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Iowa AG Sues Meta Over Alleged Deceptive Practices on Instagram

Article 0 Comments Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird announced she has filed a lawsuit against Meta and several of its subsidiaries, including Instagram and Facebook, for breaking Iowa’s consumer protection laws. The Attorney General’s Office alleges Instagram represents itself as being safe for Iowa’s children and teenagers, yet there is explicit content readily available. The state also asserts that Meta designed Instagram to be addictive, particularly to Iowa youth, and that this addiction harms Iowa children by substantially affecting their health. In addition to Instagram’s addictive nature and design, Instagram tells consumers that it contains only “infrequent” or “mild” content related to things like drug use, sexual content or nudity, and other mature themes, leading Instagram to rate itself as 12+, 13+ or T for Teen (i.e., suitable for teens 17 and under). However, the lawsuit asserts Instagram allows rampant “sexual content and nudity, alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and references, and mature/suggestive themes on the Instagram platform, including readily accessible hardcore pornography.” The platform has also been found in third-party investigations to promote or allow child pornography, sexual extortion of teenagers, and open dealing of opioids and other drugs. The Attorney General’s lawsuit seeks a preliminary and a permanent...

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Inszone Acquires Oklahoma’s Schuessler

Article 0 Comments Inszone Insurance Services announced its expansion in Oklahoma through the acquisition of Schuessler Insurance, Inc., a long-standing independent insurance agency based in Alva, Oklahoma. Founded in 1973 by Harvey Schuessler, the agency began as a small operation run from Schuessler’s dining room before opening its first office in 1975. Over the decades, Schuessler Insurance built a strong reputation for dependable service and deep community relationships. In 2001, the agency was purchased by Michael Hood, who continued its legacy of personalized service while guiding the business through more than two decades of local growth. Schuessler Insurance primarily serves personal and commercial clients, with a strong focus on farm, agriculture, and small business coverage in the surrounding rural communities. The agency team will remain in place, continuing to serve clients locally with the added backing, infrastructure, and market access of Inszone Insurance Services. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Oklahoma Was this article valuable? Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article. Submit No Thanks Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it. Submit No Thanks Here are more articles you may enjoy. Interested in Mergers? Get...

Accenture Leverages AI With A Series of Investments & Acquisitions 0

Accenture Leverages AI With A Series of Investments & Acquisitions

Accenture and Databricks Accelerate Enterprise Adoption of AI Applications and Agents at Scale Clients across industries, such as Albertsons, BASF, and Kyowa Kirin International are working with Accenture and Databricks to build agent-ready databases and AI applications on their enterprise data New Accenture Databricks Business Group will be supported by more than 25,000 Databricks-trained professionals—including the largest certified talent pool in the ecosystem—to support joint customers in deploying and scaling Lakebase, Genie, Agent Bricks, and Lakehouse New York, NY (Mar. 17, 2026) – Accenture and Databricks, the Data and AI company, are helping global organizations unlock the full potential of their enterprise data and scale adoption of AI applications and agents. As part of a strategic expansion of their partnership, the companies are launching the Accenture Databricks Business Group, with a focus on helping clients adopt Databricks as their core data and AI platform. Together, the companies will help clients leverage Databricks’ newest innovations including Lakebase for serverless Postgres databases built for AI, Genie to let any employee chat with their data, and Agent Bricks for high-quality agents built on enterprise data. Organizations struggle to scale AI due to fragmented data and legacy infrastructure that silo information and stall innovation....

