Latest Tech Headlines
All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Agency M&As: Private Equity Still in Driver’s Seat; Digital Agencies Attract Attention
Mar 2 2020 // The private equity bandwagon continued to roll through the insurance agency and brokerage mergers and acquisitions territory in 2019. As many as two-thirds of all deals involved private equity, according to experts. Most...
Insurtech: It’s not Just for Carriers Anymore
Feb 28 2020 // Until recently, insurtech not only was perceived as a competitive threat to independent agents, there was little startup activity dedicated to tackling the operational needs of insurance agents and brokers. That’s...
Broker Investor Group Selects 12 Insurtechs for First Cohort
Feb 27 2020 // BrokerTech Ventures, an investor group and accelerator program led by nine insurance brokerages, has selected 12 insurtechs for its first cohort that convenes March 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, for a five-week...
Insurtech Startup Blackboard Insurance Receives Approval in Virginia
Feb 24 2020 // Blackboard Insurance has announced the approval of its commercial insurance package in Virginia, bringing capabilities to middle market customers in 47 states and territories. Blackboard’s commercial insurance...
Lawmakers to Introduce Bipartisan Bill Aimed at Internet Firms’ Liability Shield
Feb 21 2020 // U.S. legislation will be introduced in the coming weeks that could hurt technology companies’ ability to offer end-to-end encryption, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, and it aims to curb the...
Lawsuit Settled Between Virginia Tech, Former Student Over Hazing Suspension
Feb 21 2020 // A lawsuit has been settled between Virginia Tech and a former student who was accused of overseeing a ceremony that violated the school’s hazing policy. The federal lawsuit filed last month “has been resolved...
Usage-Based Insurance Pioneer Metromile Now Offering Its Technology as Claims Tool
Feb 20 2020 // Now that most major carriers are selling usage-based car insurance, one of the pioneers in that sector is selling its technology to other carriers as a claims management tool. San Francisco-based Metromile announced that...
Attorney General Barr: Should Tech Giants Still Be Free From Liability for Content?
Feb 20 2020 // U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday questioned whether Facebook, Google and other major online platforms still need the immunity from legal liability that has prevented them from being sued over material their...
Justice Department Targets Internet Firms’ Liability Shield
Feb 19 2020 // Attorney General William Barr is taking aim at a legal shield enjoyed by companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. as the provision comes under increasing fire from both liberals and...
Viewpoint: 3 Ways Technology Makes Insurance Broker RFP Responses Easier
Feb 19 2020 // Requests for proposals (RFPs) are everywhere these days. As internet sourcing makes the market more competitive, insurance brokers who are able to quickly and accurately complete RFPs can see huge benefits and gain a...
In an About-Facebook, Zuckerberg Likes Internet Regulation As Way to Win Public Trust
Feb 18 2020 // For years, Facebook Inc. lobbied governments against imposing tough regulations, warning in some cases that they could harm the company’s business model. Now, it’s pleading for new rules for the good of its...
AIG Maps Out Major Investment in Technology, Core Processes
Feb 14 2020 // American International Group said it will invest $1.3 billion over the next three years in its massive AIG 200 initiative, which is designed to revamp and improve core processes, technology infrastructure and services. The...
Analyst Warns Regulatory Battle Over AI Bias to Grow; Lemonade Argues It’s Fair
Feb 14 2020 // As insurers introduce artificial intelligence into pricing and claims handling activities, regulatory focus on disparate impact will grow into “one of the biggest topics of the next 10 years,” a well-known...
B3i’s Blockchain Platform Places 30 Reinsurance Contracts, Including Cat XoL Treaties
Feb 14 2020 // B3i Services AG, a two-year-old company owned by members of the insurance industry, announced that 30 contracts of reinsurance have been concluded on its platform, including some of the most complex catastrophe excess of...
Coronavirus Leads Companies with Supply Chain Disruptions to Invoke ‘Force Majeure’
Feb 13 2020 // With the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Hubei province, China, showing no signs of abating any time soon, some companies that buy and sell goods in the Chinese market are taking interest in the legal defense of...
Facebook, Twitter, Other Internet Firms to Be Responsible for Content Under UK Plan
Feb 12 2020 // Britain said it would force social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Snap to do more to block or remove harmful content on their platforms. Following a consultation, the UK government said on Wednesday it...
Gaining a Risk Manager Seat at Technology’s Table: Interview with RIMS Leader Langone
Feb 11 2020 // The culture at technology startups like Uber, Airbnb and PayPal is all about risk-taking. They start by offering a unique, untested or reimagined product or service or by disrupting an industry’s established...
Allstate’s Growth Plan Includes Shift in Agent Commissions, Hike in Advertising
Feb 10 2020 // Allstate first disclosed its Transformative Growth Plan in December, an effort to overhaul how it does business, boost efficiency and reduce expenses. During the Illinois-based property/casualty insurer’s Q4 2019...
Virginia Tech Student Sues After Hazing Suspension
Feb 10 2020 // A former Virginia Tech student is suing the university after he was accused of overseeing a ceremony that violated the school’s hazing policy. Darrien Brown alleges the university denied him due process when...
20 Noteworthy Agency Merger Stories of 2019
Feb 10 2020 // 1. January Nationwide Acquires Liability Insurance Program Manager E-Risk Services: Nationwide acquired a New Jersey privately held program manager specializing in management liability lines. Nationwide said E-Risk will...
