Insurance news

• Public health insurance exchange enrollment expected to grow in 2016

  15-10-2015 23:33
  
  Enrollment in public health insurance exchanges is expected to grow modestly in 2016, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analysis released Thursday.
  
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• Attorneys: N.Y. Woman’s Lawsuit Against Nephew Was an Insurance Case

  15-10-2015 22:42
  
  A New York woman who sued her 12-year-old nephew for $127,000 over injuries she received when he exuberantly greeted her at his birthday party four years ago was forced to go to court over her medical bills, her lawyers said …
  
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• OSHA fines glass manufacturer for worker burn accident

  15-10-2015 21:49
  A glass manufacturer is facing proposed penalties totaling $122,000 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration following an accident in which an employee suffered third-degree burns on his legs and hands.
  
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• Lockton Names VanOpdorp as Chief Analytics Officer; Adds Moitoso as SVP Analytics

  15-10-2015 21:34
  
  Missouri-based global insurance broker Lockton has named Justin VanOpdorp as its first chief analytics officer.  As chief analytics officer, he will have global responsibility for business intelligence and analytics that help Lockton clients improve their businesses. VanOpdorp has led the …
  
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• OSHA cites cleaning firm over railcar explosion

  15-10-2015 21:33
  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an Omaha, Nebraska-based railcar cleaning services company for egregious health and safety violations related to a deadly blast that killed two employees in April.
  
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• Vanderbilt Properties Insurance Brokerage Hires Correll as VP in New York

  15-10-2015 21:29
  
  Vanderbilt Properties Insurance Brokerage, a New York City-based national program administrator and brokerage for the real estate industry, hired Kim Correll as vice president of New Business Development. In her new role, Correll will be responsible for the oversight of …
  
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• AIG to sell Central American operations

  15-10-2015 21:21
  AIG is saying so long to 100% of its operations in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama — and plans to leave them in the hands of ASSA Compañía Tenedora S.A. and ASSA Compañía de Seguros.
  
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• Health care services unit boosts UnitedHealth results

  15-10-2015 21:19
  If third-quarter earnings are any indication, UnitedHealth Group's July merger with health care services subsidiary Optum was a good move for both parties.
  
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• Construction firms that ignored stop-work order fined

  15-10-2015 21:04
  Two Northern California construction companies have been issued total fines of more than $300,000 for allegedly exposing workers to cave-in hazards at a construction site, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health said Thursday.
  
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• Mercer's private health exchange enrollment grows

  15-10-2015 19:23
  The number of employers participating in Mercer L.L.C.’s private health insurance exchange will jump next year.
  
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• VW will recall 8.5 million diesels after German hard line

  15-10-2015 19:14
  
  Volkswagen AG will embark on one of the biggest recalls in European automotive history, affecting 8.5 million diesel vehicles, after German authorities threw out the carmaker’s proposal for voluntary repairs.
  
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• Church Mutual to Acquire Penn. School Boards Association Insurance Holdings

  15-10-2015 18:59
  
  Church Mutual Insurance Company, a Merrill, Wisconsin-based insurer of religious organizations, announced that it has agreed to acquire the insurance operations of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Under the acquisition agreement, Church Mutual …
  
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• Bentley, Holmes Join MarketScout Private Client Solutions Division

  15-10-2015 18:44
  
  MarketScout, a national electronic insurance exchange and specialty MGA headquartered in Dallas, announced that Noel Bentley and Ernie Holmes have joined its Private Client Solutions division. Holmes, a 25-year veteran of the insurance industry will serve as senior vice president …
  
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• Underwriter adds excess and surplus casualty cover

  15-10-2015 18:42
  Pioneer Underwriting Ltd. said Thursday that Pioneer Special Risk now underwrites excess and surplus casualty through its Atlanta office.
  
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• Kansas Pharmaceutical Plant to Pay $400K to Settle Discrimination Case

  15-10-2015 18:35
  
  A central Kansas pharmaceutical plant accused of gender discrimination must pay about $400,000 in back wages and hire more women, according to a federal settlement. The U.S. Department of Labor said in a release that the Hospira Inc. plant in …
  
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• Oklahoma Oil Company Disputing Required Reduction in Disposal Well Volumes

  15-10-2015 18:33
  
  A Tulsa oil company has agreed to a technical meeting with Oklahoma regulators after challenging their response to earthquakes and saltwater disposal wells. The Oklahoman reports Marjo Operating Co. Inc. and staff for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission agreed during a …
  
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• Residents Evacuate as Wildfire Burns in Northwestern Louisiana

  15-10-2015 18:31
  
  Authorities say a series of wildfires have burned more than two square miles in northwestern Louisiana and threatened homes. Louisiana State Police said in a statement that the fires started Tuesday afternoon in Bienville Parish. KTBS-TV reports dozens of residents …
  
