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Pacific Northwest Braces for Even More Flooding Rain This Week

Article 0 Comments Washington and the Pacific Northwest are facing multiple rounds of torrential downpours this week, raising flood risks in the region as residents are still grappling with last week’s historic rains. Heavy rain was peaking Monday in Washington, where as much as 3 inches (8 centimeters) could fall throughout the day before another system arrives Wednesday followed by a third on Sunday, said Ashton Robinson Cook, a forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. The storms stand to drop 7 inches to 10 inches of rain in areas already waterlogged from record flooding that prompted evacuation warnings for more than 100,000 people. “There could be considerable flood impacts on rivers that are already swollen because there has been so much rain for the past month,” Robinson Cook said. “Western Washington is where the worst of it is.” The rains are the result of atmospheric rivers, long plumes of moisture coming off the Pacific Ocean that can bring as much water as the amount that flows through the mouth of the Mississippi River. Some areas have already been drenched by more than 16 inches of rain, which has closed major highways and sent rivers over their banks. Heavy rain...

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Alts Move From Margins to Mainstream: Survey

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Securian Financial Study Reveals How Gen Z and Younger Millennials View Life and Supplemental Health Insurance 0

Securian Financial Study Reveals How Gen Z and Younger Millennials View Life and Supplemental Health Insurance

Securian Financial ‘Insurance Needs and Views of Younger Generations’ study St. Paul, MN (Dec. 1, 2025) – A new Securian Financial study reveals that Gen Z and younger millennials recognize the importance of life and supplemental health insurance but still harbor key misconceptions that prevent many of them from purchasing it. With Gen Z and millennials now representing more than 40 percent of the U.S. population,[1] the study highlights an important opportunity for financial institutions to better connect with these younger consumers and help them protect their financial futures. “Life insurance and supplemental health insurance provide the foundation for long-term financial confidence,” said Matt Bauler, Securian Financial vice president of Affinity Solutions. “Our research shows that younger generations want to be financially responsible and value protection—but they’re looking for education, flexibility and authenticity from financial institutions they trust.” Key Findings Securian Financial’s July 2025 survey, “Insurance Needs and Views of Younger Generations,” of nearly 300 Gen Z (ages 22–28) and younger millennials (ages 29–32), revealed that: Almost two-thirds Gen Z and younger millennials recognize the value of life insurance, yet about 20 percent believe they don’t need it until they are older. More than 30 percent think insurance is too...

Most Consumers Would Switch Insurance Carriers After a Poor Claims Experience: Survey by InvoiceCloud Research 0

Most Consumers Would Switch Insurance Carriers After a Poor Claims Experience: Survey by InvoiceCloud Research

New InvoiceCloud Research study identifies speed, transparency, and real-time disbursements as keys to policyholder satisfaction and retention Boston, MA (Dec. 1, 2025) – InvoiceCloud, a premier solution for digitalizing premium payments and claims disbursements, has released findings from its findings from its 2025 Consumer Claims Experiences Survey, highlighting consumer preferences and trends shaping the insurance claims process. The study revealed that 83% of consumers surveyed would switch insurance carriers after a bad claims experience, underscoring the critical link between claims performance and customer retention. The timeliness gap is driving dissatisfaction. Among consumers who have filed a claim, the largest share of survey respondents reported receiving payment more than a week after filing (27%), while only 10% received funds within hours to two days. Although 22% of respondents said they have experienced a payment delay, 40% ranked “time to receive payment” as the top thing they would change above inconsistent communication (29%). External benchmarks compiled by Datos Insights highlight this urgency. Drawing on findings from J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study, 82% of customers expect payouts within five days, yet data from Vitesse, a claims treasury and payment service provider, shows that average end-to-end payment times exceed 44 days—and...

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Man Sentenced for Flashing Three Insurance Agencies in Georgia

Article 1 Comment A man convicted of flashing workers at three insurance agencies in Warner Robins, Georgia, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Demarcus Tyrell Mann, 30, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in October, after he was arrested for public indecency in 2024. Mann reportedly walked into three different insurance agencies in the central Georgia city, talked with employees, then exposed himself, according to local news reports and court records. Each time, he slipped away before authorities arrived. He was later apprehended. Court records show the man had been convicted at least three previous times for similar actions. “Mr. Mann was not deterred by prior convictions, and his conduct escalated into a pattern of predatory behavior that posed a real threat to the safety and sense of security of people across Houston County,” the county District Attorney said in a statement, according to The Telegraph newspaper. The judge sentenced Mann to such confinement as the state Department of Corrections decides, and noted that he must undergo mental treatment upon release. The victims were named in the court documents but the insurance agencies were not. Photo: An aerial shot of Warner Robins, Georgia. (AdobeStock) Topics Agencies Georgia Was this...

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Black Lung Benefits Denied; Discrimination Claim Against UPS Shot Down by Court

Article 0 Comments A federal appeals court, one step below the U.S. Supreme Court, handed down two rulings in favor of employers and insurers, one involving black lung and one regarding a black delivery driver. In Keith McKnight vs. United Parcel Service, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found that a lower court did not abuse its discretion when it barred the testimony of a McKnight witness. The opinion lets stand a federal jury’s verdict in central Florida, which found that UPS did not retaliate against the driver. McKnight, a driver at UPS’ Kissimmee Center in 2017, alleged that a newly installed manager had unfairly scrutinized his work practices and had discriminated against him. McKnight filed some 2,000 complaints, and co-workers warned that he appeared to have mental health issues, the court explained. He was terminated in 2022 and he filed suit, alleging retaliation and violations of Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Florida Civil Rights Act. The district court judge excluded a co-worker’s testimony, finding it to be unreliable. The jury found in favor of UPS and noted that McKnight had failed to prove UPS had terminated him improperly. The appeals court...

