construction insurance News

Construction-Focused MGA, Phoenix Specialty, Launches With Capacity From AXA UK

Acies MGU, the London-based managing general underwriter and MGA incubator, announced the launch of Phoenix Specialty, a specialist MGA serving the construction sector. Phoenix will be led by managing director Tim James, subject to regulatory approval. James led the successful …

People Moves: Woodruff Sawyer Opens New York Office Headed by 6 Acrisure Hires

California-based independent insurance broker Woodruff Sawyer announced it is expanding its East Coast footprint with the addition of six executives formerly with insurer Acrisure. According to the announcement, Matthew Kelly, Robert Trager, Bob Kempner, Chris Iovino, Eric Wagner, and Michael …

India Tunnel Collapse Shows Risk of Construction in Fragile Himalayas

For nearly a week, 40 workers have been trapped in an under-construction tunnel after a landslide demolished its entrance, derailing a major connectivity development in India’s mountainous state of Uttarakhand. Since Nov. 12, rescue teams have employed a slew of …

UK Parliament Calls in Surveyors to Test for Dangerous Concrete

Tests are being carried out to determine whether the UK Houses of Parliament contain the form of crumbling concrete that caused ministers last week to tell more than 100 schools to close buildings. Surveyors are investigating if any parts of …

Manhattan Crane Collapse Linked to Owner, Operator With Past Safety Violations

As authorities continue to investigate a crane collapse that rained thousands of pounds of steel debris onto a busy Manhattan thoroughfare Wednesday, the owner and operator of the failed crane are facing scrutiny over past safety failures. The tower crane, …

New York City Construction Crane Catches Fire, Collapses and Crashes

A towering construction crane caught fire high above the West Side of Manhattan on Wednesday morning, causing its long arm to snap off, smash against a nearby building and plummet to the street as people ran for their lives on …

Risk Strategies Acquires Castle Rock Capacity in New York

National specialty insurance broker Risk Strategies has acquired Castle Rock Capacity, a property/casualty insurance broker with a specialty in the construction, real estate and development industries. Headquartered in New York City, Castle Rock was co-founded in 2006 by Jon Lipton, …

Fire Fears After UK’s Grenfell Disaster Set Back Wood Building, With Insurance as Factor

To get fire department approval for their six-story London office project made of strong engineered wood known as mass timber, Theo Michell and Richard Walker had to build a full-scale section of it in the UK, ship it to Poland …

French Building Collapse Kills at Least 6; Gas Explosion Suspected

French investigators are treating the deaths of at least six people who were killed when a building collapsed in the city of Marseille as a possible “involuntary homicide” case, a prosecutor said Tuesday. Prosecutor Dominique Laurens said an investigation was …

Building Explodes and Collapses in Marseille, France

More than 100 firefighters worked against a ticking clock to extinguish flames deep within debris to save up to 10 people possibly buried after a building exploded and collapsed early Sunday in the French port city of Marseille. Interior Minister …