Articles by Chad Hemenway

Allstate Reports May Pretax Catastrophe Losses of $1.4B

Allstate Corp. on Thursday reported May pretax catastrophe losses of about $1.4 billion. The Northbrook, Illinois-based insurer said 14 events contributed to nearly $1.5 billion in catastrophe losses for May, with 70% attributable to five wind and hail events mostly …

42 States, J&J Finalize $700M Settlement Over Talc Marketing

Attorneys general in 42 states said they finalized a $700 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over the marketing of its talcum powder products. The settlement, announced in principle in January, resolves an investigation by the states and Washington D.C. …

NOAA Chimes in With Prediction of Above-Average Atlantic Hurricane Season

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an 85% chance of an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, with up to 25 named storms. “The upcoming Atlantic hurricane season is expected to have above-normal activity due to a confluence of factors, …

New Talc-Related Class Action Lawsuit Goes After J&J for Fraudulent Conveyance

With recent news that Johnson & Johnson is going forward with a third bankruptcy plan of a subsidiary to settle tens of thousand of lawsuits that it’s talc products cause cancer, a class-action lawsuit was filed today alleging the company’s …

S&P: 2023 Marked Stall of Rapid Growth in US Cyber Insurance

S&P Global Market Intelligence weighed in on the U.S. cyber insurance marketplace, reporting that premium dipped in 2023 to end several years of rapid growth. The overall 0.7% decline in cyber insurance direct written premiums was driven by a 3.2% …

CIAB: Commercial P/C Premiums Increase 7.7% in Q1 2024

Overall commercial property/casualty premiums increased slightly for all account sizes to 7.7% on average in the first quarter 2024. According to The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers’ Q1 Market Survey, the 7.7% average increase in Q1 compared to 7% …

Hospital Operator Ascension ‘Making Progress’ to Restore Systems After Cyberattack

Hospital operator Ascension said on Monday that it “worked around the clocked” over the weekend to handle a recent ransomware attack that disrupted operations. “We are focused on restoring systems safely. We are making progress, however, it will take time …

Chubb CEO Greenberg: Some Financial Lines Underwriting Practices ‘Simply Dumb’

According to Chubb CEO Evan G. Greenberg, the insurance industry’s underwriting practices for a number of financial lines are “simply dumb.” In a call with analysts to discuss Chubb’s earnings for the first quarter, Greenberg said rates for financial lines …

Jury Awards $80M to 3 Former Zurich NA Employees for Wrongful Termination

Zurich North America was ordered by a California jury to pay three former employees a total of about $80.2 million to end a wrongful termination case earlier this month. Melinda Brantley, Nicholas Lardie, and Daniel Koos worked as claims examiners …

AIG Sues Newly Launched Dellwood Insurance and Its Founders

American International Group and a group of its excess and surplus lines subsidiaries have filed suit against Dellwood Insurance Group and three former AIG executives who launched the nationwide E&S lines insurance holding company about a month ago. According to …