Aon Expands Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Program Capacity to $3.5B

Aon plc is expanding its proprietary Data Center Lifecycle Insurance Program (DCLP) with an additional $1 billion, increasing the program’s capacity to $3.5 billion. In addition, coverage will extend to include existing data centers coming off the first year of …

People Moves: Former Verisk CEO Stephenson Joins ZestyAI Board of Directors; WTW Appoints Li to North America PPCU Consulting Team

Scott Stephenson, former chairman, president, and CEO of Verisk Analytics, joined the board of directors at ZestyAI, a San Francisco, California-based risk and decision intelligence platform for the insurance industry. Stephenson spent more than two decades at Verisk, including nine …

With Falling Private Re Prices, Should Florida Let Insurers Buy Less from the Cat Fund?

For years, a segment of the Florida property insurance industry had lobbied for more access to the lower-cost reinsurance offered by the state-sanctioned Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund—mainly through a lowered retention, or deductible, level. Today, three years into Florida’s tort-reform …

Viewpoint: Why Brokers Have Little to Fear and Everything to Gain From AI

The world’s largest insurance brokers recently found themselves caught in an “AI scare trade” after news that Tuio home insurance would soon be available via ChatGPT. Shares fell sharply, as investors questioned whether intermediaries could be bypassed altogether. That reaction …

California Wants to Fund Green Jet Fuel — By Raiding Your Road Repair Budget

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is advancing a plan that could funnel hundreds of millions in road dollars to a struggling oil refinery—pitching it as a cleaner jet fuel initiative. The credit, drawn from funds voters designated for highways and local …

With Compromise Expected, North Carolina Delays 68% Dwelling Rate Hike Hearing

Citing progress on a potential compromise with the insurance industry’s rate bureau, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has rescheduled a hearing on proposed dwelling insurance rate increases from May 4 to July 6. The North Carolina Rate Bureau is …

Wildfire Mitigation Designation Program Now Available in Florida

An insurance industry supported wildfire mitigation designation program has been expanded into 10 additional high-risk states with Florida being one. The expansion comes at a time when Florida is experiencing widespread drought conditions and state officials are concerned that the …

Florida Surgeon Faces Manslaughter Charge for Allegedly Removing Wrong Organ

A grand jury indicted a Florida doctor on a manslaughter charge for allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen during a 2024 surgery. The prosecutor for the First Judicial Circuit on Monday announced the charge of second-degree manslaughter …

On Second Thought, Maryland Won’t Expand P/C Claims History Rule

The Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) has withdrawn a proposal opposed by insurers that would have expanded to commercial lines a provision requiring insurers to disclose if they consider claims history for purposes of canceling or refusing to renew coverage. The …

Kingstone Expanding into California on an E&S Basis

Kingstone Companies Inc. is expanding into the California homeowners insurance market on an excess and surplus lines basis, the company announced. Kingstone announced the move and a partnership with ZestyAI to deploy property-level wildfire risk analytics as part of the …

Maine Legislature Approves First State Moratorium on Big Data Centers

Maine lawmakers have passed a bill that could make it the first U.S. state to put a moratorium on new data centers as opposition to the electricity-hungry facilities grows across the country over their impact on household energy bills and …

Texas Restaurant Ordered to Pay $77K in Back Wages

The U.S. Department of Labor has recovered $77,523 in back wages for 12 workers employed by an Austin, Texas restaurant that failed to pay overtime wages required under federal law. The department’s Wage and Hour Division investigated Grand Buffet Paradise …

Britain May Extend Bans on Gagging Orders That Cover Up Workplace Abuse

Britain may widen a planned ban on non-disclosure agreements that silence victims of workplace harassment, discrimination and abuse to include agency workers and the self-employed, as well as permanent staff, the government said on Wednesday. Launching a 12-week consultation, the …

Camp Mystic Faces Scrutiny Over Lack of Evacuation Plan in Wake of Fatal Flood

The director of the Texas summer camp where 27 campers and counselors were killed by a devastating flood in 2025 testified Monday he did not see official warnings issued the day before the storm hit, that staff had no meetings …

Rainfall Across Northern Michigan Heightens Concerns of Flooding, Dam Overflows

Crews were working Monday to restore power to a closed hydroelectric station in northern Michigan as heavy rain threatens to cause a dam to overflow. More pumps also are being added to the Cheboygan Dam to help push water toward …

