Latest Claims Headlines
All the headlines from our Claims Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Georgia Reports $4.7M Recovered for Insurance Consumers So Far in 2017
Oct 24 2017 // The Georgia Department of Insurance’s Consumer Services Division answered more than 8,778 complaints and helped consumers receive $4,828,385 million in claims settlements through the first three quarters of 2017,...
Insurers Weigh Premium Hikes for UK’s Tall Buildings After Grenfell Tower Fire
Oct 23 2017 // Insurers are considering raising premiums for tall buildings in Britain with flammable cladding panels and no sprinklers or even excluding related risks following the Grenfell fire in London earlier this year. Inquiries...
Swiss Re Estimates $3.6B in Claims from U.S. Hurricanes & Mexican Quakes
Oct 20 2017 // Swiss Re, the world’s second-largest reinsurer, estimated its claims burden from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in the United States and from two earthquakes in Mexico at roughly $3.6 billion in the third...
GM to Pay States $120 Million to Settle Ignition Switch Claims
Oct 20 2017 // General Motors Co. has agreed to pay $120 million to resolve claims from 49 U.S. states and the District of Columbia over faulty ignition switches, state attorneys general and the company said on Thursday. The largest U.S....
Northern California Wildfires: Insurance Industry Ready to Assist With ‘Massive’ Recovery
Oct 20 2017 // Rebuilding the Northern California areas devastated by wildfire will be a long-term effort, and insurers say they will be there to help their affected policyholders get back on their feet. Tens of thousands of evacuees...
Zurich Estimates Claims of US$700M from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma & Maria
Oct 19 2017 // Zurich Insurance Group estimates that Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria will aggregate claims in the third quarter of approximately US$700 million, net of reinsurance and before tax. After tax, the losses are expected to...
Mass. SJC Reverses Lower Court’s Decision in Legal Malpractice Suit
Oct 18 2017 // The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has reversed a Superior Court decision in favor of a law firm in a legal malpractice suit. The plaintiff, Kiribati Seafood Company LLC, brought the legal malpractice claim against...
Compensation for London’s Grenfell Fire Victims May Be Capped at $5M: Reuters
Oct 18 2017 // The bill for compensating families of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire in London may be as low as 4 million pounds ($5 million), according to several lawyers and a Reuters analysis of how damages laws apply in...
Georgia Estimates $550M in Insured Losses from Hurricane Irma
Oct 18 2017 // Georgia’s estimated insured losses from Hurricane Irma have climbed to more than $550 million, with insurers reporting approximately 103,163 claims filed so far, according to Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph...
PEMCO in Washington Names Vigil to Executive Team, Barry as Vice President of Claims
Oct 17 2017 // Seattle, Wash.-based PEMCO Insurance has named M.J. Vigil to its executive team as the company’s new vice president of people and brand. PEMCO also named Paul Barry to its executive leadership team as vice president...
Residents Begin Filing Claims for West Virginia Chemical Spill
Oct 17 2017 // Residents and businesses in nine West Virginia counties left without tap water during a 2014 chemical spill can start filing claims. According to a website set up to handle claims, forms were being accepted both online and...
Texas Harvey Recovery Czar Says Insurance Industry Needs to ‘Step Up’
Oct 16 2017 // The insurance industry in Texas is not happy with the state’s so-called Hurricane Harvey recovery czar. Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp, who was named by Gov. Greg Abbott to lead the Commission to...
California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Expedite Claims to Aid Wildfire Victims
Oct 15 2017 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones over the weekend issued a notice to insurers asking them to agree to expedited claims handling procedures for wildfire damage claims to help fire victims more quickly. Several...
How Aerial Imaging Is Speeding Hurricane Claims Settlements
Oct 12 2017 // In the wake of three devastating hurricanes this season, many carriers and vendors used drones and airplanes to assess structural storm damage. This use of aerial imaging combined with machine learning has fostered...
West Virginia Men Sentenced for Claims in Staged Car Accidents
Oct 11 2017 // Two West Virginia men have been sentenced for their roles in filing false insurance claims for vehicle accidents. Federal prosecutors say the accidents were staged from 2012 to 2014 in Taylor, Harrison and Marion...
Michiels Named Claims Manager at LUBA Workers’ Comp
Oct 10 2017 // Baton Rouge, La.-based LUBA Workers’ Comp has named Russell Michiels as manager of its claims department. He will oversee all claims operations and medical bill reviews, ensure compliance with state and federal...
Head of Texas’ Harvey Recovery Effort Says Agents Need to ‘Step Up’ on Damage Claims
Oct 6 2017 // The insurance industry in Texas is not happy with the state’s so-called Hurricane Harvey recovery czar. Texas A&M University Chancellor John Sharp, who was named by Gov. Greg Abbott to lead the Commission to...
Penn. Supreme Court Says Malice Not Required to Win Bad Faith Claims
Oct 5 2017 // The Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a decision by the state’s Superior Court that although ill-will or malice is one factor that can be used to assess insurer bad faith, it is not a prerequisite for...
States May Copy California’s Law to Give Employees Right to File Class Actions
Oct 3 2017 // This week, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether employees have the right to bring class actions against their bosses. With the court’s Republican majority restored this year by President Donald Trump, labor...
Supreme Court Justices Appear Split Over Employee Class Action Case
Oct 3 2017 // Liberal U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday defended the right of workers to bring class-action claims against companies but their conservative counterparts who are in the majority sounded skeptical in the biggest...
