Monthly Archives: <span>July 2019</span>

With $100M in New Financing, Digital Agency Hippo Plans Further U.S. Expansion

Online insurance agency Hippo Insurance said it has secured a $100 million financing round that will help propel a broader U.S. expansion of its super-quick online homeowners insurance. Global technology investment firm Bond led the Series D financing, which also …

Trial in Deadly Northern California Warehouse Fire Wraps up

The trial against two men arrested after a deadly warehouse fire in the San Francisco Bay Area is wrapping up. Prosecutors began closing arguments Monday against Derick Almena and Max Harris, both charged with involuntary manslaughter after the December 2016 …

U.S. Urges Ships to Keep Tracking Devices Turned on for Safety, Transparency

The United States wants all ships to keep their tracking transponders on to cut down on illicit activity and smuggling, and to increase transparency with movements of ships around the world, a senior State Department official told Reuters. Automatic identification …

Captives Remain Profitable, Outperform Commercial Insurers, Reports A.M. Best

U.S. captive insurance companies rated by A.M. Best continued their run of strong financial results in 2018, as well as their outperformance of the segment’s counterparts in the commercial casualty sector, according to an A.M. Best special report. The new …

Misdiagnosis a Leading Cause of Medical Malpractice Claims, Studies Show

Two recent research papers both point to the significance of diagnostic errors as a source of medical malpractice claims. A peer-reviewed paper published in Diagnosis on July 11 found that inaccurate or delayed diagnoses were cited in 34% of medical …

Big I New York Welcomes Lombardo as AVP of Learning and Development

Big I New York has welcomed Jim Lombardo as the association’s AVP of Learning and Development. Lombardo will be responsible for expanding the association’s education and research offerings to meet the needs and expectations of 21st century learning. Lombardo joins …

Man Charged with Arson After Maine Business Fire Causing $150K in Damages

Prosecutors in Maine say a man has been charged with arson in connection with a fire that badly damaged two businesses in the northern part of the state. The Bangor Daily News reports Cody Ferguson has also been charged with …

Massachusetts Hearing into RMV Lapses Exposed by Deadly Crash Resumes

Massachusetts lawmakers will again attempt to hold a hearing into lapses at the state motor vehicle department exposed by a New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation will reconvene its hearing into the Registry …

NiSource Settles Massachusetts Gas Explosion Lawsuits for $143M

Utility operator NiSource Inc on Monday said it will pay $143 million to resolve class action lawsuits brought by residents and businesses that suffered losses caused by a series of gas explosions in three Massachusetts communities last year. NiSource and …

Viewpoint: What Insurance Industry Should Acknowledge About Small Business Cyber

The 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report cited that 58% of cyber-attack victims were small businesses, and the 2019 Symantec Internet Threat Report stated that employees working at small businesses were more likely to be targeted by email threats (e.g., …