Tech Firm Expands Driverless Freight Operations Across Sun Belt
Aurora Innovation announced a three‑fold expansion of its autonomous freight network, now covering ten Sun Belt routes including Dallas‑Houston, Fort Worth‑El Paso and Phoenix corridors. The fourth software release adds automated mapping and inclement‑weather navigation, while a validation regime of over four million tests underpins safety. Aurora reports zero collisions across 250,000 driverless miles and claims transit times are cut by half by operating beyond traditional Hours of Service limits. The company aims to field more than 200 autonomous trucks by year‑end.
California Utility Defeats Shareholder Lawsuit Over LA Wildfires
Edison International, the parent of Southern California Edison, secured a dismissal of a shareholder lawsuit alleging fraud over the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. U.S. District Judge Otis Wright found the utility’s statements about its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program too...
Zurich to Buy Generali’s Irish Unit for €337 Million in Cash
Zurich Insurance Group agreed to acquire Generali’s Irish RedClick unit for €337 million in cash, positioning Zurich among the top three life and non‑life insurers in Ireland. The transaction leaves Generali with €51 million of excess capital still on its books. The...
Sentry: Are Business Leaders Worried About the Right Risks?
More than half of U.S. executives expect growth in 2026, yet 60% feel more stressed than last year, according to Sentry’s 2026 C‑Suite Stress Index. The survey of 1,250 leaders reveals a gap between perceived top risks—supply chain, economic pressure,...
Investor Lawsuits Push Back on SEC Changes That Gave Firms More Power
In November the SEC altered its proxy‑vote rule, shifting approval from staff reviewers to company executives, giving firms broader discretion to exclude shareholder proposals from proxy statements. The change has sparked at least three high‑profile lawsuits—against AT&T, Axon Enterprises and...
Four Practical, Data-Backed Steps for Preventing Nuclear Verdicts®
The article presents a data‑driven framework called “The Apex” that outlines four practical steps—personalize the defendant, accept responsibility, give a number, and argue pain and suffering—to curb runaway jury awards known as nuclear verdicts. Analysis of 100 real verdicts shows...
Uber Ballot Measure to Cap Personal Injury Fees, Limit Medical Damages Sparks Ire
Uber has filed a California ballot initiative to cap personal‑injury lawyers' contingency fees at 25% and limit medical damages, spending roughly $32.5 million on the effort. A coalition of attorneys, medical providers and consumer groups has mobilized $55 million to oppose the...
Why Claims AI Build Vs. Buy Decisions So Often Miss the Mark
Insurance leaders often jump straight into a build‑or‑buy debate for claims AI, treating every use case as identical. Chad Langford argues the real issue is categorizing problems by complexity, external data requirements, and carrier‑specific processes. Mis‑classification leads to over‑building simple...
State Farm Inked $1.5B Underwriting Profit for 2025; HO Loss Persists
State Farm posted a $1.5 billion underwriting gain for its property‑casualty segment in 2025, reversing a $6 billion loss in 2024 and over $10 billion losses in the two preceding years. The turnaround was driven by a near‑$5 billion auto underwriting profit, with earned...
Commercial P/C Market Softest Since 2017, Says CIAB
The Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB) reports that commercial property‑casualty premiums in Q4 2025 grew a mere 0.2%, the weakest pace since 2017. Nine lines of business, including cyber and workers’ compensation, posted declines, with directors & officers premiums falling 3.8%...
Resilience: Cyber Risk Shifts From Disruption to Long-Tail Losses
Resilience’s 2025 Cyber Risk Report reveals a decisive shift from ransomware‑focused disruption to extortion attacks that rely on stolen data. Data‑theft‑only extortion claims rose to 65 % of incidents in the second half of last year, turning cyber incidents into multi‑year...
Camp Mystic Parents Sue Texas, Allege Evacuation Plan Requirement Not Enforced
A federal lawsuit filed by families of nine children and counselors alleges Texas health officials licensed Camp Mystic without enforcing the state‑required evacuation plan. The suit targets six Department of State Health Services officials, claiming they knowingly approved a camp...
New Texas Law Requires Insurers Provide Reason for Declining or Canceling Policies
A Texas law, HB 2067, took effect on Jan 1 2026 requiring all property‑and‑casualty insurers to provide written reasons when declining, canceling, or not renewing auto or homeowners policies. The mandate rolls out in three phases—first residential property and private passenger auto, then...
Two-Thirds of Independent Agencies Plan to Increase AI Use This Year, Survey Says
A new ACT survey shows that more than two‑thirds of independent agencies intend to increase AI use within the next 12 months, yet only 8% currently have AI embedded in daily workflows. Operational efficiency (60%) and staff productivity (52%) drive...
RLI Now Has ‘A++’ Rating From AM Best
AM Best upgraded RLI Group’s financial strength ratings to A++ and its long‑term issuer credit ratings to aa+, reflecting superior balance‑sheet fundamentals and capital management. The insurer reported $1.9 billion policyholder surplus and $264.2 million underwriting income for 2025, marking the 30th consecutive...
