Intel

The global Microsoft outage that grounded flights, canceled nonessential surgeries and halted operations for countless businesses could exceed $1 billion in insured losses, according to reports. The technology outage, which began July 19 after a faulty software update by CrowdStrike shut down 8.5 million Windows computers around the world, left many large and small companies unable to function — and…

The term “equilibrium” is increasingly being used within insurance circles to describe certain sectors moving toward a state of balance in terms of rates versus supply, terms and conditions. It suggests a growing opinion among industry leaders that Property and Casualty (P&C) is largely in a healthy place. This is true even after a decade-long period characterized by costly CAT…

More than five years after the death of Grumpy Cat, the internet-famous cat known for its disgruntled-looking expression, the company that owns its image and likeness continues to confront alleged trademark violations from other entities using the pet’s face for profit. According to a recent report from Courthouse News Service, Grumpy Cat Limited has filed more than 50 trademark lawsuits…

The former chief financial officer of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is being accused of embezzling $40 million from the nonprofit organization over a period of more than 11 years. William Smith was recently charged with bank and wire fraud after allegedly stealing millions of dollars and spending it on airline tickets, hotels, luxury goods, real estate and more. He has…

Following several years of double-digit rate increases and restrictive adjustments to Terms and Conditions (T&C), the Property Insurance sector has reached a point of relative stability. Rates are largely modest as insurers secure the required premium, now applying rates against a proper exposure basis—Insurance to Value (ITV). With few exceptions of traditional CAT-prone perils in specific geographies, most carriers are…

More companies in the U.S. and Canada are incorporating the use of biometric data into their operations, raising unease for some consumers, and prompting a number of class-action lawsuits over information that may be collected improperly. Airports are among the latest industries to join the trend, with CBC News recently reporting on airlines like Air Canada and various airports implementing…

Business travelers using unsecured networks and personal devices while away from the office could be putting their companies at greater risk for cybercrime, new data suggests. According to a World Travel Protection survey, just 36% of American companies require two-factor authentication on employees’ devices, 32% use antivirus software, and 30% have their employees use a virtual private network, or VPN,…

Many of the primary factors that influenced the status of the Property & Casualty (P&C) market in 2023 are likely to remain in 2024. We continue to operate in a comparatively hard environment marked by rising but moderating rates on some lines of business, where it is often necessary to layer available capacity that includes carefully worded terms and conditions…

Family members\' names, birth years, relationship labels, shared DNA information and more were recently exposed in a data breach against genetic testing company 23andMe in an attack that impacted 6.9 million individuals. While the biotech firm explained in an announcement that less than 0.1% of user accounts were accessed in the October breach, this gave hackers access to about 5.5…

As companies prepare to host gatherings for their employees this holiday season, there have been no shortage of reminders that these events can be fraught with unintended risks. Some of the greatest holiday party risks revolve around the possibility of harassment or discrimination against employees, especially when alcohol is involved. This can make company holiday parties…

Despite the continued “flight toward profitability” for most carriers, moderation in both rate and capacity is occurring in many insurance sectors. Most rates are rising, but the level of increases is slowing. Capacity is generally available but often requires creativity. On the Casualty side, some classes remain stressed while carriers are competing for business in others. These and other trends…

Organizations face a multitude of risks at any given time, yet the top cause of stress for business leaders, for the third time in four years, remained cyber risks. Given mounting concerns, the demand for risk mitigation efforts and Cyber & Privacy Insurance policies have drastically increased. While security tools and training have become much more advanced in their effectiveness,…