Insurance Archives - Residential Property Insurance & Business Management

McConnell will move to acquit Trump, senators say December 12, 2019
• Trump privately stews over impeachment • Analysis: Trump goes full-on scorched earth
Trump publicly minimizes impeachment but privately stews December 11, 2019
Lemon mocks Trump team's troll: Are you people insane? December 11, 2019
CNN's Don Lemon slams a Twitter meme put out by the Trump War Room trolling Democratic leaders as "stupid and juvenile."
Tourists describe 'horrific' aftermath of eruption after they turned back to save survivors December 11, 2019
Man rescued after shouting, 'Siri, call 911' December 12, 2019
"Siri, call 911."
India passes controversial citizenship bill that excludes Muslims December 12, 2019
India could be set to pass a bill that would give Indian citizenship to immigrants from three neighboring countries -- but not if they are Muslim.
Water found an inch beneath Mars surface December 11, 2019
When the first astronauts land on Mars, they won't be able to take everything they need with them. The logistics and weight of transporting so much material on one spacecraft, along with a crew, defies current technology. While scientists at NASA have discussed missions to deliver materials to the Red Planet ahead of a manned […]
Four roads and a nation divided like never before
Why Time's person of the year pick will drive Donald Trump crazy December 11, 2019
Fatally flawed 737 MAX had significantly higher crash risk, FAA concluded December 11, 2019
A Federal Aviation Administration analysis of the Boeing 737 MAX following the Lion Air crash last fall found the plane is significantly more likely to crash than other aircraft, according to a person familiar with the analysis document.
Bette Midler asked, 'What's wrong with this picture?' The answer was universal: nothing December 11, 2019
What's wrong with this picture? Like the seemingly neglected art it captured, that's up for debate.
Israel heads for unprecedented third election in a year December 11, 2019
Israel will hold an unprecedented third national election in less than a year, following the failure of political leaders to break the ongoing deadlock.
Attorneys for alleged Weinstein victim reject tentative settlement December 12, 2019
Attorneys for one of Harvey Weinstein's alleged victims on Wednesday rejected a tentative deal between the disgraced movie producer, his bankrupt company and dozens of his accusers.
The UK may wind up with a hung Parliament. Here's what it means December 11, 2019
She received 200 anti-Semitic threats a day, so thousands came out to support her December 11, 2019
Hundreds of Italian mayors and thousands of citizens took to Milan's streets on Tuesday in a show of solidarity for a Holocaust survivor who was put under police protection after receiving anti-Semitic threats.
Exclusive interview: Bloomberg on climate, Trump, impeachment December 10, 2019
Newly announced candidate for the Democratic nomination Mike Bloomberg speaks exclusively with Amanpour at the COP25 climate summit in Madrid.
Deadly New Jersey shootout started with 'targeted' attack on kosher market December 12, 2019
Tuesday's deadly shootout in New Jersey began with a deliberate attack on people inside a kosher market, with surveillance video showing the shooters calmly exiting a van and firing into the store with long guns, city officials said Wednesday.
Copenhagen's new Metro is a thing of beauty December 11, 2019
In Copenhagen, traffic is usually caused by the two-wheel variety of transportation: the bicycle.
Archeologists unearth lost town from little-known ancient empire December 11, 2019
Archeologists have unearthed the remains of a town from an influential but little-known ancient civilization in East Africa that sheds light on the origins of Christianity in Ethiopia.
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin launches 12th test flight of space tourism rocket December 11, 2019
Blue Origin, the stealthy company founded by Amazon's billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, just launched another test flight of its tourism rocket as it steadily inches toward sending paying customers into space.