Prosecutors Allege UK Aircraft Parts Firm’s Fraud Caused Millions in Losses
London‑based airline parts firm director Jose Alejandro Zamora Yrala forged documents to sell tens of thousands of CFM56 engine components, injecting roughly 60,000 suspect parts into the global supply chain. The scheme, spanning January 2019 to December 2023, generated £6.9 million in revenue for...
Disaster Preparedness, Responsible Tech Use Among NAIC 2026 Priorities
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) unveiled its 2026 strategic priorities, emphasizing stronger capital and investment frameworks, advanced data architecture, heightened disaster resilience, and robust AI model governance. Regulators will pursue a harmonized investment regime, expand analytics capabilities, and...
10 Do’s and Don’ts of a Smart ORSA Report
The article outlines ten practical do’s and don’ts for crafting a smart Own Risk and Solvency Assessment (ORSA) report. It highlights that many insurance CEOs, CFOs, and CROs view ORSA as a burdensome compliance exercise rather than a strategic tool....
Teens’ First Year on the Road Most Deadly
Mercury Insurance warns that drivers aged 16‑19 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash per mile than drivers 20 and older. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data and CDC figures show over 2,800 teen deaths...
Employers Holdings Expands Into Excess Workers Comp
Employers Holdings Inc. has introduced an Excess Workers’ Compensation insurance product aimed at large self‑insured employers, groups, pools and joint powers authorities across the United States. The offering combines specific and aggregate excess coverage with predictive claims analytics, real‑time reporting,...
EV Collision Claims Rise Even as Sales Falter: Report
Mitchell International’s "Plugged‑In: EV Collision Insights" report shows U.S. electric‑vehicle collision claims rose 14% and Canadian claims 24% despite a 2% dip in BEV sales. Repairable claim shares grew 6% for PHEVs and 20% for MHEVs in the U.S., with...
Global InsurTech Funding Surges on Record Re/Insurance Investments: Gallagher Re
Global InsurTech funding jumped 19.5% in 2025, reaching $5.08 billion—the first annual rise since 2021. The fourth quarter alone surged 66.8% to $1.68 billion, the largest quarterly total since Q3 2022. Reinsurers and insurers led the investment wave with a record 162 deals,...
CFC Owners Said to Tap Banks for Sale, IPO of £5 Billion Insurer
Private equity firms EQT AB and Vitruvian Partners have engaged Evercore and Goldman Sachs to explore a sale or initial public offering of cyber insurer CFC, targeting a valuation around £5 billion. The advisers are assessing both London and New York as...
Legislation Revived to Protect Drivers From Underride Crashes
The Stop Underrides Act 2.0, reintroduced by Senators Gillibrand and Luján and supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, aims to mandate side underride guards on all new commercial trucks. The bill expands federal safety requirements, restarts the DOT advisory committee,...
AI Claim Assistant Now Taking Auto Damage Claims Calls at Travelers
Travelers Companies has launched an AI Claim Assistant, an agentic voice service built on OpenAI’s models, to field auto‑damage claim calls. The system guides callers from initial consultation through claim submission, provides policy details, and enables photo uploads, appraisals, rental...
Florida Cargo Theft Ring Busted, Responsible for $7.8M in Losses
Florida Attorney General announced the arrest of six suspects linked to an organized cargo theft ring responsible for 32 cargo thefts and one vessel theft across six counties, causing nearly $7.8 million in losses. The ring, classified as a Major...
AI Needs Its Own Risk Class: Lockton Re
Lockton Re, together with Lockton International and Armilla AI, released a report urging insurers to treat artificial intelligence as a distinct risk class. The study maps AI‑related exposures across cyber, errors‑and‑omissions, casualty, D&O and employment lines, exposing coverage silences and...
Experian Launches Insurance Marketplace App on ChatGPT
Experian has launched an Insurance Marketplace app on ChatGPT, enabling users to compare auto insurance rates from 37 carriers via conversational AI. The service offers real‑time quotes, customized recommendations, and leverages Experian’s data expertise. The company says the tool could...
AIG’s Zaffino: Outcomes From AI Use Went From ‘Aspirational’ to ‘Beyond Expectations’
AIG announced that its generative‑AI platform, AIG Assist, has dramatically outperformed the aspirational goals set at last year’s Investor Day. The tool now handles over 370,000 commercial‑line submissions, edging toward a 500,000 target for 2030, while cutting processing time without...
Is Risk the Main Ingredient in Ultra-Processed Food?
Convenience has made ultra‑processed foods a staple, but emerging scientific evidence links them to chronic diseases and early‑onset cancers. A CDC study shows children obtain roughly 62% of daily calories from these products, prompting early product‑liability and public‑nuisance lawsuits. Casualty...