Intel

In a growing number of communities around the U.S., new cannabis lounges are offering a social setting where guests can openly use marijuana products. Colorado and New Mexico both saw their first cannabis lounges open in April, Michigan’s first marijuana lounge is set to open this summer, and officials in Nevada are currently discussing how the recently-approved class of businesses…

As we enter the long-awaited season of Spring which conjures up thoughts of new beginnings, I draw parallels to the Excess & Surplus (E&S) Insurance industry. Several years of disciplined underwriting, including increased rates, adjusted limit deployment, and careful tweaking of policy language, coupled with a tamping of COVID-19 restrictions is resulting in this renewed sense of optimism. Carriers are…

A fire that destroyed much of a historic country club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, may have been started by construction work involving a propane torch, new video footage suggests. The Feb. 17 blaze at Oakland Hills Country Club caused an estimated $80 million in damage to the clubhouse and was a near “total loss,” according to reports. Video recovered from…

After two years of cancellations and uncertainty, crowds are expected to be back in full force for St. Patrick\'s Day 2022 in many areas of the U.S. and Canada. Large groups gathered in the streets and in bars for parades last weekend in cities like San Francisco, California, Chicago, Illinois, and Newport, Rhode Island. Establishments are preparing for big crowds…

Cleanup and investigation efforts are underway at the site of the Forbes Avenue Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after the bridge collapsed on Jan. 28. A city bus and several other vehicles were on the bridge when it came crashing down, injuring 10 individuals in a terrifying ordeal that left motorists fearing for their lives. The 447-foot bridge, which was built…

Two restaurants in North Carolina are being investigated after allegedly serving alcohol to multiple underage patrons on Nov. 27, including one 18-year-old who later crashed their vehicle into a ditch and hit a tree in Currituck County. The driver, who suffered serious injuries in the crash and caused an estimated $17,000 in damage, was reportedly one of five teens who…

The last two years have been among the most uncertain the world has ever experienced by any standard. The Excess and Surplus (E&S) Lines insurance marketplace has stepped up to meet the challenge experiencing strong growth and perseverance in the face of a global pandemic, extraordinary natural catastrophes, increasing cyber-attacks, excessive jury verdicts, supply chain disruptions, political unrest, labor shortages…

A massive fire at a QVC warehouse in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Dec. 19 destroyed 75% of the 1.5 million-square-foot facility and killed one worker, according to news reports. The five-alarm blaze rendered the site inoperable and has reportedly prompted the company, a major employer in the area, to plan to lay off all of its more than 1,900…

Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? About 44% of adults surveyed in a recent Medifast poll said they planned to set a resolution for 2022, compared to 50% in 2021. Top resolutions for the new year include financial health, holistic health and wellness, and focusing on self-care or body positivity, the survey found. While not everyone will make a…

A bedroom fire at an apartment complex in northwest Austin, Texas, on Nov. 4 was reportedly caused by a laptop left charging on a bed. The blaze, which displaced one resident but caused no injuries, was extinguished by a sprinkler system and caused an estimated $8,000 in property damage, CBS Austin reported. Just days later in the same city, a…

The accidental shooting that resulted in the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film Rust could lead to a “tremendous legal fallout,” Time magazine recently reported. Reports indicate that Hutchins died after producer and actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that contained a live round. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting…

By Paul G. Smith, Corporate Senior Vice President, Carrier Relations, H.W. Kaufman Group We are pleased to share our third quarter Property & Casualty Market Overview and Forecast, prepared immediately following industry conferences and meetings that are clear bellwethers of what to anticipate. September, as we know, is Reinsurance Month which sets the stage for pivotal year-end negotiations of January 1…