Monthly Archives: <span>October 2013</span>

South Carolina Eyes Raising Penalties to Improve Construction Zone Safety

A bill proposed by two state senators would increase fines and jail time for driving violations in construction zones in South Carolina. “It’s common sense to take these extra steps for safety,” Sen. Paul Campbell of Goose Creek told The …

President Obama Urges Congress Act on Farm, Crop Insurance, Food Stamps Bill

President Barack Obama, in a rebuke to proposals by House Republicans for steep cuts in food stamps for the poor, urged Congress on Thursday to pass a farm bill “that protects children and vulnerable adults in time of need.” Obama …

States Going After Employers Who Misclassify Workers as Independent Contractors

When construction slowed during the recession, some companies hired workers and wrongly designated them as independent contractors to avoid paying insurance, taxes, fair wages and overtime. Danny Odom, chief operating officer of Odom Construction Systems, Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, says …

Pirate Attacks by Heavily Armed Gangs Surge off Nigerian Coast

Pirate attacks off Nigeria’s coast have jumped by a third this year with ships passing through West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, a major commodities hub, increasingly under threat from gangs wanting to snatch cargoes and crews. Unlike the dangerous waters …

Bushfires Destroy Properties in Sydney Region; One Reported Death

Firefighters battled to contain bushfires that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes in the Sydney region as authorities warned Australia’s most-populous state faces hazardous conditions for months to come. A 63-year-old man died protecting his home from a fire at …

CGSC CEO Sees Capital Availability Moderating Traditional Insurance Cycle

The increasing ease of raising intelligent capital could lead to the end of the established insurance cycle according to Toby Esser, Group CEO of Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford, speaking at the BrokersLink Global Conference in Singapore. He told delegates …

ACE Construction Practice Launches Catastrophe Services Through ESIS

ACE USA has launched catastrophe claims servicing capabilities specifically designed for the construction industry through ESIS Inc., a risk management services company owned by the ACE Group. The new offerings provide an additional layer of protection from losses that occur …

Insurance Media CEO, an Ex-Cop, Pulls Man From Burning Wreck

There may be no such thing as a retired cop; it’s more like they are “off duty.” It’s a mindset that many former police officers and emergency response professionals seem to share. After spending 16 years as a police officer …

IICF, Cookie Monster Promote Early Childhood Literacy

It’s hard to conceive of taking a step farther away from the topic of insurance than having a big, hairy blue monster drive home your point. But that’s just what the Cookie Monster did when he walked into the Magnolia …

Geithner Rejects Greenberg Bid for Draft of Book on AIG Bailout

Former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner joined the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in declining to give drafts of a book he’s writing to Maurice “Hank” Greenberg for Greenberg’s lawsuit challenging the government’s bailout of American International Group Inc. Greenberg …