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NAIC Elects New Officers for 2026; Virginia’s White President

Article 0 Comments At the conclusion of its fall national meeting, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners elected new officers for 2026, with Virginia Insurance Commissioner Scott A. White slated to become president. White has been insurance commissioner of Virginia since 2018. He joined the state’s Bureau of Insurance as a research analyst in 1998. Scott A. White At NAIC, White has chaired the Financial Condition (E) Committee, the Long-Term Care Insurance (EX) Task Force, and the Southeast Zone. He is a member of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) executive committee, Macroprudential Committee, and Insurance Capital Standard Task Force. At the meeting in Hollywood, Florida on On Dec. 11 members also elected Elizabeth (Beth) Kelleher Dwyer, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation director, as president elect; Utah Commissioner Jon Pike as vice president; and South Carolina Department of Insurance Director Michael Wise as secretary-treasurer. Dwyer was appointed superintendent of insurance to start 2016 and was named director of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation in May 2023. Pike was named Commissioner in Utah at the beginning of 2021. Wise was appointed to his post in May 2023. Each officer will assume their duties on Jan. 1. 2025...

Beazley’s Predictions For 2026 0

Beazley’s Predictions For 2026

By Tim Turner, Alessandro Lezzi, Bethany Greenwood, et al, Beazley — Beazley, the leading specialist insurer, is sharing its predictions for 2026, covering a variety of areas. 2026: The Year of the AI Luddite By Tim Turner, Group Head of MAP (Marine, Accident & Political) Risks Geopolitical tension and economic uncertainty are reshaping the risk landscape, and data centers sit at the heart of both global tension and opportunity. As the backbone of the AI ecosystem, they symbolize progress but also provoke anxiety over building location, societal impact, and the future of jobs – issues that have already fueled opposition throughout 2025. So far we’ve largely only seen this dialogue play out in the digital space, but will 2026 be the year it spills into the physical world? Data centers, already critical infrastructure and flashpoints in a word of rising volatility, are increasingly prime targets for protest and disruption. Governments and businesses must prepare for incidents that threaten data centers and strengthen resilience to keep the essential systems they support running. This is where Strike, Riots, and Civil Commotion (SRCC), political violence and terrorism, and cyber solutions play a vital role. As AI resistance shifts from rhetoric to reality, insurance...

Equisoft Embeds Anthropic’s Claude AI Models to Create AI-Powered Knowledge Capabilities in Life Insurance Solutions 0

Equisoft Embeds Anthropic’s Claude AI Models to Create AI-Powered Knowledge Capabilities in Life Insurance Solutions

The adoption of the Claude family of models enables intelligent product querying, accelerates life insurance policy admin system modernizations, and empowers Equisoft’s global team to drive innovation for carrier clients Montreal, QC (Dec. 10, 2025) – Equisoft, a leading global digital solutions provider to the financial services industry, is pleased to announce that it has incorporated Anthropic’s Claude family of models into its life insurance platforms and across its global operations. This delivers advanced AI capabilities directly within Equisoft’s solutions while accelerating policy administration system (PAS) modernization projects and fostering innovation across the company’s team members worldwide. “By building Claude’s AI capabilities directly into our platforms, we’re enabling insurers and our employees to unlock the full value of frontier AI models,” said Brian Carey, VP of Insurance Solutions Engineering, Equisoft. “This has sped up modernization projects and enabled quick analysis of complex data. Our Equisoft team members worldwide now have secure access to Claude, leading to significant innovation and productivity gains.” Claude also streamlines critical implementation phases of transformation projects such as business requirements analysis, which reduces project timelines while maintaining the precision required for mission-critical life insurance operations. Additionally, the enterprise-wide deployment provides all Equisoft team members with secure...

Loblaw, Gatik Partner To Launch Autonomous Trucking In GTA 0

Loblaw, Gatik Partner To Launch Autonomous Trucking In GTA

Gatik and Loblaw Ink 5-year Expansion Deal to Scale AI-Powered Autonomous Trucking Solution Across Regional Distribution Networks in the Greater Toronto Area As part of the multi-year agreement, Loblaw has made a strategic investment in Gatik, with an initial deployment of 50 autonomous trucks set to boost delivery efficiency, reliability, and responsiveness for Loblaw’s customers Toronto, ON (Oct. 23, 2025) – Gatik, the leader in autonomous freight for regional logistics networks, has announced a significant expansion of its commercial partnership with Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada’s largest retailer. Marking a milestone for the autonomous trucking industry, the companies have signed a first-of-its-kind, multi-year growth agreement to deploy Gatik’s autonomous fleet across Loblaw’s distribution network in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Under the initial phase of the expansion, 20 autonomous trucks equipped with Gatik’s next-generation sensor suite will be deployed by the end of 2025, with a further 30 autonomous trucks to be deployed by the end of 2026, creating a scalable platform for future growth phases. This growth agreement signifies the largest planned roll-out of autonomous trucks in North America, a move that transitions Gatik and Loblaw from initial deployment to commercial operations at scale, an industry-first in the autonomous vehicle...