Quotey Joins the Benevolent Trust Lab as Inaugural InsurTech Member 0

Quotey Joins the Benevolent Trust Lab as Inaugural InsurTech Member

Calgary, AB (Apr. 8, 2026) – Benevolent Marketing is excited to welcome Quotey as the first insurtech member in the Benevolent Trust Lab, a new initiative that helps insurtechs align product, marketing, sales, and implementation around trust as a core design principle, not a tagline. By joining the Trust Lab, Quotey will work closely with Benevolent Marketing and its principal, Steve Pieroway, to examine how trust shows up in its day-to-day brand experience. “If there’s one truth in our industry, it’s this: the insurance industry runs on trust, and that includes tech vendors,” said Nick Kidd, CEO & Co-founder of Quotey. “I believe we do a good job building trust with our customers, and there’s always room to improve. Being part of the Benevolent Trust Lab gives us an opportunity to review our go-to-market approach through the lens of trust and make sure our promises, delivery, and outcomes line up.” “Quotey is a well-respected insurtech brand in the Canadian ecosystem,” said Steve Pieroway, Principal at Benevolent Marketing and creator of the Benevolent Insurtech Trust Index. “I’m excited to work with Nick and the entire Quotey team to build on the trust they’ve already earned and carry it through consistently in...

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US E&S Growth Slows Again; Declining Berkshire Volume Tops Leaders

Article 0 Comments A recent analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence reveals that the pace of growth in the U.S. excess and surplus lines market slowed to 7.8% in 2025, marking the first single-digit growth rate recorded since 2017. Previous reports from S&P GMI showed U.S. E&S direct premiums jumping 14.5% in 2023 and 13.4% in 2024, with those double-digit growth rates paling in comparison to a 32.3% percent rate of growth recorded in 2021. Contributing to the slumping growth rate, S&P GMI reported a drop in premiums for the largest U.S. E&S player—Berkshire Hathaway—last year. Berkshire Hathaway’s recorded 12.4% decline in overall E&S premiums to $7.4 billion was the largest drop among major insurers, with its E&S property business line falling 22.7% to $3.1 billion. A Carrier Management comparison of the premium data in the latest report with a prior S&P GMI report on the U.S. E&S market published in June last year reveals that only two other insurers among the top 20 E&S players recorded drops in E&S direct premiums last year—Travelers and Arch Capital—each showing declines of roughly 5%. Still, the U.S. domestic E&S market overall reached a historic milestone last year, by surpassing $100 billion in...

Wildfires, storms, floods contribute to record 92% of global insured losses in 2025: Swiss Re Institute 0

Wildfires, storms, floods contribute to record 92% of global insured losses in 2025: Swiss Re Institute

In 2025, secondary perils† – among them wildfires, severe convective storms and floods – accounted for a record 92% of total global natural catastrophe insured losses of USD 107 billion Population growth, rising asset values and elevated reconstruction costs among factors increasing exposure and insured losses over time Swiss Re’s modelling shows that in a peak-loss scenario, insured losses could reach USD 320 billion in 2026, underscoring the continued need for well-designed adaptation and risk mitigation measures Zurich, Switzerland (Mar. 19, 2026) – Secondary perils dominated natural catastrophe headlines in 2025. The LA wildfires, for example, generated record-breaking combined insured losses of around USD 40 billion. Losses from severe convective storms (SCS) remained elevated with USD 51 billion of losses. 2025 was also notable due to the absence of a major US hurricane landfall. With long-term global insurance losses from natural catastrophes continuing to follow the 5–7% annual growth rate, sustained adaptation and risk mitigation are instrumental to maintain long-term insurability and reduce protection gaps. Balz Grollimund, Head Catastrophe Perils, said: “The below-trend natural catastrophe losses seen in 2025 are the result of favourable variability rather than any easing of underlying risk. If losses return to normal long-term levels, they would total USD 148 billion...

