Latest Contractors Headlines

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

American Family Disagrees with Jury Finding that Agents Are Employees

May 15 2017 // A federal jury in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 18 determined that thousands of agents with Madison, Wisconsin-based (AmFam) are employees, not independent contractors. The insurer stands by its classification practice and...

Bunker, Startup Broker for Small Business, Contractor Insurance, Raises $6 Million

May 11 2017 // Bunker, a startup digital insurance broker focused on independent contractors and small businesses, has raised $6 million in Series A funding that will help fuel product development and expansion. Hiscox and American...

Settlement Reached in Connecticut Christmas Fire that Killed Five

May 5 2017 // A Connecticut city on Tuesday announced that it has settled a lawsuit filed by the family of three girls who died in a Christmas morning house fire that also killed their grandparents. Terms of the settlement announced by...

Cunningham Joins American Risk Management Resources in Wisconsin

May 3 2017 // Jeff Cunningham has joined American Risk Management Resources Network LLC (ARMR) in Madison, Wis., as director of underwriting for its managing general agency through Berkley Specialty. Cunningham leads the MGA, which...

Ohio Jury Says American Family Agents Are Employees; Insurer Disagrees

Apr 28 2017 // A federal jury in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 18 determined that thousands of agents with Madison, Wisconsin-based American Family Mutual Insurance (AmFam) are employees, not independent contractors. According to a news...

Family Sues Mental Health Contractor in Oregon Bridge Suicide

Apr 20 2017 // The family of a woman who jumped off the Astoria Bridge in northwestern Oregon seeks nearly $1 million in a lawsuit filed against a county mental health contractor. The lawsuit filed Saturday alleges Clatsop Behavioral...

California Awards Contractor $275M Contract to Fix Troubled Dam

Apr 19 2017 // California water officials say they have awarded a contract to repair Oroville Dam’s two damaged spillways to a Nebraska construction company. The Department of Water Resources announced that Kiewit Corp. of Omaha...

Alaska Workers’ Comp Reform Has Labor, Businesses Disagreeing

Mar 29 2017 // Alaska Gov. Bill Walker is sponsoring workers’ compensation legislation aimed at making it easier to determine whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor. Walker’s bill creates a new definition...

California Judge Approves $27M Driver Settlement in Lyft Lawsuit

Mar 17 2017 // A U.S. judge has given final approval to a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit against Lyft Inc., ending a legal case that challenged the independent contractor status of the ride-hailing service’s...

Wyoming to Protect Homeowners from Storm-Chasing Contractors

Mar 13 2017 // Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead made his the 28th state to enact legislation designed to protect homeowners who have suffered damage as a result of a hailstorm from being victimized a second time by storm-chasing contractors. The...

Federal Contractor Disclosure Rule Next on Trump Chopping Block

Mar 7 2017 // Republicans in the U.S. Senate passed a measure to eliminate an Obama administration rule that would require prospective federal contractors to report violations of more than a dozen U.S. labor and employment laws. On a...

New Bill Grants Bonding Assistance to Small Businesses in New Jersey

Mar 6 2017 // A recently passed bipartisan bill in New Jersey has brought good news to small businesses that want to participate on public construction projects. Senate Bill 123, signed by Gov. Chris Christie on Jan. 4, introduces a new...

A Cyber Mandate Isn’t the Way to Address Cyber-Insurance Takeup

Feb 24 2017 // To improve cyber preparedness and help companies recover from cyberattacks, it’s essential that the takeup rate for cyber insurance continues to rise. The insurance capacity plainly exists to write virtually all of...

With Growth of the Gig Economy, States Rethink How Workers Get Benefits

Feb 23 2017 // As more and more Americans hold nontraditional jobs that don’t have benefits attached — think freelance graphic designers or Uber drivers — cities and states are exploring ways to ensure those workers still have...

How the Federal Government Could Lead by Example in Cyber Insurance

Feb 16 2017 // The takeup rate of cyber insurance is rising, but the market’s growth to date has been uneven. Anne Hobson, a technology policy fellow at the R Street Institute, may have a solution to that problem. She proposes that...

Heat Is on Florida Lawmakers to Fix Assignment of Benefits Crisis

Feb 15 2017 // Florida’s insurance industry will apply significant pressure on lawmakers to pass assignments of benefit (AOB) reform in the upcoming legislative session as consumers face rate increases and a looming coverage...

A Look at Smart Buildings and Construction Risks

Feb 3 2017 // With “smart” building becoming the gold standard in today’s commercial construction world, builders, building owners, workers and insurers are dealing with new technologies and risks. These smart...

New Bill Grants Bonding Assistance to Small Businesses in New Jersey

Jan 25 2017 // A recently passed bipartisan bill in New Jersey has brought good news to small businesses that want to participate on public construction projects. Senate Bill 123, signed by Governor Chris Christie on January 4,...

PCI Throws Support Behind Montana Bill Aimed at Storm-damage Contractors

Jan 18 2017 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America is throwing its support behind a bill in Montana that would toughen rules on storm-damage contractors. House Bill 222, authored by Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, would create...

BTIS Announces Launch of New Direct Bill Option for Victory Contractor General Liability

Jan 13 2017 // Rocklin, CA, January 13, 2017- Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Services, Inc. (BTIS) is pleased to announce the launch of BTIS DirectPay, the direct bill option for Victory Contractor General...