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• Update: Central Texas Wildfire Now Over 4,000 Acres

  15-10-2015 18:25
  
  A Central Texas wildfire grew to more than 4,000 acres on Oct. 15, and at least 400 homes have been evacuated according to the Bastrop County Emergency Management Agency. The Texas A&M Forest Service had said the blaze that began in Bastrop …
  
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• Central Texas Wildfire Grows to 375 Acres; Homes Threatened

  15-10-2015 18:25
  
  A Central Texas wildfire has grown to about 375 acres as voluntary evacuations continue near Smithville with no reports of anyone hurt. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the blaze in Bastrop County was 50 percent contained on Oct. 14. …
  
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• Wisconsin Gun Shop Ordered to Pay Millions to Injured Police Officers

  15-10-2015 18:22
  
  A jury has ordered a gun shop to pay nearly $6 million in a lawsuit filed by two Milwaukee, Wis., police officers who were seriously wounded when shot by a gun purchased at the store. Jurors ruled that Badger Guns …
  
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• Ohio Megachurch, Insurer Disputing Payment of Lawsuit Settlement

  15-10-2015 18:20
  
  Lawyers for a central Ohio megachurch and its former insurance company are squaring off in the Ohio Supreme Court over payment of $3.1 million settlement in a lawsuit over the alleged beating of a toddler at the church. The Columbus …
  
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• Univ. of Wisconsin Seeking $400M from Apple in Patent Dispute

  15-10-2015 18:18
  
  The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s licensing arm is seeking $400 million from Apple Inc. for infringing the school’s patent on microprocessor technology. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is owed that much, its lawyer told the jury after it found Apple had …
  
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• 7 Workers’ Comp issues few are talking about…yet

  15-10-2015 18:00
  Today's Workers’ Compensation market is generally favorable, but several emerging medical and demographic challenges have the potential to upset the current balance. By better understanding the possible impact of these new variables on the market, buyers and brokers will be able to continue to protect employees—and their bottom lines.
  
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• Alaska says wildlife recovered, no need for Exxon Valdez damages

  15-10-2015 17:57
  (Reuters) — U.S. and Alaskan authorities on Thursday said they will no longer seek additional damages from Exxon Mobil Corp.
  
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• International brokers' network adds 10 members

  15-10-2015 17:44
  Brokerslink, the independent international brokers’ network, on Thursday said it has added 10 new members and plans to work with carriers to develop bespoke products for clients.
  
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• OSHA cites repeat-offender lumber firm for safety lapses

  15-10-2015 17:36
  The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an Alabama lumber company for repeated and serious workplace safety violations and proposed a fine of more than $43,000.
  
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• XL Catlin offers lead excess Side A directors and officers policy

  15-10-2015 17:34
  XL Catlin has launched a directors and officers lead excess Side A difference in conditions policy through the company’s Hamilton, Bermuda-based professional lines insurance operations.
  
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• Suit Against Wyoming Wilderness School in Hiker’s Death Dismissed

  15-10-2015 17:27
  
  A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against a Wyoming-based wilderness training academy over the death of a hiker on a 2011 trip to India. U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson last week dismissed the suit filed by Elizabeth Brenner …
  
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• Small Quake Shakes Big Bear Area in Southern California

  15-10-2015 17:24
  
  A small earthquake has shaken the Big Bear Lake area of the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6:55 a.m. Wednesday tremor had a magnitude of 3.6. It was centered 3 miles south …
  
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• U.S. and Alaska Won’t Seek Another $92M From Exxon For Spill Decades Ago

  15-10-2015 17:21
  
  U.S. and Alaska state officials announced on Wednesday they will no longer seek an additional $92 million from Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay for environmental cleanup and restoration stemming from the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill nearly three decades ago. …
  
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• New workplace injury reporting rules confuse employers, swamp OSHA

  15-10-2015 16:48
  A victim of its own new workplace accident reporting requirements, OSHA is now getting flooded with an additional 200 to 250 new reports each week.
  
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• Illinois to delay pension contributions with ongoing budget stalemate

  15-10-2015 16:36
  
  The continuing budget impasse in Illinois means the state will delay its November pension contribution, state Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger announced on Wednesday.
  
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• Report critical of workers comp opt-out laws unlikely to change minds

  15-10-2015 16:22
  A new report that examines the equity of alternatives to workers compensation is not likely to deter backers who support opt-out legislation, sources say.
  
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• CNA Names Aguinaga Chief Human Resources Officer

  15-10-2015 16:09
  
  Chiago-based insurer CNA has appointed of Liz Aguinaga as senior vice president and chief human resources officer. She will be responsible for strategies and operations for global human resources across the entire CNA enterprise. Aguinaga joined CNA in 2010 as …
  
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• Profiling insurance pros under 40: Nicole Coppock

  15-10-2015 15:00
  
  Meet Nicole Coppock, Private Client Services at Frank H. Furman Inc., Pompano Beach, Fla.
  
