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First Heat Wave of Season to Bake West, Increasing Wildfire Risk

Article 0 Comments Extreme heat levels of are expected in the western United States later this week, raising the risk wildfires and heat-related illnesses and putting a strain on power grids. Meteorologists at AccuWeather say a strong dome of high pressure will be the region’s first heatwave of the season, sending temperatures to near are above record highs from Thursday through Saturday. The most intense heat is expected to be centered across California, Nevada and western Utah, according to AccuWeather, which is forecasting a high of 107 degrees in Redding, California on Friday that would beat a record of 104 degrees set in 2021. A high of 103 degrees is forecast for Sacramento, which would tie the record set in 1910. Related: Urban Fires Spark California Firefighter’s Idea to Get Quicker Water for Helicopters The weather service is forecasting a high of 107 degrees in Las Vegas, Nevada, Friday, which would break the record of 106 degrees set in 2002. A high of 96 degrees in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sunday, would break the record of 94 degrees set in 2020. Highs could exceed 110 degrees or higher in some areas at times. Cities closer to the Pacific coast, including...

NormanMax acquires FloodFlash parametric sensor tech 0

NormanMax acquires FloodFlash parametric sensor tech

InsurTech acquisition expands NormanMax’s tech stack, adding real-time flood sensors to its network Miami, FL (May 20, 2025) – NormanMax Insurance Holdings, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of FloodFlash, the parametric insurance technology company, marking a significant milestone in the company’s mission to redefine how the world manages risk. By integrating FloodFlash’s award-winning sensor-based technology into its broader parametric platform, NormanMax is expanding what’s possible in flood insurance – delivering fast, transparent, and scalable coverage where it’s needed most. FloodFlash will continue to operate as an MGA and Lloyd’s coverholder, and its parametric FloodFlash product will remain available to distributors and customers in the US, UK, and other markets. “I am very pleased to share the news of the acquisition of FloodFlash by NormanMax and can’t wait to work closely with Brad and the NormanMax team,” said Adam Rimmer, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Co-founder of FloodFlash. “This was an easy decision: there are powerful opportunities that come from combining a world-first parametric product with the world’s first parametric Lloyd’s syndicate. The partnership enables our ambitions for FloodFlash to build upon relationships with brokers and customers in the US and UK, to expand rapidly into new territories and perils,...

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New York City Employee Killed in Sewage-Boat Explosion on Hudson River

Article 0 Comments An explosion on a boat carrying raw sewage that was docked on the Hudson River in New York City killed a longtime city employee Saturday, authorities said. Another worker on the city-owned Hunts Point vessel was injured and taken to the hospital after the blast around 10:30 a.m. near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to city Fire Department Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms. A third worker refused medical treatment. The cause of the explosion was under investigation, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in statement that criminal intent was not suspected. The men on the boat, which takes raw sewage from the city to be treated, were doing work involving a flame or sparks when the explosion occurred, the U.S. Coast Guard said on social media. First responders found a 59-year-old man unconscious in the river, New York police said, and he was declared dead at the scene. The man had been a longtime employee of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. His name has not been released, but the mayor said he was “a devoted public servant who gave 33 years of service to the New York City, and our hearts go...

How Natural Disasters Impact Canadian Wallets 0

How Natural Disasters Impact Canadian Wallets

By Matthew Roberts, MyChoice — Climate change is responsible for a 379% increase in average annual insurable damages in Canada in the last decade. In light of the devastating impact of the Milton hurricane in Florida, which by some estimates will cause anywhere in between $60-100 billion in insured damages, many Canadians are left wondering how the recent spike in natural disasters will impact the situation at home. This past summer in Canada will go down as one of the most challenging periods for homeowners and insurers alike. The Insurance Bureau of Canada recently reported a record-breaking 228,000 insurance claims – representing a staggering 406% increase compared to the previous 20-year average. In light of these growing threats our team conducted a thorough analysis of how insurance payments from natural disasters changed over the last 40 years across Canada. Using data from the Canadian Disaster Database, we compared the 10-year average of disaster-related annual insurance payments against the prior 30-year average, adjusted for inflation. Our team also analyzed the Shelter Consumer Price Index data from the past 10 years to determine the home insurance inflation across Canada and compared it to current rates from the MyChoice quote database. These are...

The Rising Dangers of Wildfires: Breaking Down Provincial Worries 0

The Rising Dangers of Wildfires: Breaking Down Provincial Worries

First Onsite survey explores wildfires, smoke, evacuation, and family safety Mississauga, ON (May 21, 2025) – First OnSite Property Restoration, Canada’s leading property restoration company, marks the beginning of the 2025 wildfire season with the release of its annual Wildfire Worries Survey. The study of more than 1500 adults found that two-thirds of Canadians (63%) are worried about the damage caused by wildfires. Canada’s wildfire season has already forced evacuation orders across Canada this month, beginning in B.C., the Prairies, central and northern Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador. North America has seen record catastrophic losses from wildfires in just the first quarter of 2025, with Aon estimating the January wildfires in the Los Angeles area to have cost US$37.5 billion in insured losses.[1] The Palisades and Eaton Fires are seared in the collective consciousness of North Americans, with the imagery of residents fleeing their homes becoming a powerful symbol of the wildfires’ devastating impact. Provincial Breakdown: B.C. and Alberta Most ConcernedProvincially, wildfire concerns are highest in British Columbia (82%) and Alberta (76%), a sentiment fuelled by years of intense wildfire activity and evacuations in Western Canada. Alberta saw the devastation of the Fort McMurray wildfire in 2016 and last year’s...