Sage Insurance Increases Capacity, Coverage for Secondary Homes in California December 12, 2019
Sage Insurance Holdings LLC (Sage), a California wildfire-focused homeowners insurance provider, has increased its capacity and will now write exposures up to $4 million TIV. For a primary home, that translates to an allowable Coverage A of $2.1 million. In …
Germany, Global Parametrics, Hannover Re Launch Climate Impact Fund December 12, 2019
Hannover Re and a parametrics company along with several German economic development agencies have created a natural disaster fund targeting investments in risk-transfer instruments relating to natural catastrophes and climate risks in developing markets. The fund — the Natural Disaster …
11 People Treated for Injuries from Chemical Reaction at Alabama Plastic Plant December 11, 2019
Medical workers treated nearly a dozen people and firefighters evacuated a building Monday after a chemical reaction caused injuries inside a manufacturing plant. The Montgomery Fire Department said the incident happened after chemicals became mixed accidentally at Kinpak, a plastic …
Law Enforcement Investigating Cyberattack on Florida City Where Navy Attack Occurred December 11, 2019
Federal authorities are investigating a cyberattack on the city of Pensacola, Florida, home to the naval air station where a Saudi flight student killed three sailors and wounded eight others on Friday. Mayor Grover Robinson on Monday said it’s not …
Bobby Caina Calvan
Southeast Insurance Chiefs Farmer, Altmaier Elected to Top NAIC Posts December 11, 2019
South Carolina Department of Insurance Director Ray Farmer and Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier have been elected to the positions of president and president-elect, respectively, of the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners). The two were voted in at the …
EMC Insurance CEO Kelley To Retire in March; Jean Named as Successor December 11, 2019
Bruce Kelley, CEO, president and treasurer, has informed the Employers Mutual Casualty Co. (EMC) board of directors that he is retiring in March, 2020 after 35 years with the insurer Scott Jean, currently executive vice president for Finance and Strategy, …
Special Report: America’s Best Independent Insurance Agencies to Work For December 11, 2019
The votes have been tallied and the results are in for the 2019 Best Independent Insurance Agency to Work For survey by Insurance Journal. The winners have been chosen by employees. Employees of the Best Agencies to Work For in …
Calpers: One-Fifth of Public Holdings Exposed to Climate Risk December 11, 2019
About one-fifth of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System public markets portfolio is exposed to potential losses from climate change, the $381 billion pension fund manager reported this week in its first ever climate-risk disclosure report. The report, mandated by …
Ann Saphir
BMS Re Revamps U.S. Reinsurance Management; Appoints Chandler President and CEO December 11, 2019
Reinsurance broker BMS Group announced a series of management changes within its U.S. reinsurance team as the intermediary continues its expansion. This follows the completion in October of a large-scale investment into BMS by British Columbia Investment Management Corp. and …
Virginia Beach Mass Shooting Led to 450 Workers’ Comp Claims December 11, 2019
Workers’ compensation claims have emerged as another yardstick for measuring the devastation of the mass shooting in Virginia Beach. The Virginian-Pilot reported Sunday that 450 city employees have filed for workers’ compensation benefits. The vast majority of the claims are …
New Zealand Tragedy Raising Questions About Live Volcano Tourism December 11, 2019
Tourists caught in the deadly blast at New Zealand’s White Island were there despite a recent increase in volcanic activity, although experts said precise predictions on eruptions were all but impossible. Five people were killed, eight are still missing and …
Charlotte Greenfield
Boeing 737 MAX Planes to Remain Grounded Rest of This Year: FAA December 11, 2019
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson confirmed Wednesday the agency will not allow Boeing Co.’s grounded 737 MAX, involved in two fatal crashes in five months, to resume flying before the end of 2019. Dickson told CNBC in an …
David Shepardson
Fast-Growing German Insurtech Wefox Raises $110 Million More December 11, 2019
German insurance technology firm Wefox said on Wednesday it had attracted an additional $110 million of investment in its second funding round, bringing the total amount of money raised this year to invest in its expansion to $235 million. The …
China Moves to Secure Government Ownership Control of Insurers, Banks December 11, 2019
China’s finance ministry said on Wednesday it will make it harder for ownership changes to be made to financial institutions that could lead to the government relinquishing control, in a bid to prevent the loss of state assets. Effective Dec. …
Cheng Leng
Former Lloyd’s CEO Beale, Grant Thornton CEO Chipman Join Clyde Law Firm Board December 11, 2019
Insurance law firm Clyde & Co has appointed two independent board members to its management board – the first such positions at the firm. Former Lloyd’s of London CEO Dame Inga Beale and former Grant Thornton US CEO Stephen Chipman …
Silver Best Agency to Work For – East: Covenant Insurance Group December 11, 2019
The motto “Covenant Cares” is not just on the letterhead at Covenant Insurance Group Inc., but it’s a way of operating that is truly caring, according to one employee at the York, Pa.-headquartered independent insurance agency. The agency, which specializes …
Elizabeth Blosfield
Risk Strategies Acquires New England-Based Subsidiaries of Gowrie Holdings December 11, 2019
Risk Strategies, a privately held national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, has acquired the two subsidiaries of Gowrie Holdings Inc. (GHI). The acquisitions include both Gowrie Group, a full-service national specialty retail insurance brokerage with an established leadership reputation …
Plymouth Rock Assurance Direct Group President and CEO Wilson to Retire December 11, 2019
Plymouth Rock Assurance, an east coast-based insurance company, announced that Gerry Wilson, president and CEO of Plymouth Rock Assurance Direct Group, has informed company leadership of his decision to retire. “It has been a privilege to lead Plymouth Rock in …
AM Best Downgrades Ratings of Governmental Interinsurance Exchange in Illinois December 11, 2019
AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to B++ (Good) from A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bbb+” from “a-” of Governmental Interinsurance Exchange (GIE), in Bloomington, Illinois. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) remains …
Silver 2019 Best Agency to Work For – South Central: BKCW December 11, 2019
A Family First Agency The people who work at the Texas-based independent insurance agency BKCW are not employees — they are team members and they are family. That team-oriented, family first culture is just one of the many aspects of …
Stephanie K. Jones

Asian shares rise as Fed cheer offsets trade, UK angst December 12, 2019
Asian stocks edged higher on Thursday after the Federal Reserve signaled rate settings were likely to remain accommodative but the imminent UK election and a deadline for Sino-U.S. trade talks kept investors cautious.
