Monthly Archives: <span>January 2022</span>

Insurers Report Growing Use of Fraud-Detection Technology, Artificial Intelligence

Insurers are getting a larger share of suspicious claim referrals from fraud-detection technology and are increasingly using artificial intelligence to sift through data, according to a new study by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud and SAS. The Insurance Fraud Technology …

Indictment Charges 23 Conspirators in Alleged Staged Accident Scheme

Federal prosecutors have charged 23 people in an alleged scheme that they say claimed nearly $1 million in damages from staged automobile accidents. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced the unsealing of a 138-count federal …

Battery Swapping for EVs Is Big in China. Here’s How It Works

A move by the world’s biggest battery manufacturer, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., to make a concerted push into EV battery swapping has shone a spotlight on the alternative to charging electric vehicles. Tried and abandoned by EV pioneer …

Climate Change ‘Steroid’ Contributed to $130B in Insured Losses Last Year-Aon

LONDON–Climate change played a part in insured losses from natural catastrophes that totalled $130 billion globally in 2021, the fourth-highest on record, broker Aon said in a report on Tuesday. Economic losses–the combination of insured and uninsured losses–reached $343 billion, …

Cruise Ship Changes Course After U.S. Judge Orders Seizure

MIAMI (AP)–A cruise ship that was supposed to dock in Miami has instead sailed to the Bahamas, after a U.S. judge granted an order to seize the vessel as part of a lawsuit over $4 million in unpaid fuel. Cruise …

Tropical Storm Ana Floods Madagascar’s Capital; 34 Dead

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP)–Tropical Storm Ana has caused widespread flooding in Madagascar, including in the capital city, raising the death toll from recent heavy rains to 34 people and displacing more than 55,000, officials said Monday. With torrential rains continuing, Antananarivo’s …

PG&E’s Criminal Probation to End Amid Ongoing Safety Worries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)–Pacific Gas & Electric is poised to emerge from five years of criminal probation, despite worries that nation’s largest utility remains too dangerous to trust after years of devastation from wildfires ignited by its outdated equipment and neglectful …

Another Delay For Ex-Deep-Sea Treasure Hunter Stuck in Jail

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)–The long-running case of a former deep-sea treasure hunter marking his sixth year in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of missing gold coins has hit yet another roadblock. Research scientist Tommy Thompson has been held in …

8th Circuit: Insurer Owes for Total Loss Despite Payment for Previous Damage Claim

In March 2019, a fire damaged Craig and Katie Shaw’s house outside the hamlet of Adams in rural southern Minnesota. Two months later—before the Shaws made repairs—a second fire burned the house to the ground. Farm Bureau Property & Casualty …

Wineries, Farms Eligible for Last-Ditch California Insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)–Napa wineries and others hard-hit by massive wildfires in California’s wine country and elsewhere will soon be able to tap into the state’s insurance plan of last resort, officials said Friday. Hundreds of farmers, ranchers, wine growers and …