Business Moves: BayPine to Acquire Broker Relation From Aquiline
Private equity firm Aquiline Capital said it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell independent insurance broker Relation to investment firm BayPine. Chicago-based Relation was ranked No. 24 in Insurance Journal’s Top 100 Independent Property/Casualty Agencies report with about …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 8:20 PM |
Verisk Downplays AI Disruption Fears as Quarterly Profit Beats Estimates
Verisk’s fourth-quarter profit topped Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, with CEO Lee Shavel touting the quality of the firm’s proprietary data sets amid concerns around AI-driven disruption to the information services business model. The data analytics firm, which also provided …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 5:22 PM |
ITRC: Data-Breach ‘Transparency Is on Life Support’
An annual report for the Identity Theft Resource Center has found that there were a record 3,322 compromises of data in in the United States 2025, but there has been a significant decline in consumer notifications. According to ITRC’s Annual …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 5:13 PM |
Inszone Acquires Texas’ Scarbrough, Medlin & Associates
Inszone Insurance Services announced its expansion in Texas through the acquisition of Scarbrough, Medlin & Associates, Inc., a Dallas-based agency with more than four decades of experience serving commercial property clients. Scarbrough, Medlin & Associates was founded in 1981 by …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 4:23 PM |
Specialty Program Group Integrates Anova Marine and Logistiq Insurance Solutions
Specialty Program Group LLC (SPG), an operator of specialty insurance distribution, underwriting, and consulting businesses, announced the acquisition of Logistiq Insurance Solutions and the subsequent integration of Logistiq with Anova Marine Insurance, a firm acquired by Specialty Program Group in …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 4:18 PM |
Ohio Asphalt Companies to Pay $30M to Settle False Claim Act Allegations
Two asphalt companies have agreed to pay $30 million total to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they submitted fraudulent test results to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for federally funded asphalt projects in Ohio. Specifically, Kokosing Materials, Inc. …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 4:06 PM |
Luxury Steamer Wreck Found in Lake Michigan After 60-Year Quest
Searchers have discovered the wreck of a luxury steamer that sank in a Lake Michigan gale in the late 19th century, completing a quest that began almost 60 years ago. Shipwreck World, a group that works to locate shipwrecks around …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 3:59 PM |
Camden Diocese’s Sex Abuse Claims Fund to Get $180 Million Boost
The Catholic Diocese of Camden, New Jersey and several holdout insurers have agreed to add $180 million to a trust fund to pay claims of survivors of sexual abuse by the church’s clergy. The $180 million is in addition to …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 3:20 PM |
Environmental Groups Challenge Decision to Revoke Basis of Climate Regulations
A coalition of health and environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday over its decision to revoke the scientific finding that forms the basis of U.S. climate regulations. The legal challenge filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 3:04 PM |
Florida Regulators Crack the Whip on Auto Warranty Firm, Fake Certificates of Insurance
Florida regulators announced a crackdown on people selling vehicle insurance products without a license. Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky this week ordered American Dream Auto Protect Inc., an auto warranty company, to cease operations because it did not have a license …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 2:47 PM |
Pinion Insurance Launches With Up to $180 Million Commitment From Barings
Specialty insurance platform Pinion Insurance announced its launch yesterday. The company will offer insurance capacity for managing general agents (MGAs) across the U.S., U.K. and European markets through a fully integrated innovative proprietary technology platform. Founded by an experienced management …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 2:42 PM |
Tesla Avoids California Sales Halt Over Autopilot Marketing
Tesla Inc. will be allowed to continue selling electric vehicles in California uninterrupted after the company revised what the state had called misleading marketing of driver-assistance technology. The automaker has taken “corrective action” including ending the use of Autopilot branding …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 2:40 PM |
Global Insurtech Funding Surges on Record Re/Insurance Investments: Gallagher Re
