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Michigan, Ohio Gas Prices Spike Further Amid Refinery Breakdown

Article 0 Comments Gas prices in two Midwestern battleground states saw further hikes on Thursday as the region’s market grapples with a refinery issue in Illinois. In Michigan, prices rose to $4.74 a gallon on Thursday, up from $4.59 a gallon on Wednesday, according to GasBuddy, a fuel savings app that tracks prices in live time. In Ohio, prices stood at $4.34 a gallon, up from $4.05 a gallon on Wednesday. GasBuddy’s prices differ slightly from those released by AAA, which issues nightly updates on prices. A shut-down of a key unit at ExxonMobil Holdings Corp.’s Joliet, Illinois, refinery had already pushed prices significantly higher on Wednesday in both states. Polls show tight Senate races in both states, with the cost of living and pump prices top voter issues in the midterm elections 12 days from now. Democrats must hold on to their seat in Michigan, a state won by President Donald Trump in 2024, if they hope to flip control of the US Senate. Republicans similarly see Ohio as crucial to maintaining their majority. The impacts are spreading throughout the broader area, with price hikes in Wisconsin and Indiana, as well as Illinois. Copyright 2026 Bloomberg. Topics Michigan Pricing...

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Insurer Doesn’t Get a Mulligan in $12M Georgia Solar Farm Claim, Appeals Court Says

Article 1 Comment Zurich American does not get to reclassify a loss as one with a much higher deductible after it had already paid part of the claim, a federal appeals court said in a case involving rain damage to a massive solar farm in Georgia. “Golfers get mulligans. But in this case, the insurance company does not,” the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in its Oct. 22 opinion. Zurich American had written a builder’s risk policy for First Solar, which was constructing a 200-megawatt solar plant near Warner Robins, in central Georgia, in 2018. Five heavy rain events in 2019 and 2020 left water standing in the former farm field, causing extensive damage to the solar components. A Zurich adjuster determined that the loss was due to water damage, not flooding, and Zurich sent advance payments totaling $600,000 for the first three rainfall events. The policy allowed a $100,000 per-event deductible for water damage. But Zurich then reversed course, arguing that the deluges in 2019 and 2020 were actually flood events. In the policy, flood damage carried a much higher deductible—$2.5 million per event. That meant that all of the claimed damage was below the First Solar...

NTT DATA Opens AI Factory Munich Where Clients Can Validate their AI in a Live Environment 0

NTT DATA Opens AI Factory Munich Where Clients Can Validate their AI in a Live Environment

Helping clients move AI from pilots to production in a live, production-grade environment Enabling organizations to test AI they own and control against their own use cases before making investment decisions Bringing together NTT DATA’s consulting, data, AI, infrastructure, security, operations and managed services expertise with leading technology partners including Dell Technologies and NVIDIA Munich, Germany (Oct. 14, 2026) – NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, is pleased to announce the opening of the NTT DATA AI Factory Munich, a real-world environment where clients can test how their AI applications will perform at scale before they invest in broad deployments. Unlike a traditional AI demonstration or innovation lab, the AI Factory Munich operates within a live data center environment (NTT Global Data Centers’ Munich 2 Data Center), allowing clients to evaluate AI workloads against the infrastructure, security, data, governance and operational requirements they will face in production. AI deployments typically stall between pilots that prove an idea and enterprise-scale production that delivers value. To bridge this gap, the AI Factory Munich leverages NTT DATA’s capabilities from consulting, infrastructure and AI platforms to managed services, data centers and its global partner ecosystem. Among active partners, NVIDIA...

