Latest Tech Headlines

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

Crash Rates Lower for Self-Driving Cars: Virginia Tech Study

Jan 11 2016 // Crash rates for self-driving cars are lower than the national crash rate of conventional cars, according to a new report out of Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that was commissioned by self-driving car developer...

Changing Oil & Gas Industry Delivers New Risks, New Challenges

Jan 11 2016 // Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a three-part series on the oil and gas industry. The second article will address new and emerging claims trends and the third article will address the emerging risks...

Entrepreneurs Raise $13 Million to ‘Reinvent’ U.S. P/C Insurance with Peer-to-Peer Insurer Lemonade

Jan 11 2016 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry is about to be tested directly by the sharing economy. Two tech entrepreneurs have raised $13 million in initial funding to launch a peer-to-peer online property/casualty...

AIG Bets on Workplace Safety Wearables with Investment in Startup HCS

Jan 6 2016 // Giant insurer American International Group Inc. is betting on new technology, artificial intelligence and connectivity to give companies more control over workers in risky jobs and make workplaces safer and more...

Automakers Outpacing Tech Firms in Driverless Car Patents

Jan 5 2016 // Automakers, not technology companies, are in the driver’s seat in developing self-driving, “autonomous” cars, and Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. is best positioned to lead the way, according to a new...

6 Forecasts for P/C Insurance in 2016

Jan 4 2016 // Some, but not all, experts see an improving U.S. economy in 2016 helping to boost the property/casualty (P/C) insurance sector. Some of these prognosticators are more optimistic than others. But most also anticipate...

Deadly Floods Disrupting Agriculture, Commercial Operations in U.S. Midwest

Jan 3 2016 // Deadly flooding across the U.S. Midwest is disrupting everything from oil to agriculture, forcing pipelines, terminals and grain elevators to close. The floods have killed at least 30 people and shut hundreds of roads...

OneBeacon Launches Cyber Liability Product for Information Technology Risks

Dec 15 2015 // OneBeacon Technology Insurance, a member of OneBeacon Insurance Group, has introduced a modular technology professional liability product – Information Technology Solutions-Complete – to address technology...

Chinese Online Insurer ZhongAn Leads Financial Technology Innovation

Dec 15 2015 // Chinese online property insurer ZhongAn has topped a list of financial technology (fintech) innovation companies, leading a strong showing by Chinese firms this year amid increased funding and interest in the sector...

U.S. Looks to Revamp Auto Safety Ratings, Add High-Tech Crash Dummies

Dec 9 2015 // U.S. regulators proposed a remake of the five-star crash-test ratings system for automobiles to take into account new technology — and new test dummies. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s...

United Fire Group Appoints Frese as Chief Technology Officer

Dec 8 2015 // Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based property/casualty insurer, United Fire Group Inc. (UFG), has appointed Brian Frese as chief technology officer. He brings more than 17 years of experience to UFG, including operational leadership...

Entrepreneurs Raise $13 Million to ‘Reinvent’ U.S. P/C Insurance with Peer-to-Peer Insurer

Dec 8 2015 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry is about to be tested directly by the sharing economy. Two tech entrepreneurs have raised $13 million in initial funding to launch a peer-to-peer online property/casualty...

New Credit Card Chips Shift Liability to Retailers

Dec 7 2015 // On Oct. 1, 2015, many of the insurance industry’s clients took on a lot more risk, and may not even know it. The Payment Card Industry, PCI, which is the self-regulating organization that oversees everyone that...

P/C Insurers Told ‘Fresh Approach’ Needed to Face Coming Disruption

Dec 7 2015 // U.S. property/casualty insurers should expect disruptive changes in a number of areas in 2016, including technology, pricing, customer demand, and “heightened regulatory creep,” consultant Ernst & Young...

XL Catlin Launches Online Data Breach Resource Portal

Nov 30 2015 // XL Catlin’s Cyber & Technology insurance business has launched a new online resource – CyberRiskIQ.com, to provide clients with support for cybersecurity readiness and incident response...

App to Alert Drivers About Emergency Vehicles Being Tested in Michigan

Nov 30 2015 // Cory Hohs’ idea was inspired by a close call with a Chicago fire truck on his motorcycle, but his new app, which warns drivers to the presence of emergency vehicle traffic, is being tested first in Grand Rapids,...

Federal Transportation Officials Want Self-Driving Cars Sooner

Nov 25 2015 // Federal transportation officials are rethinking their position on self-driving cars with an eye toward getting the emerging technology into the public’s hands, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of...

Technology to Improve Truckers Safety Tested in Utah

Nov 23 2015 // Utah is test-driving new technology that could improve safety and fuel efficiency for big-rig truckers. The Utah Department of Transportation started conducting field tests last week of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication...

Insurance Industry Not Alone in Missing the Mark with Millennials

Nov 19 2015 // Could it be that the property/casualty insurance industry has company in not feeling the love of millennials? Yes, it could. The Hartford has released new research that shows key industries driving the U.S. economy,...

California DMV’s Pedestrian Pace on Self-Driving Car Rules Makes Google Antsy

Nov 17 2015 // Hustling to bring cars that drive themselves to a road near you, Google finds itself somewhere that has frustrated many before: Waiting on the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The tech titan wants the freedom to...