People Moves: Friedman Joins Alliant Insurance Services’ Employee Benefits Group

Mendy Friedman joined Alliant Insurance Services as first vice president within its employee benefits group. The Chicago, Illinois-based consultant will partner with a diverse portfolio of employers to design and implement data-driven health and welfare strategies. Friedman is an employee …

World Insurance Associates Acquires Indiana’s Heuring

World Insurance Associates announced that it acquired the business of Heuring Crop Insurance of Boonville, Indiana on November 1, 2025. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Heuring has been providing farmers with comprehensive crop insurance coverage for over 25 …

NFP Acquires New Jersey’s Hamilton Group

Global insurance broker NFP reports it has acquired the Hamilton Group, LLC, a multi-disciplinary insurance broker based in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey. Hamilton Group’s Greg Frankel and David Page will join NFP as senior vice presidents reporting to Lauren Kim, …

England Has 1.2 Million Buildings at Risk of Flooding With No Defenses

A new study has found that 1.2 million buildings at risk of flooding in England currently aren’t included in any of the country’s flood defenses. The research, provided by mapping service Ordnance Survey and Snowflake, an AI data cloud company, …

Weather Prediction Markets Are Booming, but Can They Improve Forecasts?

A few days before Christmas, Howard Qin was scrutinizing weather forecasts on two laptops at home in Shanghai when he noticed prices of contracts for New York City snowfall creeping higher on the prediction market Kalshi. He checked the Times …

Progressive Q1 2026 Net Income Up 10%

First quarter 2026 net income at Progressive Corp. increased 10% compared to the same period a year ago to nearly $2.8 billion. Progressive reports results monthly. Net income for March was up 36% to about $712 million. The Mayfield Village, …

California Attorney General, DAs Warn About E-Bike Safety and Legal Requirements

California law officials are warning people about the safety dangers and legal requirements of electric bicycles, also known as e-bikes California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and San Mateo …

Viewpoint: Risk Segmentation to Cover Large Data Centers

A recent high-profile report highlighted a growing challenge for data centers: despite abundant insurance capacity, large data center projects are struggling to secure sufficient coverage. This may seem surprising given the available capacity in the market, but it reflects insurers’ …

AI Ruling Prompts Warnings From Lawyers: Your Chats Could Be Used Against You

As people increasingly turn to artificial intelligence for advice, some U.S. lawyers are telling their clients not to treat AI chatbots like trusted confidants when their freedom or legal liability is on the line. These warnings became more urgent after …

Australian MedTech Firm EBR Systems Flags Possible Data Breach of Patient Records

Medical technology firm EBR Systems on Wednesday said a cybersecurity incident detected in February may have resulted in unauthorized access to a small amount of personal health information. The company said it became aware of a network disruption around February …

Italy Court Allows Class Action Against Meta Over Facebook Data Scraping

A Milan court on Tuesday accepted a class action brought by a consumer group against Meta Platforms over the theft of personal data suffered by Facebook Italy. According to the court order, the data scraping incident, which took place between …

Fire Departments Halt Service Due to Lapse in Workers’ Compensation

Last week, two volunteer fire departments in Vandergrift Borough, Pennsylvania suspended their services because their workers’ compensation insurance policies lapsed. State law requires fire departments to have the coverage. Because of the lapse in insurance, the firefighters could not respond …

Trump Says Talks With Iran Could Resume Soon, as US Blockades Iranian Ports

President Donald Trump said talks with Iran to end the war could soon resume and end in a deal, telling the world to watch out for an “amazing two days,” while U.S. forces imposing a blockade turned back vessels leaving …

Dutch Insurer Aegon Strikes $2.7B Deal to Sell UK Insurance Business to Standard Life

Aegon has agreed to sell its UK insurance business to Standard Life for a total value of 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion), the Dutch insurer said on Wednesday. The payment would consist of a cash amount of 750 million pounds …

Verisk: Insurance Claims Volume Fell to 5-Year Low in 2025

Insurance claims volumes in the United States declined across most lines in 2025 due at least in part to less severe weather, but risks remain elevated as insurers navigate complex and concentrated claims, according to an annual report from Verisk. …