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• Supreme Court Weighs When an Offer Ends Class Action

  15-10-2015 14:52
  
  The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared closely divided as it weighed a class action case in which advertising agency Campbell-Ewald Co. is attempting to fend off a lawsuit over claims that it violated a federal consumer law by sending …
  
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• New study shows inequality in deaths from auto accidents

  15-10-2015 14:30
  
  New research reveals that people who are poor or less educated are more likely to die in car crashes than people who are better educated or well-off.
  
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• With El Nino Warming, Talk Turns to Cool La Nina

  15-10-2015 14:15
  
  Just because the weather-roiling El Nino in the Pacific Ocean is still months from peaking, it doesn’t mean it’s too early to talk about La Nina. La Nina, sometimes thought of as El Nino’s opposite number, is a cooling of …
  
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• Applied Systems launches partner program

  15-10-2015 13:46
  
  The Applied Partner Program offers a technology and industry collaboration that enhances automation and connectivity across the independent insurance distribution channel.
  
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• Reith to Join Marketform Managing Agency as Chief Executive Officer

  15-10-2015 13:31
  
  American Financial Group Inc.* announced that Martin Reith has been appointed chief executive officer of Marketform Managing Agency, which operates Syndicate 2468 at Lloyd’s of London, effective November 2015. Reith has over 25 years’ experience across underwriting, management and leadership. …
  
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• 5 secrets to create a successful threat plan

  15-10-2015 13:00
  
  An increase in workplace violence requires a proactive approach to reduce the risk.
  
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• Nationwide honors the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year

  15-10-2015 12:45
  
  Curtis, a Boxer from Princeton, W. Va., has won the 2015 Hambone Award after he swallowed a wooden barbeque skewer, which disappeared in his body.
  
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• Amtrak Sponsors Cat Bond for NE Storm Surge, Wind and Quake

  15-10-2015 12:37
  
  Amtrak is getting $275 million of reinsurance protection from the capital markets for its wholly owned captive, covering storm surge, wind and earthquake perils, according to GC Securities. GC Securities, the capital markets arm of reinsurance broker Guy Carpenter, announced the …
  
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• Amtrak transfers $275 million risk in first CAT bond for railway

  15-10-2015 12:15
  
  Amtrak obtained $275 million of natural- disaster protection from fixed-income investors in the first catastrophe bond for the U.S. long-distance passenger railway.
  
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• UK’s Aviva Seeks Smaller Acquisitions in Other Countries After Friends Life

  15-10-2015 12:06
  
  Aviva Plc’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Wilson said the British insurer is looking for smaller acquisitions outside its home market as it continues to integrate Friend’s Life Group Ltd., the country’s largest insurance transaction in at least 15 years. “We’ll …
  
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• Ironshore Named Oracle Team USA’s Insurer for 2017 America’s Cup

  15-10-2015 11:14
  
  Bermuda-based Ironshore Inc. has been named Official Insurer for Oracle Team USA for the 35th America’s Cup. The announcement said the company will “provide comprehensive insurance coverage for the team, from the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Bermuda regatta, …
  
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• XL Catlin Bermuda Creates New Prof. Lines D&O Excess Side A ‘DIC’ Policy

  15-10-2015 11:08
  
  XL Catlin’s Professional Lines Insurance Operations in Bermuda announced the launch of a new Directors & Officers lead excess ‘Side A’ Difference In Conditions (DIC) policy, “to address various issues facing brokers and clients in the current M&A environment.” Matthew …
  
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• Hiscox’s ILS Unit, Kiskadee, and Hiscox Re Announce 3 Senior Appointments

  15-10-2015 10:42
  
  Bermuda-headquartered Hiscox Re’s insurance linked securities (ILS) operation, Kiskadee Investment Managers, announced that Andrew Hughes will assume the role of ILS chief compliance officer and general counsel, while Dr. Matthew Swann has been appointed portfolio manager. In addition, Michael Jedraszak, …
  
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• Insurance Australia Scraps Plans for Further China Investment

  15-10-2015 10:06
  
  Insurance Australia Group Ltd. scrapped plans for further investment in China and will instead seek growth in other Asian markets, in a sign that Australia’s hopes of boosting services exports to the world’s second-largest economy may be difficult to achieve. The …
  
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• UK’s ‘Duty of Responsibility’ Rules to Extend to Insurance Executives

  15-10-2015 10:01
  
  Executives at UK insurers, mortgage brokers and payday-loan companies will be covered by the same “duty of responsibility” as those in banks under legislation introduced in Parliament Thursday. The Bank of England and Financial Services Bill, which will be introduced to …
  
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