Latest Commercial Lines Headlines
All the headlines from our Commercial Lines Topic Page, ordered by recency.
The Lowdown: Loneliness in the (Remote) Workplace
Jul 16 2020 // In the April 2020 article “Dealing With Social Isolation,” the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) states, “Leaders have a responsibility to help mitigate workplace isolation. They need to...
Wisconsin Worker Struck by Commercial Truck in Construction Zone Dies
Jul 15 2020 // A construction worker was struck and killed by a commercial truck along a highway in Wisconsin’s Columbia County, according to sheriff’s officials. The 29-year-old man was working in a construction zone on...
Valley Insurance Agency Alliance Adds Russell as Small Commercial Marketer
Jul 15 2020 // Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a network of independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, has named Amy Russell as small commercial marketer. Russell has more than 20 years of experience in the...
Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in Pandemic
Jul 14 2020 // Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered...
Michigan Suit Says Insurer Owes Commercial Premium Refund Due to Virus
Jul 13 2020 // In a class action lawsuit, a Michigan restaurant and bar has challenged its insurer over commercial policy premium payments that covered the time it was forced to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit...
Louisiana’s Small Business Covid-19 Recovery Program Site Now Operational
Jul 13 2020 // The website for Louisiana’s program to help small businesses that have suffered losses as a result of the coronavirus epidemic is now operational, the state’s treasury office reported. State Treasurer John M....
Illinois Candy Company Fined $485K for Workplace Injuries
Jul 9 2020 // A Chicago-area candy company has been fined nearly $500,000 for workplace injuries, including a fingertip amputation, federal regulators said. The incidents occurred at Ferrara Candy in Bellwood, Ill. An employee lost a...
Supreme Court Supports Employers’ Religious Rights in Contraception, Teacher Employment
Jul 9 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court struck two blows for religious rights, including a decision that upholds Trump administration rules giving employers a broad right to refuse to offer birth control through their health plans. The...
USG Names Aubry Commercial Lines Producer in Arizona
Jul 9 2020 // USG Insurance Services Inc. has named Amanda Aubry as a producer/broker in commercial lines in the Scottsdale, Ariz., office. Aubry has 18 years of insurance industry experience. She was previously a senior underwriter at...
Return-to-Work Safety: Employers Find Testing Employees More Trouble Than It’s Worth
Jul 6 2020 // From nursing homes in New York and a landfill in Utah to Disney World and the Las Vegas Strip, employers are wrestling with workplace safety in the age of Covid-19 and making fraught calculations about how to safeguard...
Commercial Auto Insurers Report Worst Losses in Decade: AM Best
Jul 6 2020 // The U.S. commercial automobile insurance segment’s underwriting losses deepened to $4.0 billion in 2019, the segment’s worst loss in 10 years and a continuation of a decade-long trend of worsening underwriting...
First Washington Employer Cited for Ignoring Governor’s Safe Start Order
Jul 1 2020 // A fitness center near Yakima, Wash. is facing nearly $10,000 in fines for operating in violation of Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start order. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries cited company owner...
U.S. Commercial Auto Insurers Report Worst Losses in Decade: AM Best
Jun 30 2020 // The U.S.commercial automobile insurance segment’s underwriting losses deepened to $4.0 billion in 2019, the segment’s worst loss in 10 years and a continuation of a decade-long trend of worsening underwriting...
Safeco, Heritage Agree to Offer Renewals to AIG’s Upper Middle Market Clients
Jun 30 2020 // American International Group (AIG) announced it has entered into an agreement with Safeco Insurance, a Liberty Mutual subsidiary, and Heritage Insurance Holdings to offer AIG Private Client Group’s (PCG) agents the...
Indiana Woman Gets 3-Year Sentence for $540K Theft from Employer
Jun 29 2020 // An Indianapolis woman has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than a half million dollars from a small business and using the money to buy jewelry and pay for trips to...
California Adopts Workplace Safety Standards Protecting Nighttime Ag Workers
Jun 26 2020 // California has adopted new workplace safety standards to protect agricultural employees who work at night. These are reportedly the first lighting standards in the nation written specifically to protect agricultural...
Treasurer: Louisiana Small Business Grant Program to Begin in July
Jun 24 2020 // Some small businesses harmed by the coronavirus pandemic should start seeing grants from a $300 million federally financed program as soon as next month, Louisiana’s state treasurer said. The money is part of $1.8...
Prime Property & Casualty Insurance Inc. Provides Partnership Approach to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Commercial Auto Market
Jun 24 2020 // Chicago, IL, June 24, 2020 – Prime Property & Casualty Insurance Inc. (“PPCI”) has announced its debut into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts commercial auto market as an admitted carrier specializing...
Hiscox, Thimble to Offer Short-Term Business Insurance Plans
Jun 23 2020 // Hiscox has partnered with Thimble, a short-term liability insurance provider for small businesses, to offer coverage available by the hour, day or month. The partnership will allow Hiscox to give businesses flexibility,...
There’s Plenty of Room for Improvement in U.S. Commercial Lines: Fitch
Jun 22 2020 // With an industry overall combined ratio for 2019 hovering just below 100, and individual lines like long-tail liability moving 10 points over breakeven, the U.S. commercial lines market has “plenty of room for...