High-stakes White House meeting expected Thursday to debate U.S.-China tariffs: sources December 12, 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with top trade advisers on Thursday to discuss planned Dec. 15 tariffs on some $160 billion in Chinese goods, three sources familiar with the plans said, as markets braced for potential negative impacts.
Factbox: Labor, environment, drugs top changes to North American trade deal December 12, 2019
Stronger worker and environmental protections top changes to a new version of the North American trade deal signed by U.S., Mexican and Canadian officials on Tuesday that clears the way for a long-delayed vote in the U.S. Congress.
Meltdowns and touchdowns: How the U.S. scored a Canada-Mexico trade deal December 12, 2019
Revising the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement took a year of acrimonious talks among Democrats, the chief U.S. negotiator and a labor union president - and may have set a world record for phones being slammed down in anger, according to one negotiator.
Fiat Chrysler's UAW members ratify new four-year contract December 12, 2019
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union said on Wednesday that rank-and-file members at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV have voted in favor of a new four-year labor contract with the automaker, helping the Italian-American firm avoid a strike as it works to merge with France's Groupe PSA.
FAA probes Boeing 737 MAX production, says it won't approve jets' return this year December 12, 2019
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it was investigating production issues involving Boeing Co's 737 MAX and confirmed the agency will not approve the grounded commercial jet for flight before year end.
Global airlines chief warns on spiraling delays to Boeing 737 MAX December 12, 2019
Airlines face significant problems if the return to service of the Boeing 737 MAX drags on for months longer, the head of the International Air Transport Association said on Wednesday.
Factbox: FAA chief says 737 MAX will not be cleared to fly in 2019 December 12, 2019
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson confirmed on Wednesday the agency will not allow Boeing Co's grounded 737 MAX, involved in two fatal crashes in five months, to resume flying before the end of 2019.
Argo takes different road to skirt self-driving challenges December 12, 2019
Sky's the limit optimism about self-driving cars is giving way to tougher questions about how expensive automotive artificial intelligence will ever make a profit.
Self-driving car firms rooted in U.S. government competition December 12, 2019
Bryan Salesky had little way of knowing in 2007 that his teammates and rivals in a U.S. Defense Department-sponsored competition were laying the foundations for future self-driving businesses now valued at billions of dollars.
Factbox: Self-driving partnerships proliferate December 12, 2019
Alliances and partnerships involving development and deployment of autonomous vehicles continue to mushroom.
Mexican businesses focus on labor provisions as they pore over USMCA trade deal text December 12, 2019
Mexican business leaders on Wednesday began poring over texts of a new stricter trade deal with the United States and Canada, looking for details of how more intrusive enforcement of labor rules in Mexico would affect their operations.
U.S. chief executives back revised USMCA trade deal December 12, 2019
The Business Roundtable, a trade group of top U.S. chief executives, announced Wednesday its members backed the revised U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal after negotiators brought the hard-won agreement across the finishing line.
Wall Street posts modest gain as Fed signals rates to hold for some time December 12, 2019
Wall Street's main stock indexes ended modestly higher on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and signaled that borrowing costs are likely to remain unchanged indefinitely.
Fed keeps rates on hold, points to 'favorable' economic outlook next year December 11, 2019
The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady and signaled borrowing costs will not change anytime soon, with moderate economic growth and historically low unemployment expected to persist through the 2020 presidential election.
Continental Resources founder Hamm to step down as CEO December 11, 2019
Legendary U.S. oilman Harold Hamm, who once called the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries a "toothless tiger," will step down as chief executive of Continental Resources and become its executive chairman, the company said on Wednesday.
Facebook sues ILikeAd, alleges ad fraud December 11, 2019
(This Dec. 5 story corrects first paragraph to clarify alleged timing of malware installation)
Factbox: How the North American trade deal will affect labor, environment, drugs December 11, 2019
New amendments to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) focus heavily on stronger labor enforcement, outlining a detailed process to address any allegations that Mexican factories are violating workers' rights.
Home Depot says peak investments to pressure 2020 margins December 11, 2019
Home Depot Inc , the No. 1 U.S. home improvement chain, on Wednesday forecast 2020 sales below Wall Street expectations and said major investments in its online overhaul program would pressure margins next year.
Instant View: Fed stands pat on rates, expects no change in 2020 December 11, 2019
The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady and signaled borrowing costs are likely to remain unchanged indefinitely, with moderate economic growth and low unemployment expected to continue through next year's presidential election.