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Oklahoma Insurance Producer Has License Revoked Following Investigation

Article 0 Comments The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) announced it has fined and revoked the license of Leslie Clark, a resident insurance producer from Stigler, Oklahoma, following an investigation led by its Anti-Fraud Unit. On Feb. 11, 2026, a show-cause hearing was held at OID’s offices before an independent examiner, at which Clark failed to appear. Clark was found to have improperly withheld and misappropriated 18 cash receipts totaling $7,269.38 from consumer premium payments. OID revoked Clark’s license and issued her a $2,000 fine. This case began when Farmers Insurance Group filed a complaint on Dec. 5, 2024. The complaint stated Clark failed to forward premium payments to the company. Farmers’ internal investigation revealed that between Aug. 23, 2023, and June 12, 2024, Clark had entered 18 cash receipts into its internal payment system to credit insureds’ policies. Clark failed to forward the funds to Farmers. Farmers’ investigation also found that Clark’s personal homeowners policy was canceled for non-payment on June 23, 2024. Clark entered a check receipt for $6,885.00 into the insurer’s internal payment system on July 31, 2024, to reinstate her homeowners policy but failed to make a deposit into Farmers’ bank account to cover the check amount....

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Texas Takes Over Permitting for Carbon Storage Projects

Article 0 Comments The Texas Railroad Commission spent two years working to secure the authority to issue the permits energy companies need to inject and store carbon dioxide underground, a power previously held by the federal government. Last November, the Environmental Protection Agency approved that request, a development experts said will make it easier for energy companies to apply for such permits, called Class VI. Both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations have approved generous tax incentives to energy companies to encourage carbon capture. While the effectiveness of the practice and benefits to the environment have been debated for years, the oil and gas industry has embraced it as a climate-friendly solution to pollution driven by industrial-scale fossil fuel production. But proponents of carbon capture technology argued that the federal government took too long to approve permits. The transfer of permitting to Texas isn’t likely to mean a rush of new projects, experts said, mainly because there hasn’t been a recent significant expansion of government incentives for direct air capture projects that trap carbon dioxide emissions, incinerate them and inject them deep underground. Here’s what to know about Class VI permits in Texas: What are Class VI permits? Class VI authorizes...

CertifID Expands Platform to Simplify and Secure the Closing Experience 0

CertifID Expands Platform to Simplify and Secure the Closing Experience

Real Estate’s Leading Wire Fraud Prevention Company Now Brings Critical Closing Processes into One Protected Platform Austin, TX (Feb. 24, 2026) – CertifID, the pioneer in real estate wire fraud protection, has announced the expansion of its platform to include document workflows, digital payments and AI-powered payoff ordering, marking a shift from a fraud prevention tool to a comprehensive closing platform. Since its founding, CertifID has protected over 1.4 million real estate transactions, blocked $283 million in attempted fraud, and recovered $118 million in stolen funds, working in partnership with the US Secret Service. CertifID secured the verification layer and blocked the bad actors. But payoffs, documents, and payments moved through systems outside the platform. Every handoff introduced gaps that fraud could exploit. “We’ve always been laser-focused on building the best fraud prevention in real estate, and now we’re addressing the gaps in the title process that create risk in the first place,” said Tyler Adams, CEO and Co-founder of CertifID. “This is just the beginning. Our team has major updates planned all year that will automate workflows and transform the closing experience for everyone involved. Unlike anyone else in this space, it’s all built on the most sophisticated fraud...