IBM Teams Up with SAP to Help Businesses Modernize Operations and Advance AI-Readiness 0

IBM Teams Up with SAP to Help Businesses Modernize Operations and Advance AI-Readiness

Volumetric Building Companies cuts operational cycle times by 50% with SAP Cloud ERP Second Nature Brands extends and strengthens their common enterprise platform following its Voortman acquisition Modernized ERP foundation positions clients to scale operations and support AI-readiness Armonk, NY (Oct. 14, 2026) – IBM is pleased to announce IBM Ready for SAP Solutions to help midsize and fast-growing organizations accelerate cloud ERP modernization, unify enterprise data, and establish an AI-ready digital core. Volumetric Building Companies and Second Nature Brands are among the clients using the solution to support growth and future AI initiatives. Volumetric Building Companies (VBC), a global modular construction company, reduced operational cycle times by 50% across purchasing, manufacturing, and inventory processes following a three-month SAP Cloud ERP transformation with IBM. Second Nature Brands, a portfolio company and creator of premium snacks and treats, recently completed an SAP Cloud ERP transformation with IBM that integrated its acquired Voortman Bakery business and established a common enterprise platform for its operations. The two transformations demonstrate how IBM Ready for SAP Solutions can support different business needs, from improving operational efficiency to integrating acquired businesses onto a common enterprise platform. “As our business continues to grow, we needed technology that...

Majesco Fall ’26 Release Advances Intelligence Across Insurance and Retirement with Immersive AI 0

Majesco Fall ’26 Release Advances Intelligence Across Insurance and Retirement with Immersive AI

Major release extends Majesco’s AI leadership with Immersive AI, bringing governed generative and agentic intelligence into the flow of work Morristown, NJ (Oct. 13, 2026) – Majesco, a global leader in AI-native insurance and retirement software, is pleased to announce its Fall ’26 product release. The release accelerates AI within the Majesco intelligent core solutions which deliver value for customers across insurance and retirement to redefine how work gets done with AI, helping organizations close talent capacity gaps, scale operations to empower growth, and improve business metrics through greater agility and value creation. This release raises the bar again and empowers our customers to transform their business and accelerate their journey to a Frontier Insurer. “Fall ’26 shows how we are extending intelligence across the platforms our customers rely on every day,” said Manish Shah, President and Chief Product Officer at Majesco. “Generative AI surfaces insight. Agentic AI orchestrates work. Immersive AI gives users a new way to collaborate with AI agents to do work, with the governance needed for production use. Traditional core was designed for human work only. Immersive is designed so the human and agent are working the same case in a shared space together. This is...

Intact Financial Corporation announces third-quarter catastrophe loss estimate 0

Intact Financial Corporation announces third-quarter catastrophe loss estimate

Toronto, ON (Oct. 13, 2026) – Intact Financial Corporation has provided an update regarding catastrophe events in the third quarter of 2026. The company estimates that total catastrophe losses1 for the third quarter were approximately $660 million on a pre-tax basis and net of reinsurance ($2.76 per diluted share after-tax). “After benign activity in 2025 and early 2026, the severe weather events of recent months have brought our teams, supply chain and restoration network together to help customers recover and quickly get back on track,” said Charles Brindamour, Chief Executive Officer of Intact Financial Corporation. “At an industry level, these events reinforce firm market conditions.” “While the third quarter is historically an active period for weather events, over the past 12 months catastrophe losses totaled $1.29 billion, modestly above our annual guidance of $1.20 billion,” said Ken Anderson, Chief Financial Officer of Intact Financial Corporation. “The Intact platform continues to demonstrate its resilience and strength, supported by a robust balance sheet and earnings profile that position us to deliver on our financial objectives and capture opportunities.” The table below provides a breakdown of the estimated catastrophe losses for the quarter: (in millions of Canadian dollars) Total Personal auto 52 Personal...

From burst pipes to break-ins, one in four Canadians have faced issues while away from home: TD Insurance survey 0

From burst pipes to break-ins, one in four Canadians have faced issues while away from home: TD Insurance survey

Nearly half of Canadians will leave homes unattended this fall or winter, with 71% concerned something could go wrong while they’re away Toronto, ON (Oct. 13, 2026) – As winter approaches, many Canadians are already planning on escaping the weather, leaving their home alone to face the elements. According to a new TD Insurance survey, nearly half of Canadians (48%) intend to leave their primary residence unattended for more than one day this fall or winter for a vacation, holiday, leisure trip or other reasons.  For cottage, cabin and other secondary property owners, that figure soars to 81%. While Canadians are largely confident they know how to prepare their homes before leaving, the poll also reveals a gap between preparedness and understanding what their insurance policy may require. Key findings from this TD Insurance survey: 25% of Canadians say they have experienced a property issue while away, rising to 62% among seasonal or secondary property owners. 48% of Canadians say they plan to leave their property unattended this fall or winter, yet only 61% know what their insurance policy requires when they are away. 86% of Canadians say they feel confident they can properly prepare their home before going away, but 71% still worry something...

