Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
UK Regulator Warns Insurers to Have ‘Robust’ Coronavirus Contingency Plans
Mar 19 2020 // The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reminded insurers on Thursday to have “robust” operational resilience and business continuity plans in place to respond to possible disruptions caused by the coronavirus...
California Calling for 60-Day Premium Grace Period Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
Mar 19 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is asking insurers for a grace period on paying premiums. Lara today issued a notice requesting that all insurance companies provide their policyholders with at least a 60-day...
Proposed N.J. Bill Would Require Insurers to Pay COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims
Mar 19 2020 // A proposed New Jersey bill, which aims to create business interruption insurance coverage for COVID-19 related claims despite virus exclusions in many policies, has drawn concern about the constitutionality of legislation...
Restaurant Suit Tests Business Interruption Insurance for Coronavirus Shutdowns
Mar 19 2020 // A restaurant in the heart of the New Orleans tourism district filed a lawsuit on Monday asking a state judge for a declaratory judgment that its business-interruption policy will cover its damages if it is ordered to close...
Lloyd’s Closes London Underwriting Room in Response to Coronavirus Crisis
Mar 19 2020 // After conducting a successful stress-test last week of its electronic trading system, Lloyd’s has made the decision to close its underwriting room in response to the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, market insurers...
Illinois Casualty to Suspend Billing to Restaurants, Taverns in COVID-19 Response
Mar 18 2020 // Beginning on March 20, Rock Island, Ill.-based Illinois Casualty Co. (ICC), a wholly owned subsidiary of ICC Holdings Inc., will temporarily suspend all insurance premium billing for 30 days. The company said the action is...
Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commission Extends COVID-19 Related Closures
Mar 18 2020 // The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) and the Court of Existing Claims (CEC) announced on Tuesday that the COVID-19 related office closures in Oklahoma City and Tulsa will continue for the remainder of...
EU Insurers Must Preserve Capital Positions as Coronavirus Crisis Escalates: Watchdog
Mar 18 2020 // Insurance companies should take measures to preserve their capital position and be prudent about dividend and bonus payments as the coronavirus outbreak disrupts households and businesses, the European insurance watchdog...
AIR Worldwide Estimates COVID-19 Global Deaths Could Rise 10K-30K by End of March
Mar 18 2020 // AIR Worldwide, the Boston-based catastrophe risk modeling firm, projected the number of severe cases of COVID-19 could range between 200,000 and 900,000 globally, with deaths ranging from 10,000 to 30,500, from now until...
Olympics Organizers Remain Committed to Holding Games, Despite Coronavirus
Mar 18 2020 // The International Olympic Committee remains committed to holding the Tokyo Olympics this year and is confident steps taken around the world will help contain the novel coronavirus, but the group is now talking in more...
AM Best to Test Insurers for Coronavirus Impact; Fitch Lowers Allstate Outlook
Mar 18 2020 // Ratings firm AM Best said it is developing stress testing that it will conduct on its rated insurance companies’ balance sheets to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 virus fallout on their risk-adjusted capital levels,...
Governor Wolf Orders COVID-19 Shutdown Across Pennsylvania
Mar 18 2020 // Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf extended a shutdown order Monday to the entire state of Pennsylvania in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus, although he also maintained that he will not send the National Guard...
Lloyd’s Asks Market Insurers to Provide Estimates for Coronavirus Losses
Mar 18 2020 // Lloyd’s of London has asked its member firms to provide estimates of their potential current and final losses from coronavirus, a spokesman said on Tuesday, to help the insurance market understand its possible...
Florida Regulator Directs Insurers to Prepare for Coronavirus-Related Interruptions
Mar 18 2020 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) is directing all insurers to review and update their business continuity and/or continuity of operations plans in light of the current outbreak of coronavirus strain...
Investor Suit Alleges Pharma Company Made False Claim of COVID-19 Vaccine
Mar 18 2020 // Pennsylvania-based Inovio Pharmaceuticals is the target of a planned class action lawsuit alleging it falsely claimed it has developed a vaccine for COVID-19 that would go into testing as soon as next month. But the...
Uber, Lyft to Halt Shared Rides to Help Limit Coronavirus Spread
Mar 17 2020 // Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. Tuesday began suspending shared rides on their ride-hailing platforms in the United States and Canada to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The pooled option, which allows riders to...
EU Regulators Ask Firms to Delay M&A Antitrust Filings Due to Coronavirus
Mar 17 2020 // European Union regulators have asked companies seeking to complete their desired mergers to delay submitting antitrust filings due to the coronavirus outbreak. That could affect the timelines of agreed deals. Among the...
Most British Companies Don’t Have Insurance for Coronavirus Closures: ABI
Mar 17 2020 // Most companies in Britain don’t have insurance cover for closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the Association of British Insurers said on Tuesday. The government recommended on Monday that people avoid...
Florida Clears Insurance Agency Reps to Work Remotely Amid Coronavirus
Mar 17 2020 // Florida’s state of emergency due to the rapid spread of coronavirus in the state, and throughout the country, has created a need for many workers to work remotely. However, certain licensed insurance employees were...
Watch Out for Virus-Tied Cyber Attacks on Remote Workers, Warns Tech Professor
Mar 17 2020 // The heightened fear and anxiety that COVID-19 is causing people worldwide brings vulnerable targets for cyber hackers. “We are living in a heightened time of cyber risk. Cyber criminals will take advantage of public...
