Latest Commercial Lines Headlines

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

How Large Firm Risk Managers Rate Commercial Lines Carriers, Brokers

Feb 6 2015 // While commercial insurers have traditionally relied upon insurance brokers to manage customer relationships, large company risk managers are looking for both parties to work together to meet their needs, according to a new...

Understanding Commercial Property Underwriting and ‘COPE’

Feb 3 2015 // Construction, Occupancy, Protection and Exposure (COPE) are the same four basic elements of underwriting data that real property underwriters have used for nearly 300 years.So what are these time-honored elements? The...

Willis, Clark Thomson in Commercial Network Tie; SME Transfer

Jan 29 2015 // Willis Group Holdings announced that Scottish independent broker, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Ltd (CTIB), has agreed to join Willis Commercial Network (WCN) in a deal that includes the purchase of Willis’s...

Berkshire’s Commercial Insurer Hires AIG, Chubb Execs to Enter Canada Market

Jan 28 2015 // Berkshire Hathaway Inc.’s commercial insurance unit is expanding into Canada as it seeks to win over new clients by offering bigger coverage limits than competitors.The unit, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance,...

Supreme Court Backs Employer on Retirees’ Pay for Health Benefits

Jan 27 2015 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sided with a company that amended a collective bargaining agreement to force retirees to pay toward healthcare costs, throwing out a lower-court ruling that favored the former employees who...

Starr Cos. Add Umbrella Product to Small Business Policies

Jan 26 2015 // Starr Cos. has launched a new commercial insurance umbrella liability policy, designed specifically for small-sized businesses.This product marks the next phase in Starr’s growing suite of insurance options for small...

California Motor Vehicles Revokes Notice on Commercial Plates for Uber

Jan 26 2015 // California has retracted a notice that said private drivers for ridesharing companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. must have a commercial license plate or risk getting a citation.The California Department...

Ohio BWC Proposes Private Employer Workers’ Comp Rate Reduction

Jan 25 2015 // Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) is proposing to reduce overall premium rate levels for private employers beginning July 1, 2015.The 10.8 percent reduction would result in a decrease in projected annual...

Study Finds Workplace Trust a Predictor of Comp Outcomes in Arkansas

Jan 25 2015 // A new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) identified new predictors of worker outcomes that can help public officials, payors, and health care providers in Arkansas improve the treatment and...

Committee Advances Bill To Increase Wyoming Workplace Safety Fines

Jan 23 2015 // A bill to increase penalties against Wyoming employers when safety violations result in worker fatalities has cleared its first hearing.The Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee on Wednesday recommended...

Top 10 Causes of Workplace Injuries

Jan 16 2015 // Overexertion and falls account for more than $25 billion in workers’ compensation costs in the U.S.Being hurt by an object or equipment ranks third in workplace injury causes and claims costs in the Liberty Mutual...

ACE Launches Middle Market Insurance Solution for Continental Europe

Jan 15 2015 // ACE Group has launched ACE Middle Market Solutions, an enhanced proposition for brokers and clients, designed to help continue building its position in the middle market segment in key Continental Europe insurance...

Stateline Insurance Hires Dougherty as Commercial Lines Representative in R.I.

Jan 14 2015 // Kellie Dougherty Stateline Insurance & Financial Services, an independent agency in East Providence, Rhode Island, has hired Kellie Dougherty as commercial lines representative. Dougherty has over 10 years of...

Atlas General, Rockingham Group Partner on New Commercial Lines Programs

Jan 13 2015 // Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC, a national multi-line program manager, has partnered with The Rockingham Group to offer three exclusive new programs: general contractors general liability, artisan contractors...

AmWINS Launches Small Business Division

Jan 7 2015 // Wholesale broker AmWINS Group Inc. has launched a fifth division, AmWINS Access, which is dedicated to small account binding authority business.In conjunction with the launch of this new division, offices of Gresham &...

New OSHA Reporting Rules on Workplace Deaths, Hospitalizations in Effect Jan. 1

Dec 31 2014 // Effective January 1, 2015, all employers under the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be required to report all work-related fatalities within eight hours and all in-patient...

A.M. Best Reaffirms Chesapeake Employers’ Financial Strength Rating

Dec 24 2014 // Chesapeake Employers’ Insurance Company, the largest workers’ compensation insurance company in Maryland, announced that insurance ratings agency A.M. Best Co. has reaffirmed a financial strength rating of A-...

Lindemann to Retire as President, COO of CNA Commercial Insurance

Dec 22 2014 // Chicago-based CNA Financial Corp. announced the retirement of Robert Lindemann, president and chief operating officer of CNA Commercial — a $3.5 billion commercial property and casualty business — effective Dec. 31,...

McDonald’s Is Joint Employer with Franchisees: National Labor Board

Dec 21 2014 // McDonald’s Corp. wields enough control over its franchisees that it should be jointly responsible for the working conditions of their employees, according to charges by the U.S. labor board critics say threatens to...

Wyoming Workplace Fatality Bill Endorsed by Lawmakers

Dec 18 2014 // Lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would sharply increase penalties when employee deaths occur because of safety violations at large companies in Wyoming, which has long been among the top states for workplace...