With wage inflation and medical inflation, comp profits could dip: Fitch
Fitch Ratings, in a report issued Thursday, anticipates worker compensation profits to dip due to “generally” declining rates in recent years, a reduction in reserve development, and the “potential for rising claims costs from medical inflation.”
20 years after Katrina, Gulf Coast hurricane risks rising, scientist warns
The Gulf Coast of the United States is increasingly vulnerable to hurricanes, a scientist has warned in a new study, 20 years after Katrina devastated New Orleans and hundreds of miles of coastline.
Railroad can’t avoid costly TSA-ordered cybersecurity measures: Court
The Transportation Security Administration did not violate regulatory requirements when it used emergency procedures to impose cybersecurity requirements on U.S. railroads that could cost $100 million, a federal appeals court ruled.
Ohio cuts comp rates by 1% for public employers
A 1% workers compensation rate reduction for public employers in Ohio was approved Friday.
Cat bonds increasingly exposed to wildfire risk
The catastrophe bond market is taking on more wildfire risk in 2025 than in any prior year, with $3.4 billion of issuance already tied to the peril, surpassing 2024’s record $2.8 billion, Artemis reported. Improved wildfire risk modeling, stronger structures and abundant reinsurance capital have boosted investor appetite, including $350 million from three pure California […]
Asian reinsurers pivot to foreign markets
Asia’s reinsurers are moving beyond their home turf to tap into mature overseas markets as part of a diversification push, according to a report A.M. Best, Insurance Asia reported. Asia-Pacific reinsurers are increasingly turning to international markets as China’s economic momentum slows and other markets like Japan and South Korea face demographic and economic challenges.
Losses could harden aviation insurance market: Howden
Losses from American Airlines Inc., Air India Ltd. and Jeju Air Company Ltd., along with continued Russia-Ukraine claims, could drive aviation market hardening into the fourth quarter of 2025, according to U.K.-based Howden Group Holdings Ltd., Reinsurance News reported. The broker noted that while July renewals saw flat pricing, the scale of the American Airlines […]
Suncorp posts $270M net profit
Australia-based Suncorp Group Ltd.’s commercial and personal injury division posted a net profit of 422 million Australian dollars ($271 million) for the last financial year, up 11%, with underwriting profit rising 3.5% to AUD324 million, Insurance News reported. All four portfolios recorded gross written premium growth: platform business rose 11.5% to AUD590 million; commercial tailored […]
Telecom cyberattack exposes 850,000 customer details
Telecom provider Orange Belgium SA disclosed a cyberattack that compromised data from 850,000 customer accounts in late July, SecurityWeek reported. Exposed information includes names, phone numbers, SIM card numbers, PUK codes and tariff plans, though no addresses, e-mail addresses, passwords or financial details were affected.
Extreme heat multiplies risks, says Swiss Re’s Hall
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions America Insurance Corporation CEO Adrian Hall has warned that extreme heat is becoming a direct threat to physical assets and should be central to enterprise risk planning, Reinsurance News reported. Hall noted that June 2025 was among the hottest months on record and argued that heat now rivals traditional perils like […]
Pen Underwriting inks capacity deal with Bridgehaven Specialty
London-based Pen Underwriting Ltd. has entered a new capacity partnership with Bridgehaven Specialty U.K. Ltd. to support its solicitors’ professional indemnity portfolio in the U.K., Insurance Times reported. The deal, announced on Aug. 18, enables Bridgehaven’s hybrid model – acting as both a fronting insurer and leveraging reinsurance – to back Pen’s offers for firms […]
Softer insurance pricing to persist: Marsh
Improved conditions for insurance buyers in Australia are expected to continue due to stronger insurer balance sheets, according to U.S.-based Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Insurance News reported. Premiums in the first half of 2025 saw declines of 5% to 15% for property, cyber and construction, and 10% to 20% for directors and officers. However, […]
Idaho Supreme Court: ‘Odd lot’ worker disabled, but special fund not liable
The Idaho Supreme Court ruled that the last in a series of injuries to a longtime meat cutter was permanently and totally disabling and that the Industrial Special Indemnity Fund was not liable for any benefits.
The BI Top 10 for the week of Aug. 18, 2025
The announcement of Business Insurance‘s Women to Watch winners and Iconic Leaders was our most popular story this week.
2025 Business Insurance US Insurance Awards
The U.S. Insurance Awards honor teams that work to solve insurance and risk management challenges, as well as innovative products and services aimed at improving the experience for buyers.
Business Insurance Lifetime Achievement Award: Mark Wilhelm
In the mid-1970s, Mark Wilhelm took a calculated gamble when he gave up his promising position at a well-established multiline insurer and moved to a small company operating in an obscure corner of the market.
Abortion laws create medical liability concerns
As legal battles highlight the ongoing conflict between state abortion restrictions and federal laws requiring doctors to provide treatment in emergencies, physicians and their medical malpractice insurers are caught in the middle, experts say.
Perspectives: Businesses caught in the crossfire of biometric privacy insurance coverage disputes
A growing rift between federal and state courts in Illinois is creating significant uncertainty for businesses facing claims under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Viewpoint: Firm up cyber resilience
Recent high-profile cyberattacks and data breaches have disrupted operations at major retailers and their suppliers this year.
Retailers ‘uniquely exposed’ to cyberattacks
The recent spate of cyberattacks on retailers in the U.S. and U.K. is the result of those businesses’ common vulnerabilities coupled with criminals’ honed social engineering tactics, experts say.