Investments in global insurtech rose 19.5% during 2025 to US$5.08 billion from US$4.25 billion in FY 2024, marking the first annual increase since 2021, according to Gallagher Re’s Q4 Global Insurtech Report. During the fourth quarter of 2025, global insurtech …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 1:56 PM |
‘We Failed Them:’ MS Senators Call for Improved Disaster Response After Storm
North Mississippi senators pleaded for an improved disaster response from the state last week as thousands of their constituents still lacked power nearly three weeks after the January winter storm. Sen. Rita Potts Parks, a Republican from Corinth, repeatedly told …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 1:41 PM |
Coalition Against Insurance Fraud Announces New Leadership Appointments
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud announced new leadership appointments across several of its committees and task forces, reinforcing its commitment to collaboration, innovation, and excellence in fraud prevention. The Coalition’s 14 committees and task forces play a vital role in …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 1:28 PM |
AI Needs Its Own Risk Class: Lockton Re
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by organizations across all industries is changing the commercial risk landscape; it’s time to consider making AI its own risk classification, according to a new report from Lockton Re, in collaboration with Lockton International …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 1:10 PM |
German Union Files Defamation Complaint Against Tesla Factory Manager
Germany’s IG Metall has filed a criminal complaint against the manager of Tesla’s factory near Berlin, accusing him of “spreading false allegations,” the union said on Tuesday, in another sign of its souring relations with the U.S. automaker. The union …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 10:15 AM |
Munich Re Unit to Cut 1,000 Positions as AI Takes Over Jobs
Munich Re’s primary insurance unit ERGO aims to cut about 1,000 positions in Germany, partly as a result of its increased use of artificial intelligence. The cuts affect simple and repetitive tasks in telephony and claims processing, a spokesman said …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 9:34 AM |
Can AI Tell Us How Much to Pay for Art?
Stephen Smith, 56, a UK-based art collector, has bought prints through MyArtBroker, a sales and management platform for secondary-market prints and editions, since 2024, when he purchased Echo by British abstract artist Bridget Riley for £7,500 ($10,300). He uses the …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 8:57 AM |
Viewpoint: How P/C Carriers Can Win the Next Decade With Tech + Talent
When I reflect on the state of the Property & Casualty business today, two forces are reshaping the industry faster than any cycle I’ve seen in my career. Increasingly complex risks are driving demand for specialized protection solutions and talent. …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:22 AM |
France Fines Russia-Linked Oil Tanker in Shadow Fleet Crackdown
France will release a tanker after hitting it with a multimillion-euro fine for flouting European sanctions on Russian oil, following its seizure in the Mediterranean Sea last month. The Grinch will leave French waters after “paying several millions of euros …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:10 AM |
Asbestos Lawsuits Prompt Vanderbilt Minerals to File Bankruptcy
Vanderbilt Minerals, which mines materials used in industrial products, filed for bankruptcy after its cash flow was overwhelmed by an increase in lawsuits that accuse the company of once selling items contaminated by asbestos. The firm, which denies that its …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:06 AM |
EU Ill-Prepared for Worsening Climate Change, Advisers Say
The European Union is not prepared for worsening climate change and should urgently step up its investments to protect people and infrastructure from mounting floods, wildfires and severe heatwaves, its independent advisers said on Tuesday. Climate change has made Europe …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:05 AM |
CFC Owners Said to Tap Banks for Sale, IPO of £5 Billion Insurer
Private equity firms EQT AB and Vitruvian Partners are working with advisers as they explore strategic options for their investment in cyber insurer CFC, according to people familiar with the matter. The buyout group has appointed Evercore Inc. and Goldman …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:03 AM |
Florida Pool Safety Bills Moving to Address Record Number of Drowning Deaths
The 2026 regular session of the Florida Legislature may not make significant changes to the state’s property insurance statutes. But it could become known as the “water safety” session that approved measures aimed at reducing drowning deaths in the state—bills …
POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2026 6:01 AM |