Insly launches report on maximizing the ROI of AI in Insurance 0

Insly launches report on maximizing the ROI of AI in Insurance

New report from Insly explores leading AI use cases happening now, and how MGAs and insurers can deliver ROI from the technology, while managing the risks Toronto, ON (May 26, 2025) – A new report on AI in insurance has been launched at The BIBA Conference 2025 by Insly, the low-code software provider to the insurance industry. Analyzing the progress of AI adoption across the sector, the report includes insights from businesses experimenting with the technology, identifies the most promising use cases, and explains how to overcome some of the biggest barriers to implementation, success, and ROI. Since ChatGPT launched two years ago, the race has been on to maximise the productivity gains promised by generative AI, along with other AI technologies spanning optical character recognition, large language models, machine learning, and beyond. But despite significant experimentation and a few trailblazers, many MGAs and insurers are still unsure how to implement AI successfully and maximise its value for the bottom line. A recent study by Boston Consulting Group found that 74% of companies struggle to achieve and scale value from AI. “Everyone’s scrambling to figure out how to ‘leverage AI’ for their business, especially after reading that all their competitors...

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California And 10 Other States Launch Clean Cars Coalition Following Senate Vote

Article 0 Comments California is joining an 11-state coalition to advance clean vehicles in response to a vote by the U.S. Senate to revoke California’s authority to set its own clean air standards. The Affordable Clean Cars Coalition was formed to push the nation’s transition to cleaner vehicles, support U.S. automotive manufacturers and workers and preserve states’ clean air authority. The coalition is led by the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of 24 governors. Other participating states include Colorado, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington. The Senate voted on Thursday to block California’s first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035, moving to kill the aggressive effort to transition toward electric vehicles. The measure overturning the rule now goes to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it. “The federal government and Congress are putting polluters over people and creating needless chaos for consumers and the market, but our commitment to safeguarding Americans’ fundamental right to clean air is resolute,” a statement from the group reads. “We will continue collaborating as states and leveraging our longstanding authority under the Clean Air Act, including through...

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California Brokerage Executive to Plead Guilty to Illegal Campaign Contributions

Article 0 Comments An insurance brokerage executive in California will plead guilty to breaking federal campaign laws by making contributions illegally to a joint fundraising committee, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Central District of California office. The DOJ charged Teena Maria Hostovich, 66, of La Cañada Flintridge, with making contributions in the name of another aggregating to more than $10,000 in a year. Hostovich agreed to plead guilty to the federal criminal charge and agreed to pay a fine of $43,500, according to the DOJ. Hostovich is expected to make her initial appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles in coming weeks. According to a plea agreement, from May 2020 through 2023, Hostovich made a total of $75,700 in contributions to principal campaign committees and federal joint fundraising committees of federal candidates in the names of other people. For the calendar years 2021 through 2023, Hostovich’s conduit contributions aggregated to more than $10,000 during each of those years, according to the DOJ. Hostovich allegedly used 11 different people, including employees at the insurance brokerage that employed her, family members of those employees, and individuals who performed personal services for Hostovich and her family, according to the...

Revau partners with Brazos, Twenty Mile to expand footprint in U.S. specialty insurance market 0

Revau partners with Brazos, Twenty Mile to expand footprint in U.S. specialty insurance market

Revau Advanced Underwriting, Brazos Specialty Risk Insurance, and Twenty Mile Insurance Services Join Forces, Enabling Strategic Expansion Across North America Transformational merger broadens Revau’s footprint into the United States, adds market-leading trucking and construction capabilities, and positions the combined group for accelerated growth Montreal, QC (May 19, 2025) – Revau, a leading Canadian managing general agent (MGA) specializing in property and casualty insurance, is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with Brazos Specialty Risk Insurance and Twenty Mile Insurance Services, two independent, Texas-based MGAs. The transaction significantly expands Revau’s presence and operational capabilities in the United States, firmly positioning the combined company as a pre-eminent player in the specialty-insurance market across North America. Brazos, a distinguished provider of specialty trucking insurance, and Twenty Mile, a specialist in construction-focused liability solutions, bring extensive market reach and deep industry expertise to Revau’s growing platform. In return, Revau contributes advanced data-analytics capabilities, a robust capital base, and an industry leading digital infrastructure—giving the combined group the capacity to deliver tailored products and services to brokers, carriers, and insureds across the continent. By pairing Brazos and Twenty Mile’s data-rich underwriting infrastructure with Revau’s advanced analytics platform, the combined group will command an end-to-end data...