Latest Property Headlines
All the headlines from our Property Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Business Income, COVID-19, and Plaintiff Attorneys: They Keep Trying
May 6 2020 // “I think there was an attempt to dissuade the public from filing these claims and to shape the public opinion that this was not property damage,” said Steven C. Marks, managing partner at Miami-based Podhurst...
MGA Platform OneAdvent Buys Property MGA Modus from CFC Underwriting
May 6 2020 // OneAdvent, a London-based managing general agent (MGA) platform, announced the acquisition of Modus Underwriting Ltd., a digital-first MGA focused on providing niche property insurance products to brokers across the...
Legal Sea Foods Restaurant Sues Over Business Losses Under Policy Issued March 1
May 6 2020 // A popular seafood restaurant chain that has been shuttered by the coronavirus and restrictions on dining has gone to court to get its insurer to pay for its business interruption losses. It believes its insurer is...
Berkshire Discloses Q1 Insurance Results; Buffett Talks Coronavirus Impact
May 4 2020 // Berkshire Hathaway’s property/casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses reported a first quarter underwriting profit of $747 million before taxes, nearly double the pretax underwriting profit of $377 million...
Penn. High Court Deals Potential Blow To Carriers’ Denial Of Business Income Claims
May 1 2020 // In a case where no insurance company or insurance claim was involved, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued a ruling that could potentially negate one of the insurance industry’s standard bases for denial of coverage...
Travelers, W.R. Berkley CEOs Sound Alarm Over Coronavirus Lawsuits, Workers’ Comp
Apr 23 2020 // During an earnings conference call Tuesday, the leader of Travelers insurance alerted listeners to the possibility that frivolous lawsuits by plaintiffs lawyers could slow down the economic recovery from COVID-19...
Florida Dive Shop Alleges Insurer Breach of Contract, Bad Faith in BI Denial Suit
Apr 22 2020 // A dive shop in South Florida is one of the first businesses in the state to file suit against its insurer for the denial of a business interruption claim initiated because of the current coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit,...
Latest Class Actions Over Business Interruption Target 6 Insurers
Apr 21 2020 // A Minnesota dentist, an Ohio bridal shop and a New York pizzeria are among six small businesses that are the latest to sue insurers seeking compensation for business interruption claims due to the coronavirus crisis. The...
Travelers, Insured Law Firm Spar Over Civil Authority Business Income Loss Claim
Apr 21 2020 // Travelers Cos. has gone to federal court in California seeking a declaratory judgment that it is not obligated to pay any business income losses of a law firm it has insured under two business owner policies. Its law firm...
Why Leaders Need to Resist Rewriting Insurance Contract Language
Apr 16 2020 // Soon after the attacks on the World Trade Center and other locations on the morning of September 11th, President Bush declared that the atrocities were “an act of war.” That statement prompted a call to me from...
Kelley, from AmWINS, Joins Hanover as President of Specialty Industrial Property Team
Apr 15 2020 // The Hanover Insurance Group reported that James A. Kelley has been appointed president of Hanover Specialty Industrial Property. Kelley will be responsible for the company’s portfolio of insurance for complex high...
Olympus Insurance of Florida Appoints Citizens’ Bitar as CEO
Apr 13 2020 // Gemini Financial Holdings Corporation (GFHC), the parent company of Olympus Insurance Company, has hired Steve Bitar, former chief of Underwriting and Agency Services for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, will...
Anticipated Coronavirus Claims Scenarios Across Major Coverage Lines: Viewpoint
Apr 9 2020 // As the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed over the past several months, participants in the insurance industry have recognized the likelihood of a resulting increase in claims volume. Much of the early focus has been on the...
BMS Appoints Broadnax to U.S. Property Facultative Team in Atlanta
Apr 8 2020 // BMS Group (BMS), the independent specialist (re)insurance broker, has appointed Larry Broadnax as senior vice president, Property Facultative Leader, effective April 15. He will be based in Atlanta and report to Pete...
This Insurance Would Have Helped in Coronavirus Crisis But Nobody Bought It
Apr 3 2020 // Like everyone else, Peter Lacovara is coping with COVID-19, working at home to limit contagion to the coronavirus and stay healthy. He’s also plugging away trying to keep businesses healthy, as well. In his role as a...
Demotech Reveals Florida Insurer Ratings, Says Market ‘Most Difficult’ in U.S.
Apr 3 2020 // The long-awaited Demotech rating decisions for Florida domestic carriers are in, with many carriers having satisfied necessary steps to avoid ratings downgrades by the financial analysis firm. After affirming a slew of...
Horace Mann Taps Desrochers to Lead Property/Casualty Business
Apr 2 2020 // Horace Mann Educators Corp. has appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Actuary Mark Desrochers as head of the company’s property/casualty insurance business on an acting basis. Desrochers will take over...
CAC Specialty Adds Trinkleback and Goodier in Colorado
Mar 30 2020 // CAC Specialty has named Robert Trinkleback leader of property/casualty loss control, and Jonathan Goodier vice president and property/casualty claims advocate in Denver, Colo. Trinkleback will help clients improve...
Demotech Affirms Ratings of 37 Florida Insurers; Still Reviewing Others
Mar 27 2020 // Demotech has affirmed 37 of the 46 Florida-based companies rated by the actuarial firm, as of March 26, according to information gathered from Demotech’s website. That leaves fewer than 10 Florida insurers that are...
Restaurateur Sues The Hartford, Seeking Coverage for Coronavirus Business Interruption
Mar 27 2020 // A well-known California restaurateur has filed a lawsuit against a unit of The Hartford, seeking a declaration that the owner’s commercial insurance policy covers losses caused by a statewide business shutdown...