Accenture Acquires Advanced AI Technology to Help Communications Companies Accelerate Autonomous Network Journeys 0

Accenture Acquires Advanced AI Technology to Help Communications Companies Accelerate Autonomous Network Journeys

New York, NY (Feb. 24, 2026) – Accenture is pleased to announce it has acquired an advanced AI solution from cloud-native product company Avanseus. The solution provides models for prediction, anomaly detection and optimization for complex network operations and enhances Accenture’s platform capabilities in scaling AI/ML models for network planning, engineering and optimization. This will help telecommunications clients accelerate their journey towards autonomous networks, improve financial performance, and increase service agility. The technology will serve as a foundation building block for rapidly developing and deploying cutting-edge agentic AI solutions as part of Accenture’s cognitive network platform. The Avanseus solution applies advanced AI to coordinate decision‑making across complex network planning, optimization and operations, helping organizations turn operational complexity into a competitive advantage. Its unified cognitive AI/ML architecture supports faster innovation cycles and shorter time‑to‑market. Designed for seamless integration with hyperscaler agentic AI platforms, it enables efficient deployment of advanced autonomous network capabilities within Accenture’s cognitive network platform. This investment directly addresses critical market demands within the communications industry, where significant network infrastructure operational costs drive the need for AI-driven solutions. Avanseus’ solution provides the advanced models for prediction, anomaly detection and optimization necessary for this industry transformation. “Autonomous networks empower telcos...

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2,400 Kaiser Mental Health Professionals Strike in California Over AI Concerns

Article 0 Comments About 2,400 Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals were striking Wednesday in Northern California over concerns that the health care giant is replacing therapists with artificial intelligence. Kaiser says the union claim is false and AI will not replace human assessment or make care decisions for patients. Facilities are open, the company said. The two sides have been negotiating a new contract since last summer. The mental health professionals were joined in their one-day strike by more than 23,000 Kaiser nurses. The therapists, who include social workers and psychologists, provide mental health and addiction medicine treatment for an estimated 4.6 million patients in the San Francisco Bay Area, central valley and Sacramento regions. Oakland-based Kaiser does not currently use AI for therapy, but the National Union of Healthcare Workers fears the technology will become good enough to make it an attractive option for the company. Dr. Emma Olsen, a psychiatrist at Kaiser in Vallejo and a union steward, said the union is also pushing back on management demands to curb time spent on patient notes or answering patient messages. “They’re trying to take all that time away. They really just want us to be seeing people back to...

BrokerLink Expands Footprint With Three New Acquisitions In Ontario And Alberta 0

BrokerLink Expands Footprint With Three New Acquisitions In Ontario And Alberta

BrokerLink acquires InsuranceHero.ca, Levitt Insurance, and Rizk Insurance Triple acquisition reinforces company’s ongoing commitment to providing insurance solutions within communities across Canada, large and small, and serving customers the way they choose, in person, online or by phone Toronto, ON (Feb. 12, 2026) – Building on a strong start to the year, BrokerLink has further expanded its presence in Ontario and Alberta with the acquisitions of InsuranceHero.ca, Levitt Insurance Brokers Ltd. (Levitt Insurance), and Rizk Insurance Services Ltd. (Rizk Insurance). All three brokerages joined BrokerLink March 1, 2026. Expanding across Ontario For more than a decade, InsuranceHero.ca has served customers across Ontario with a digital first, customer-driven approach. Founded in 2011, the brokerage combines the convenience of online tools with personalized support, streamlining the insurance experience through technology and automation. Specializing in personal insurance and supporting select commercial sectors, InsuranceHero.ca has continued to grow while staying rooted in its communities and contributing to local initiatives such as the Golf Marathon Sudbury and regional healthcare programs. Founded in 1990, Levitt Insurance has built its reputation on delivering tailored personal and commercial insurance solutions across Ontario. While the brokerage primarily serves personal insurance customers, it also brings strong expertise in contractor and...

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Viewpoint: AI Paradox in Cyber Insurance—When Fear Drives Markets More Than Reality

Article 0 Comments The cyber insurance market is experiencing a fascinating paradox. Small business owners are increasingly worried about AI. So much so that artificial intelligence has become the second biggest reason they’re buying cyber insurance. Yet these concerns aren’t actually shaking up the market as much as expected. A recent report from Global Data shows that SMEs are clearly thinking about AI when they shop for coverage, with more than one in three citing it as a major factor in their decision, but the industry still isn’t seeing the massive changes experts anticipated. This gap between what businesses worry about and what’s actually happening in the market is changing how everyone thinks about cyber insurance. For insurers, it’s both a chance to better serve clients and a challenge to figure out what these AI concerns really mean for their business. Instead, we’re witnessing a more subtle but significant transformation in risk management psychology, where professional guidance and perceived threats are becoming more influential than direct experience with cyber incidents. The New Psychology of Risk Management The traditional model of cyber insurance purchasing has fundamentally changed. Where businesses once bought coverage primarily after experiencing or witnessing cyberattacks, today’s market is...

