Latest Claims Headlines

All the headlines from our Claims Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Virus Impact on Workers’ Compensation Limited But Some Workers May Be Covered

Mar 17 2020 // The outbreak of coronavirus has already resulted in some workers’ compensation claims and more are expected. But whether those claims are going to succeed depends on the individual circumstances and the state where...

Insurers Win Antitrust ‘Steering’ Lawsuits Filed by Body Shops

Mar 16 2020 // A federal appellate court threw out most of the claims by automotive body shops in Indiana, Utah and Mississippi that alleged that major insurers violated antitrust laws and engaged in anticompetitive practices by steering...

Insurer Responsible for Liability Claims Despite Uninsured Premises Exclusion

Mar 13 2020 // The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that an insurer is responsible for paying liability claims resulting from the improper use of a portable generator, despite an uninsured premises exclusion in the...

California City is Paying $42.6 M to Settle Sex Abuse Claims

Mar 13 2020 // Santa Monica will pay $42.6 million to nearly two dozen victims of a city employee and former youth volunteer who killed himself after being charged with molestation, according to a newspaper report. The City Council on...

California Employees Who Bring Labor Claims Can’t Recover for Their Unpaid Wages

Mar 12 2020 // The California Supreme Court has ruled that plaintiffs in Private Attorney General Act cases cannot recover for their own or their fellow employees’ unpaid wages, but are limited to recovering civil penalties set...

Oklahoma Regulator Says Unlicensed Home Warranty Company Not Paying Claims

Mar 12 2020 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) said it is actively investigating a home warranty company that it says has issued warranty policies in that state without a license and now is not paying claims. The OID has received...

China Non-Life Insurers See Big Drop in Car Accident Claims in Coronavirus Silver Lining

Mar 12 2020 // Chinese non-life insurers are discovering a silver lining to the cloud spreading over China’s economic performance from the coronavirus outbreak – a sharp drop in car accident claims. Beijing’s efforts to...

Insurers Face Big Investment Losses, Trade Credit Claims from Coronavirus Crisis

Mar 12 2020 // Having initially brushed off the potential impact from coronavirus-linked claims, global insurers are waking up to the prospect of a double whammy – a sharp rise in payouts at a time of big investment losses. Because...

U.S. Cybersecurity Report Calls for Major Government Role in Cyber Insurance

Mar 11 2020 // A major government report on cybersecurity that warns the nation is seriously underprepared for cyber attacks calls for the creation of a federally-funded center to develop cybersecurity insurance certifications and a...

Houston-Area Physicians Group Settles False Billing Claims Case for $1.2M

Mar 11 2020 // Millennium Physicians Association PLLC has paid the United States $1,248,964 to resolve claims that they improperly billed the Medicare program for sleep studies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District...

UK to Spend £2.5B on Road Repairs; Potholes Cause 90% of Auto Insurance Claims

Mar 11 2020 // Britain will spend an extra 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) repairing 50 million potholes in roads over the next five years, the government said ahead of new finance minister Rishi Sunak’s first budget on...

Insurance Industry Is Being Dragged Into Subsidizing Illegal Marijuana Grow Houses

Mar 11 2020 // GARDEN GROVE, Calif. — While California has a $1.4 billion legal marijuana market, a black market of perhaps equal size is thriving. Some enterprising growers are working on ways to get home insurers to cover their...

Couple Suing Princess Cruise Line Over Coronavirus Claims Improper Screening

Mar 10 2020 // A Florida couple who was aboard the coronavirus-hit Grand Princess ocean liner has sued the ship’s owner for more than $1 million, claiming the company put profits over safety and did not have proper screening...

Texas Insurance Regulators: BCBSTX to Pay Restitution, $10M Fine for Claims, Marketing Errors

Mar 9 2020 // The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) has agreed to repay consumers after a departmental review found delays in handling out-of-network emergency claims and incorrect...

U.S. Says 7 Firms Falsely Claiming Products Treat COVID-19

Mar 9 2020 // The Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have warned seven companies for allegedly selling unapproved products that may violate federal law by making deceptive or scientifically unsupported...

UK Insurance Claims from Storms Ciara and Dennis Estimated at US$473.7M

Mar 9 2020 // Insurers expect to make payments to customers hit by the recent Storms Ciara and Dennis of over £363 million (US$ 473.7 million), according to initial estimates from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Initial ABI...

Homeowners’ Satisfaction

Mar 9 2020 // U.S. homeowner insurers are doing a better job than ever making their customers happy when responding to claims, according to J.D. Power. Results of the firm’s Property Claims Satisfaction Study show that overall...

Logic & Language, Forms & Facts: The Case of the ‘Holey’ Insurance

Mar 9 2020 // For a number of years, I’ve done a workshop called “The Adventures of Ace Insura, Claims Detective.” Participants assist Ace in solving a variety of coverage and claims mysteries. Each case has one or...

Progressive Continues Hiring Drive, Looking for 8,000 New Employees Across Country

Mar 9 2020 // Insurer Progressive said it intends to hire up to 8,000 new employees in 2020. With an increase in customers and total revenues topping $39 billion, the company said it needs more employees to support growth in auto,...

This Week’s PLRB Claims Conference Cancelled Due to Concern Over Coronavirus

Mar 8 2020 // A major insurance claims industry conference scheduled to start Sunday, March 8 has been cancelled due to events related to the coronavirus. The event was scheduled for the Gaylord National Hotel in National Harbor,...