IBHS and APCIA launch comprehensive new toolkit to help communities reduce wildfire risk 0

IBHS and APCIA launch comprehensive new toolkit to help communities reduce wildfire risk

Science-based roadmap gives communities practical steps to reduce home ignition and limit neighborhood-level wildfire destruction Richburg, SC (Mar. 31, 2026) – The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) have released a new resource to help local governments, fire services and other community organizations come together to implement coordinated wildfire mitigation programs in their communities. The Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework outlines how communities can organize, launch and sustain effective wildfire risk reduction efforts. The toolkit provides: Step-by-step guidance to plan, design and launch a local wildfire risk reduction program. Science-based home mitigation standards, including structure hardening measures and defensible space requirements such as the 0–5 foot noncombustible safety zone. Assessment and training resources, including materials to train home assessors and support consistent property evaluations. Implementation tools and templates, such as program checklists, sample forms, funding considerations and administrative guidance. Outreach and coordination strategies to engage homeowners, local partners and supply chain providers. “Communities are learning how to live with wildfire because in many areas it’s no longer a distant threat — it’s a reality,” said Steve Hawks, senior director for wildfire at IBHS and retired assistant deputy director at CAL FIRE....

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Shippers Rush for Hormuz Insurance After Truce Deal, Broker Says

Article 0 Comments Shipowners are placing “huge volume requests” for insurance cover as they look to transit the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran ceasefire deal, according to broker McGill and Partners. With the increased demand from the market also comes “a pronounced rate correction,” said David Smith, head of marine at the London-based firm. He added that despite the ceasefire agreement, “heightened war conditions still remain and the Strait of Hormuz is still classified as a very high risk area.” The Strait of Hormuz remained largely blocked on Wednesday, as shipowners try to understand if they can safely transit the vital waterway following a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran that was announced overnight. That’s as continued fighting in the Middle East, punctuated by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, threatened to derail the US-Iran détente even as the two sides signaled they could soon hold talks to end the six-week conflict. “The latest news on the ceasefire is positive news and will hopefully ease the passage through the Strait of Hormuz and for ships more generally in the region,” said Andrew James, managing director, Marine, at broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. “Of course, it is very early days,”...

InnSure Announces Next Creation Labs Cohort 0

InnSure Announces Next Creation Labs Cohort

Boston, MA (Mar. 23, 2026) — InnSure, a non-profit reimagining climate change-related insurance risk financing, is pleased to announce the nine companies comprising the second cohort of Creation Labs: 7Analytics, Aillium, Delos, EVSTAR, Fast Hazard, LocationHealth, Orbital Sentry, Tenax ai, and XyloPlan. Creation Labs is InnSure’s flagship launch and growth platform accelerating the development and deployment of new climate risk management products that address critical market gaps in U.S. communities. Companies, entrepreneurs, and innovators participating in Creation Labs gain access to resources that help them deploy and scale their products in climate-challenged markets that need affordable and creative insurance solutions. “The innovative companies joining us for this next cohort represent exactly what Creation Labs is about,” said InnSure’s Managing Director Chris Lowell. “They each bring unique, forward-thinking climate solutions to the table, and we’re excited to help them reach the communities and ecosystems that can benefit most from their products.” The Creation Labs cohort members are: 7Analytics: A flood analytics specialist empowering insurers and businesses to adapt to the climate challenges of today. By combining ultra-high geospatial resolution with AI/ML techniques and weather intel, they provide both property-level flood risk data and event impact forecasting several days ahead. Aillium: Aillium...

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Traveling for Business? Don’t Forget to Pack Your Emergency Preparedness Plan

Article 0 Comments We live in risky times. War with Iran, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Mexican cartels—global tensions are at an all-time high. The Department of State is advising Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution. And yet, C-suite and other executives still need to travel for business. Carrier Management spoke with Patti Clement, EVP at HUB Private Client, to find out what precautions execs should be taking. “The biggest thing is that they have to be prepared ahead of time,” Clement said. “They can’t just get on a plane. They have to be educated as to where they’re traveling to have some kind of preparedness ahead of time instead of reacting.” She likened preparedness to packing your suitcase. “Well, you’re going to pack your suitcase, so while you’re at it pack a plan as to what’s going to happen,” she said. “It may never happen—but just have that plan ready to go.” Check for travel advisories. Clement said one step executives and their teams can take on their own is checking the U.S. State Department website for travel advisories for their destination. “There could be a conflict going on that they’re unaware of, and unfortunately, with the...