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Delivery Robots Accused of Sharing Biometric Data Without Consent

Article 1 Comment The battle over Chicago’s food delivery robots has reached the courts, with two customers accusing the companies behind them of collecting their biometric data without consent. The men filed separate class-action lawsuits in Cook County court Oct. 9 against Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging the companies violated a state privacy law. They claim the companies’ machines scanned their faces and hands without their knowledge or consent. Both companies dispute the allegations. The lawsuits allege the robots’ cameras and LiDAR — a technology that sends out laser pulses to measure distances and map the surrounding environment — captured measurements of customers’ faces and hands as they approached the machines to retrieve their orders. Mitchell Breidinger, from the Near North Side, says he ordered groceries through DoorDash in September 2025 and never chose robot delivery. But his order was assigned to a Coco robot, according to his lawsuit. When it arrived, he had to stand close to the machine to enter a code and retrieve his groceries. Breidinger alleges the robot’s cameras recorded his face, head and hands, while its LiDAR sensors measured their geometry. His lawsuit also alleges a remote operator watched video of the delivery in...

Coalition Launches Active Cyber Insurance for Enterprises in Canada, Transforming Cyber Risk Management for World’s Largest Organisations 0

Coalition Launches Active Cyber Insurance for Enterprises in Canada, Transforming Cyber Risk Management for World’s Largest Organisations

Combining A+ rated Allianz capacity with innovative Active Cyber Insurance, Coalition can now deliver cyber protection to the full market, including enterprises Vancouver, CA (Oct. 20, 2026) – Coalition, the world’s first Active Insurance provider designed to help prevent digital risk before it strikes, is pleased to announce Active Cyber Insurance for Enterprises, a new solution designed to meet the complex cyber risk needs of large organizations. Following the announcement of Coalition’s expanded strategic relationship with Allianz Commercial, Coalition now offers up to CAD $35 million in cyber limits to large businesses in Canada (excluding Quebec). “Our enterprise solution reimagines cyber insurance for the complex risks faced by global enterprises,” said Shawn Ram, Coalition’s Chief Revenue Officer. “As AI amplifies attack sophistication, third-party dependencies expand attack surfaces, and regulatory requirements tighten worldwide, enterprises need confidence that they can withstand digital threats no matter how they evolve. By bringing together Allianz’s worldwide network and our own proven claims and risk intelligence engine, we provide enterprise stakeholders more clarity around their cyber risk than ever before.” Active Cyber Insurance for Enterprises is a holistic approach to cyber risk that combines comprehensive coverage, real-time insights, and proven loss prevention. This approach helps enterprise...

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Florida AG Says His Office Investigating ‘Anti-Public Adjuster’ Endorsements in Policies

Article 0 Comments In the long-simmering clash between property insurers and public adjusters, the adjusters now have Florida’s chief law enforcement officer on their side, after state Attorney General James Uthmeier announced his office will investigate anti-public adjuster endorsements in some Florida insurance policies. Uthmeier, now in a tight race against Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez, announced Tuesday, Oct. 21, that his staff has subpoenaed documents from Velocity Risk Underwriters, a Ryan Specialty managing general agent. A civil lawsuit against Velocity, brought by public adjusters over the same issue, is now pending in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Uthemeier (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File) “We are looking into whether Velocity and other insurance companies worked together to ban public adjusters so they could pay out less money,” Uthmeier said in a news release. “Insurance companies use their own adjusters. Homeowners should be allowed to hire an advocate on their side too.” Uthmeier stated flatly, without attribution: “Homeowners who use a public adjuster can receive up to 30 percent more money on their claims than those who do not.” He may have been referencing a 2010 study from the Florida Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, which examined Citizens Property Insurance claims from...