National News

Prudential to Wind Down Direct-to-Consumer Assurance Business

Less than five years after acquiring online insurance startup Assurance IQ for $2.35 billion, Prudential is shutting it down. “Prudential Financial routinely evaluates strategic opportunities for its businesses that are aligned with its long-term growth strategy,” the company said in …

Insurtechs Root, Lemonade Book Q1 Net Income Losses but Each Tout Progress

Insurtech Root Inc. posted a net loss for the first quarter 2024 of $6.2 million but said it recorded operating income for the first time in the company’s history. The net income loss for the first three months of the …

Growing Wildfire Risk Leaves States Grappling With How to Keep Insurers From Fleeing

Months after a catastrophic fire burned more than 2,200 homes in Hawaii, some property owners are getting more bad news—their property insurance won’t be renewed because their insurance company has deemed the risk too high. It’s a problem that has …

J&J Advances $6.48 Billion Settlement of Talc Cancer Lawsuits

Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday it is moving forward with a $6.48 billion proposed settlement of tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc products contain asbestos and cause ovarian cancer. The deal would allow …

The Future Is Near for Self-Driving Trucks on US Roads

On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board. A quarter-mile ahead, the truck’s sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less …

Newspapers Sue OpenAI for Copyright Infringement Over AI Training

A group of newspapers, including the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune, sued Microsoft and OpenAI in New York federal court on Tuesday, accusing them of misusing reporters’ work to train their generative artificial-intelligence systems. The eight newspapers, owned …

‘Dirty Dozen’ Unsafe Employers Putting Workers at Risk

A retail giant, a space launch operation, a major food processor, the nation’s two biggest rideshare providers and a large healthcare system are among those entities marked as being among the most unsafe employers. The National Council for Occupational Safety …

Q1 Global Insured Natural Disaster Losses Driven by Severe Convective Storms: Aon

Global natural catastrophes cost insurers $17 billion during the first quarter of 2024 with economic losses rising above $45 billion, according to Aon’s Q1 Global Catastrophe Recap – April 2024. Q1 natural disaster losses were driven by severe convective and …

Hack That Paralyzed US Health Care Turns Up Scrutiny on Insurer

When a cyberattack on Change Healthcare paralyzed much of the US health-care system, some lawmakers saw it as proof its parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., was too big. UnitedHealth Chief Executive Andrew Witty saw it differently. He has said that …

Investors Are Increasingly Interested in a Novel Type of Weather Insurance

Interest in startups trying to shake up the insurance industry is on the rise as weather catastrophes worsen. The latest sign: New York-based Arbol has raised $60 million in a Series B funding round. Founded in 2018, Arbol specializes in …

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