Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Surplus Lines Weathered Pandemic, Wildfires, Civil Unrest
Feb 9 2021 // In a year marred by a pandemic, massive Western U.S. wildfires, civil unrest, and a contentious election, California’s surplus lines market “didn’t miss a beat.” That was the message from Ben McKay,...
Remote Workers Heading to Wyoming Amid Pandemic
Feb 9 2021 // Ty Lunsford left Casper in 1998 – seeking, as he says, “bright lights, big city.” He was raised here, and moved out of his parents’ house to go chase the action in Denver. In November, after his job at...
It Could Have Been Worse. An Update on COVID-19 Impact on Workers’ Compensation.
Feb 9 2021 // While it obviously presented challenges, 2020 is looking like it may not have been such a bad year for workers’ compensation insurers and insureds after all. Insurers took in less premium but paid fewer claims. They...
Alabama Lawmakers Move Forward with COVID Liability Protections
Feb 8 2021 // Alabama lawmakers on Thursday fast-tracked a pair of pandemic bills – one to exempt coronavirus relief payments from state income tax and another to shield businesses, health care providers and others from...
Pandemic-Related Business Interruption, Cyber Top Business Risks for 2021: Allianz
Feb 8 2021 // There was no escaping the coronavirus in 2020 and the pandemic will dominate the risk landscape again in 2021, according to global leaders in business, risk management and insurance. A trio of Covid-19 related risks...
Insurance Agency M&A Deals Surged 20% in Year of Pandemic: OPTIS
Feb 8 2021 // There were 744 announced insurance agency mergers and acquisitions in 2020, up nearly 20% from 649 reported in 2019. The surge resulted from the pent-up supply of pending transactions from earlier in the year coupled with...
COVID-19 and Employment Practices Litigation
Feb 8 2021 // As soon as the first community was shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus or the first announcement of a safer at home order by a governor, some of us saw the storm of suits coming related to the loss of business...
Surfacing Emerging Risks From Covid, Cyber, Civil Unrest, Mergers, and More…
Feb 8 2021 // Insurance Journal examined industries experiencing changes and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, societal unrest and other market forces experienced in 2020. Here are 10 industry sectors that could see new and...
Indiana Lawmakers Fast-Track COVID-19 Lawsuit Shield
Feb 7 2021 // Indiana legislators are poised to finalize a fast-tracked proposal that will give a broad shield protecting businesses and others from lawsuits by people blaming them for contracting COVID-19. The proposal is a top...
The Hartford Q4 Profit Dips Slightly on COVID Life Insurance Claims
Feb 5 2021 // Fourth quarter profit at The Hartford dipped slightly due in part to COVID-related group life insurance claims. Fourth quarter 2020 net income came in at $532 million, down 2% from fourth quarter 2019. Fourth quarter...
3 Ways COVID-19 Will Continue to Impact Insurance Industry in 2021
Feb 5 2021 // The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt by the insurance industry and its customers well into 2021 as consumers and businesses continue to face economic challenges, according to a new survey by consumer credit...
Texas Governor Calls for COVID-19 Liability Protections for Businesses
Feb 4 2021 // In his State of the State address on Feb. 2, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott advocated liability protections for businesses faced with lawsuits related to the coronavirus pandemic. In his prepared remarks, Abbott said business...
Workers’ Compensation Underwriters Under the Gun to Understand Pandemic Data
Feb 4 2021 // Workers’ compensation underwriters are about to be tested in the marketplace like never before. While the current situation is not all because of the pandemic, the pandemic has “put gas on a fire that was...
Fed Survey Shows Most Small Businesses Lost Sales Due to Pandemic
Feb 4 2021 // The vast majority of U.S. small businesses took a hit to their revenue last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, with minority-owned businesses struggling the most and worrying more about accessing credit, according...
Olympic Officials Unveil Rules on Masks, Singing, Transport for COVID-19 Games
Feb 3 2021 // Olympic officials on Wednesday unveiled the first of many COVID-19 rules for the Tokyo Games this summer, banning singing and chanting during events and mandating participants to wear masks at “all times”...
Argo’s Q4 2020 Losses from Natural Disasters and COVID-19 Estimated at $51M
Feb 3 2021 // Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. estimates losses from fourth quarter 2020 natural catastrophes and the COVID-19 pandemic will hit $51 million. Breaking down the overall total, Bermuda-based Argo expects to report Q4...
Shareholder Lawsuit Alleges Tyson Misled About COVID-19 Protocols
Feb 3 2021 // U.S. meat and poultry processor Tyson Foods Inc. was sued on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding shareholders with misleading disclosures about its ability to combat the spread of the coronavirus in its facilities. The...
Oregon Proposes Permanent COVID-19 Workplace Rule
Feb 2 2021 // Oregon OSHA is proposing a permanent rule that largely maintains risk-reducing measures required by the current temporary emergency rule to help protect workers against COVID-19. It would replace the temporary rule, which...
20 Workers at Alaska Seafood Company Contract COVID-19
Feb 2 2021 // Multiple crew members on a seafood factory trawler in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska have tested positive for COVID-19, joining a growing list of outbreaks in seafood processors and vessels, city officials said. The city...
Georgia Law Blocks Families of Nursing Home Residents from Suing Over COVID Deaths
Feb 2 2021 // A suburban Atlanta nursing home where 22 people died from COVID-19 has been faulted by state inspectors for failing to control infections, but relatives of people who died say they can’t sue because Georgia lawmakers...