Uber Unveils Uber Autonomous Solutions to Accelerate Autonomous Mobility & Delivery Worldwide 0

Uber Unveils Uber Autonomous Solutions to Accelerate Autonomous Mobility & Delivery Worldwide

San Francisco, CA (Feb. 23, 2026) – Uber Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of Uber Autonomous Solutions, a comprehensive suite of unique services and capabilities that are already helping partners to build and successfully commercialize autonomous vehicles in multiple markets around the world. “Autonomous technology has remarkable potential to make transportation safer and more affordable,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO. “Innovation in autonomy is moving quickly, but meaningful commercialization will take much longer. For more than a decade, Uber has helped set the standard for on-demand mobility and built the capabilities that make ‘push a button and get a ride’ work at global scale. With Uber Autonomous Solutions, we’re externalizing these hard-won competencies for our partners.” Beyond just getting access to Uber’s leading demand marketplace, Uber Autonomous Solutions goes further—providing the capabilities required for true end-to-end commercialization, reducing cost per mile while increasing speed to market. They also bring comprehensive product development and support capabilities, designed to make autonomous trips more reliable for users and more economical for operators. “AV tech teams should be able to focus on what they do best: building software that can safely power an autonomous world,” said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous...

Gartner Survey Reveals CMO “AI Blind Spot” as 65% Expect Role Disruption, Yet Only 32% Say Significant Skill Changes Are Needed 0

Gartner Survey Reveals CMO “AI Blind Spot” as 65% Expect Role Disruption, Yet Only 32% Say Significant Skill Changes Are Needed

Marketing Leaders Face a Widening AI Literacy Gap as AI Shifts From Productivity Tool to Growth Capability Stamford, CT (Feb. 23, 2026) – Two-thirds (65 percent) of CMOs say advances in AI will dramatically change the role of the CMO in the next two years, yet only one-third (32 percent) say significant changes are needed to the CMO profile and skill set, according to a new survey by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. The survey was conducted from August through October 2025 among 402 senior marketing leaders in North America and Europe. As AI becomes increasingly central to enterprise growth and competitive advantage, many leaders are not updating their own skills at the same pace as the role is evolving. Gartner predicts that by 2027, a lack of AI literacy will rank among the top three reasons CMOs are replaced at large enterprises, elevating AI literacy into a board-level leadership expectation. “CMOs are not ignoring AI; most are expecting the role to change,” said Lizzy Foo Kune, Distinguished VP Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “But the data points to a disconnect between anticipating disruption and recognizing the personal transformation required to lead it. CMOs must build...

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Los Angeles, US West Brace for Second Bout of Record March Heat

Article 0 Comments Los Angeles and the U.S. Southwest are set for a second record heat wave in two weeks as temperatures soar, potentially straining electric grids, melting snowpack and raising health risks. Tuesday’s high in downtown Los Angeles is forecast to reach 97F (36C), possibly climbing to 98F by Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Commercial forecaster AccuWeather Inc. said temperatures may rise as high as 99F, which would tie March 29, 1879, for the warmest March reading on record. Heat advisories and excessive heat warnings span parts of Nevada, Arizona and California, extending to San Francisco, with temperatures forecast to be 15F to 30F above normal. “The L.A. area really starts to fire up today,” said Tyler Roys, a meteorologist with AccuWeather. “Basically, it is record-breaking heat for many places.” Through next Monday, 450 daily high-temperature records may be broken or threatened across the US, most in the West, the US Weather Prediction Center said. An additional 334 record warm overnight lows also may be set or tied. The early heat will drive up energy demand as residents and businesses turn to air conditioning. It will also dry out vegetation, raising wildfire risk. A bigger concern is...