insurance Payouts
The Bucks County district attorney announced criminal charges against the owner and operator of Advanced Public Adjusters. Greg A. Micucci, of Bristol, Pennsylvania, is accused of misappropriating approximately $140,000 in insurance claim funds intended for nine victims and their contractors. …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:00 AM |
Cyberattack on NJ School Forces Debt Sale to Cover Stolen Funds
A cyberattack that stole $4.8 million in taxpayer money has spurred a New Jersey suburb to issue short-term debt as officials try to recover the funds. Spotswood, located roughly 40 miles outside New York City, was targeted by hackers last …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:00 AM |
Brown University Sued for Negligence by Students Injured in Shooting
Three Brown University students injured in a shooting on the school’s Providence, Rhode Island campus last December have filed negligence lawsuits alleging that the Ivy League school ignored warnings about the shooter and failed to provide adequate security. Eleven people …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 5:00 AM |
Allstate Q1 Net Income Skyrockets on Underwriting Gains
Allstate Corp. first quarter 2026 net income applicable to common shareholders more than quadrupled compared with the same time a year ago, due to a large gain in underwriting income. Net income was $2.4 billion for Q1 versus $566 million …
POSTED APRIL 30, 2026 4:08 AM |
Kansas Man Sentenced to Probation for Insurance Fraud
Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced a Cherokee County man has been sentenced to 24 months of probation for insurance fraud. Chad Ashe, aged 43, pleaded guilty on January 21, 2026, in Cherokee County District Court to one felony count …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 4:47 PM |
Bank of England to Curb Offshore Life Insurance Trades
The Bank of England’s regulatory arm on Wednesday set out plans to tighten the capital treatment of funded reinsurance, a type of deal in which life insurers pass on risk to offshore reinsurers. British life insurers will have to increase …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 4:40 PM |
Oil Traders Lawyer Up as Hormuz Disruptions Trigger Billions of Dollars in Disputes
Some of the biggest names in oil trading are becoming embroiled in a complex web of disputes that could be worth many billions of dollars, as the industry wrangles over who should be liable for contracted shipments that weren’t delivered …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 4:26 PM |
Lemonade Logs Q1 Net Loss With Topline Growth
Insurtech Lemonade reported a first quarter 2026 net loss of about $35.8 million compared with a loss of about $62.4 million during the same time in 2025. However, Lemonade said its topline growth was positive, with 159% increase in year-to-year …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 2:50 PM |
GEICO Responds After Error Sent Cancellation Notices to Florida Drivers
GEICO leadership said this week that the company is working with Florida policyholders after a snafu inadvertently alerted people that their driver licenses had been suspended. The auto and property insurance company did not reveal details about what happened, only …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 2:37 PM |
California Adopts Rules Allowing Testing And Deployment of Heavy-Duty AVs
The California Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday adopted new regulations for autonomous vehicles, allowing manufacturers to test and deploy heavy-duty driverless vehicle technology on the state’s roads. Related: Tesla Avoids California Sales Halt Over Autopilot Marketing The new regulations …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 1:40 PM |
Georgia Governor Candidate Hired Undocumented at His Mansion, Comp Claim Argues
A workers’ compensation claim has turned into accusations that the billionaire frontrunner in the Georgia governor’s race, a health care executive who has vowed to deport more immigrants, hired illegal immigrants to work on his property. Republican Rick Jackson, founder …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 1:35 PM |
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 …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 1:11 PM |
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 …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 1:07 PM |
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 …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 12:53 PM |
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 …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 10:44 AM |
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 …
POSTED APRIL 29, 2026 10:21 AM |