Old Equipment Causing New Problems for Insurers

Insurers are getting a front-row seat in learning the risks that come from aging renewable energy-producing equipment, says an industry expert. The last 15 years have seen a spark in growth in the area of renewable energy development, particularly in wind and solar.
July 1, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Risk Management

Insurers Unwilling To Cover Bezos’s 2021 Space Odyssey

Launching one of the richest individuals on earth into orbit has proved a leap too far for insurers, who are not ready to price the risk of losing Jeff Bezos or his fellow space travelers.
June 24, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Liability

Rockton, Illinois Chemtool Fire Continues Burning; Evacuation Order Remains in Effect

A massive fire at a Rockton, Illinois Chemtool plant continues to burn for a second day Tuesday. The massive chemical plant went up in flames around 7 a.m. Monday and firefighters say it could burn for several days.
June 15, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Property Illinois

Charles Taylor Launches US Environmental Services Division

Insurance services and claims solutions provider Charles Taylor is launching a new US-based division that is focused on offering pre-risk and post-loss environmental services.

Known as Charles Taylor Environmental Technical Services (CT Environmental), the new business will be led by Kellie Vazquez, SVP of CT Environmental. Vazquez has 12 years of experience providing environmental services to the insurance industry.

CT Environmental will provide a full range of environmental specialty services to clients throughout the US, from its location in California. The division’s services ‑ all designed to meet the needs of the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors ‑ will include asbestos, lead, mold, bacteria, sewage, and soot assessments, as well as indoor air quality testing.
June 11, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Liability Property

A Most Memorable Claim

Rarely do claims professionals play a role in limiting liability, often because a loss has already occurred by the time they receive a new matter. That is one of the biggest differentiators in specializing in cyber-related claims, according to our next most-memorable claim interviewee, Christine Flammer.
June 10, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines

Pay Up or Shut Down?

It had been simmering beneath the surface for some time. The profound increase in frequency and severity of ransomware attacks on U.S. businesses in every sector was impossible not to notice.
June 3, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Risk Management

Cyber Insurance Fuels Ransomware Payment Surge

Companies relying on their cyber insurance policies to pay off ransomware criminals are being blamed for a recent uptick in ransomware attacks.
June 3, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines

How the Insurance Industry Could Bring Down Fossil Fuels

Late last year, Lloyd’s of London announced plans to stop selling insurance for some types of fossil fuel companies by 2030.
May 28, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Risk Management Underwriting

Firefighting Helicopter Crashes In Florida, No Survivors

At least one person died after a firefighting helicopter crashed Tuesday evening during a training exercise, officials say.
May 26, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Workers' Compensation Florida

If the Federal Government Ever Gets Around to Legalizing Cannabis, Here Are the Insurance Implications

In his 2015 stand-up special The Comeback Kid, stand-up comedian John Mulaney joked that the government had ‘[become] like cool parents’ when it came to marijuana.
May 21, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines

GEICO at Center of Unemployment Benefits Scam

Things are looking pretty rough for GEICO, as not only did the insurer recently suffer a data breach, but it was also discovered that the hackers responsible are using consumers’ compromised information to fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits.
May 20, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Fraud Liability

Insurer Says Not Obligated to Cover in Kobe Bryant Crash

A Sompo International Holdings Ltd. unit has filed suit seeking a declaration it is not obligated to indemnify the helicopter company that allegedly arranged the flight in which basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter were killed last year.
May 19, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Litigation California

Mass Shooting Insurance in High Demand as U.S. Emerges From Lockdown

As normality filters back into American lives after a year of lockdowns, hospitals and other institutions are busy making provisions for one aspect of that old normal they would rather consign to the past - mass shootings.
May 17, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines

Train in Iowa Hauling Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire

About 80 people in a city in northwest Iowa were evacuated on Sunday afternoon after part of a Union Pacific train hauling hazardous materials, including fertilizer and asphalt, derailed and then caught fire, officials said.
May 17, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Iowa

Texas Senate Committee Approves Legislation to Curb Lawsuit Abuse

The Texas Senate Transportation Committee has unanimously approved a House bill that would help curb the growing trend of lawsuit abuse targeting commercial vehicles in Texas.
May 14, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Legislation & Regulation Texas

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