Latest Commercial Lines Headlines

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

New Jersey’s Small Business Owners Say Sandy Grants Don’t Add Up

Mar 13 2014 // A group of small business owners in New Jersey is the latest to criticize how New Jersey is awarding federal money to help recover from Superstorm Sandy, complaining the state has parceled out only a fraction of the grant...

Employers Raise Employees’ Deductibles to Curb Health Costs

Mar 13 2014 // Four of five U.S. companies have raised deductibles or are considering doing so as health costs increase, according to a survey of more than 700 employers. About one-third of the companies have already increased...

Federal Report Details Problems at Indiana’s Workplace Safety Agency

Mar 12 2014 // Federal investigators say Indiana’s workplace safety agency mishandled complaints, put its inspectors under strict time constraints and didn’t help whistleblowers. The federal Occupational Safety and Health...

Maine Gov. LePage Resists Workplace Safety Data Plan

Mar 11 2014 // A proposal from the federal government to make more specific workplace safety data available online could violate individuals’ privacy and embarrass employers and workers, Maine officials said. Republican Gov. Paul...

Illinois Medical Marijuana Law Poses Workplace Dilemma

Mar 11 2014 // Illinoisans hoping to make use of the state’s fledgling medical marijuana law may risk their jobs if their employers opt to maintain or adopt zero-tolerance drug policies. The Rockford Register Star reported that the...

Commercial Lines Price Hikes Slowing: Towers Watson

Mar 11 2014 // Commercial insurance prices have risen for 12 straight quarters, including the latest jump of 5 percent in aggregate during fourth-quarter 2013. But price gains are slowing down, according to Towers Watson. The global...

Judge’s Refusal to Fine Drone Operator Seen Spur to More Commercial Flying

Mar 10 2014 // A judge overturned a U.S. regulator’s first fine against a drone operator, a ruling that may lead to more commercial unmanned-aircraft flights in the U.S. before rules are written to govern their use. Judge Patrick...

Travelers: Strain Is Most Common Workplace Injury in Texas

Mar 10 2014 // The four most common workplace injuries among Texas employers in 2013 were strains, sprains, fractures and contusions, according to a recent analysis of Travelers’ 2013 workers’ compensation claim...

Florida Lawmakers Turn Attention to Privatizing Commercial Business in Citizens

Mar 7 2014 // One year after enacting reforms designed to reduce the amount of homeowners business in the state’s insurer, state lawmakers are now looking to further shrink Citizens Property Insurance Corp. by targeting its...

Report Lists Indiana’s Workplace Safety Problems

Mar 7 2014 // Federal investigators say Indiana’s workplace safety agency mishandled complaints, put its inspectors under strict time constraints and didn’t help whistleblowers. The federal Occupational Safety and Health...

Changes at Top for AIG Commercial Lines: Smith Named COO; Shea, Thomas Head Global Lines

Mar 5 2014 // American International Group Inc. announced senior leadership changes in its Commercial Insurance business, naming Michael Smith as chief operating officer (COO). Also, James Shea has been appointed president of Global...

Non-Fatal Workplace Injuries in Ohio Below National Average

Feb 24 2014 // Ohio’s rate of non-fatal workplace injuries is below the national average, according to the head of the state’s primary workers’ compensation insurance provider. Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation...

Commercial Insurance Markets Looking Favorable in 2014: Marsh

Feb 24 2014 // The ample capacity and competition that helped temper firming of U.S. commercial insurance rates in 2013 is expected to continue into 2014, unless catastrophe losses turn out higher than expected, according to a report by...

Ascot Underwriting Limited Appoints American Claims Management to Manage Commercial Property Program

Feb 20 2014 // San Diego, Calif. (02/20/2014) – American Claims Management Inc. (ACM), a national third party administrator (TPA), is pleased to announce that effective January 1, 2014, it began claims handling for the Commercial...

More Employers to Move to Private Health Insurance Exchanges

Feb 19 2014 // One-third of U.S. employers plan to move their workers’ healthcare coverage to a private exchange in the next few years, a survey found, following the lead of companies like Walgreen Co. seeking to reduce...

Small Business Online Insurer AssureStart Now Writing in Maryland, Pennsylvania

Feb 14 2014 // AssureStart, a Seattle-based start-up direct company that sells small business insurance on the Internet, has opened for business in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Owned primarily by American Family Insurance, AssureStart...

Hub Opens Commercial, Benefits Office in Northern California

Feb 14 2014 // Hub International Insurance Services Inc., a leading international Insurance brokerage, announced Friday that it has officially opened its San Francisco, Calif. commercial markets and benefits group office in the heart of...

AIG Posts Q4 Profit; Commercial Combined Ratio at 107.7

Feb 14 2014 // Insurer American International Group on Thursday raised its dividend and announced more share buybacks as its fourth-quarter earnings beat expectations, swinging to a profit compared with a year-earlier loss. The company...

President’s Delay of Employers’ Healthcare Mandate on ‘Shaky’ Legal Ground: Experts

Feb 12 2014 // The Obama administration may have pushed the bounds of its legal authority by delaying the healthcare law requirement that certain employers provide coverage to full-time workers, but the move will be tough to challenge in...

Commercial Insurance Markets Looking Favorable for Buyers in 2014: Marsh

Feb 7 2014 // The ample capacity and competition that helped temper firming of U.S. commercial insurance rates in 2013 is expected to continue into 2014, unless catastrophe losses turn out higher than expected, according to a report by...