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 |
China to Ban ‘Hidden’ Car Door Handles to Address Safety Fears
China will ban ‘hidden’ car door handles from 2027, becoming the first country to phase out a design pioneered by Tesla and adopted by Chinese competitors including Xiaomi. The hidden handle design, which functions through a key fob or mobile …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 10:09 AM |
Beazley Agrees to Zurich’s Sweetened £8 Billion Takeover Bid
Zurich Insurance Group AG has made a sweetened £8 billion ($11 billion) bid to buy Beazley Plc, an offer that’s won the tentative approval of the UK insurer’s board. The Swiss insurance giant’s revised cash proposal of 1,310 pence a …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 9:37 AM |
Elon Musk Loses Bid to Dismiss SEC Lawsuit Over Twitter Stake
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Elon Musk’s bid to dismiss a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit that claimed he waited too long to disclose his purchases of Twitter shares in 2022. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in Washington, …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 6:30 AM |
People Moves: Hub International Names Baldrica Chief Sales Officer, US Employee Benefits; Bernards Hired as Alternative Risk Practice Leader
Hub International Limited (HUB), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, named Andrea Baldrica as chief sales officer of U.S. Employee Benefits. Baldrica will be responsible for driving HUB’s national employee benefits sales strategy and comprehensive growth across its employee benefits services. Baldrica …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 6:10 AM |
APCIA Testifies in Support of the Fix Our Forests Act
The American Property Casualty Insurance Association testified on Capitol Hill Jan. 3 in support of the Fix Our Forests Act. The legislation, led by Reps. Bruce Westerman, R-Ariz., and Scott Peters, D-Calif., was passed by the House following the January …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 6:05 AM |
New Association Wants Florida to Become a Major Domicile for Captives
It’s probably too late for 2026 legislative session, but by this time next year, a newly formed Florida group hopes it will be well on its way toward a new set of laws that will help Florida become a powerhouse …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 6:01 AM |
Policy Expert Ochs Is NJ Gov. Sherrill’s Choice as Banking and Insurance Commissioner
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said she will be nominate Susan Ochs, a financial services and economic policy expert, as Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance (DOBI). Ochs served as a senior advisor to the head of the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 04, 2026 6:00 AM |
Chubb Posts Record Q4 and Full Year P/C Underwriting Income, Combined Ratio
Insurer Chubb booked fourth quarter net income 24.7% higher than a year ago at about $3.2 billion. Results included record P/C underwriting income of $2.2 billion, up nearly 40% over the same period in 2024. The P/C combined ratio was …
POSTED FEBRUARY 03, 2026 9:46 PM |
People Moves: Marsh Names Quest as UK CEO, Succeeding Lay; TMK Taps Carpenter’s Sitki as Cyber Re U/W; Everest Promotes 2 Key Leaders in Facultative & Hybrid Re
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Marsh, Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK), and Everest Group. A summary of these new hires follows here. Marsh Names Quest as UK CEO, Succeeding Lay Insurance broker Marsh announced the appointment of …
POSTED FEBRUARY 03, 2026 5:14 PM |