Latest Claims Headlines

All the headlines from our Claims Topic Page, ordered by recency.

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Lowers Mid-Range Estimate of COVID Costs by $10B

May 26 2020 // The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California published estimated costs of allowing state workers to receive benefits for COVID-19 claims without proving virus exposure at work, dropping a prior...

Update: AXA to Pay Business Interruption Claims to Restaurants After Court Ruling

May 26 2020 // A Paris court ruled last week that AXA should pay a restaurant owner two months of revenue losses caused by the virus pandemic. AXA had argued its policy did not cover business disruption caused by the health...

Insurers, Agents Propose Pandemic Business Relief Plan; Plaintiffs Offer BIG Compromise

May 22 2020 // Key segments of the property/casualty insurance industry, which is facing mounting claims for business interruption losses from the pandemic, have thrown their lobbying weight behind a proposed federal program to replace...

Some of Hand Sanitizer Purell’s Claims Called Misleading, Draw Lawsuits

May 22 2020 // Everyone’s favorite hand sanitizer may have to stand trial for claiming it can stop you from getting sick.A trio of lawsuits has hit Purell’s maker, Gojo Industries Inc., since the World Health Organization...

Federal Coronavirus Business Interruption Suits Now Top 100; Many More Expected

May 22 2020 // A federal court has received notice that 101 lawsuits have been filed as of Wednesday seeking coverage from insurers for business interruption losses caused by COVID-19.Plaintiffs attorneys say they expect the number to...

UK’s Aviva Expects COVID-19-Related Claims of Nearly $200 Million

May 21 2020 // British insurer Aviva expects 160 million pounds ($195 million) in claims related to the coronavirus pandemic and weaker second quarter sales, it said on Thursday, as government lockdowns aimed at containing the virus hit...

I’m From the Government and I’m Here to Help – Part 3

May 20 2020 // This is third in a series of posts where I plan to respond to the bills that several states have filed to force insurance companies to pay business income claims related to COVID-19.Not reimbursing insurers means higher...

When Insurers Deny Claims, Brokers Are Next in Line for Allegations of Wrongdoing

May 19 2020 // In the wake of government orders shutting down or seriously limiting the operations of businesses to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, many affected businesses have turned to their insurers for coverage. This has led to a...

Talc Miner Imerys to Forfeit North America Units to Settle 14,000 Cancer Lawsuits

May 18 2020 // Imerys SA, which mines talc used in Johnson & Johnson’s iconic Baby Powder and other products, agreed to turn over its North American operations to resolve more than 14,000 lawsuits claiming the mineral caused...

Profits to Sink Until 2021 Second Half: Fitch

May 18 2020 // While insurance rates have risen for nine consecutive quarters due to large catastrophe losses and accelerating claims inflation, Fitch Ratings expects that technical profits won’t be seen until the second half of...

Why Trust When You Should Know?

May 18 2020 // It is often said that people buy insurance trusting that it will be there when they actually need it, and this is very true. But why trust when you should know?Also true, but rarely said is the following, “Often,...

What to Expect in Workers’ Compensation Costs From COVID-19: NCCI

May 18 2020 // If only 10% of health care workers contract COVID-19 and all of their claims are deemed compensable, workers’ compensation loss costs for that sector could double or even triple in some states, according to an...

Transparency Is Key for Insurance Agents Handling Coronavirus Claims

May 18 2020 // Business interruption insurance has been a much-debated topic during the coronavirus crisis, with some businesses already pushing back against virus-related claim denials.In several cities, groups of businesses have filed...

California Workers’ Comp Bureau Chief Addresses COVID’s Impact on System

May 15 2020 // Bill Mudge has been put in a unique position during the pandemic.He’s got a sizeable workforce he’s had to reconfigure and manage much differently, and he heads the bureau that regulators, employers and...

Zurich Insurance Estimates Coronavirus Pandemic Claims to Hit $750 Million for 2020

May 14 2020 // Zurich Insurance estimates that the overall property and casualty (P&C) claims from the COVID-19 pandemic will be in the region of $750 million for 2020.To put that into context, Zurich’s CFO George Quinn said...

Legislation to Limit Car Accident Claims Advances in Louisiana

May 14 2020 // Louisiana’s Republican lawmakers have advanced proposals to limit damage claims against businesses in car wreck lawsuits, pushing ahead with the pre-coronavirus priority as Democrats argued the debate was...

SEC Accuses Two Companies of Making Misleading COVID-19 Claims

May 14 2020 // The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged two companies it says claimed to offer products to combat the COVID-19 virus.One complaint is against against Applied BioSciences Corp. and the other is against Turbo...

Lloyd’s Expects US$4.3B in COVID-19 Claims – On Par with Costs of 9/11 Terror Attacks

May 14 2020 // Lloyd’s of London revealed it will pay claims in the range of $3 billion to $4.3 billion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.This payout is on a par with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which cost the Lloyd’s...

Fitch Sees Little Stress on Insurer Ratings From Pandemic. Thus Far.

May 14 2020 // Having reviewed 70% of all of the North American insurers it rates for the effects of the coronavirus and economic downturn, Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ratings of 72% of the carriers with stable outlooks. Only 4% have...

Workers’ Comp May Need Backstop as Presumptions Push Claim Costs into Billions

May 12 2020 // An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers’ compensation insurers to pay at least some COVID-19...