Latest Commercial Lines Headlines

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

Employers, Employees Navigate Back to Office, Work from Home Plans

Jul 9 2021 // Last year, companies around the U.S. scrambled to figure out how to shut down their offices and set up their employees for remote work as the COVID-19 virus suddenly bore down on the world.Now, in a mirror image, they are...

Employers Must Contend with Shrinking Population of Working-Age People

Jul 7 2021 // As America’s job market rebounds this summer and the need for workers intensifies, employers won’t likely have a chance to relax anytime soon. Worker shortages will likely persist for years after the...

Employers See Employee Mental Health as Major Concern

Jul 5 2021 // Employee mental health has become a serious issue in the workplace and employers are increasingly likely to recognize not only the costs but also how the stigma surrounding mental illness is an obstacle to treatment.A...

Workers More Likely to Get COVID Vaccine When Employer Encourages It

Jul 1 2021 // As more employers return to in-person work, the latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor report shows that workers are more likely to have gotten a COVID-19 vaccine when their employer encourages it or provides paid sick leave...

Pennsylvania USPS Facility Fined More Than $230K for Workplace Safety Violations

Jun 30 2021 // A federal workplace safety inspection of a U.S. Postal Service location in Pennsylvania found employees exposed to potentially serious and fatal injuries in the event of an emergency.Responding to a complaint, the U.S....

Guilty Plea: Mississippi Woman Embezzled $600K from 2 Louisiana Employers

Jun 30 2021 // Federal prosecutors say a Mississippi woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling a total of more than $600,000 from two Louisiana employers.Christy Bartholomew, 39, of Hattiesburg, pleaded guilty earlier this week to wire...

EU to Update Workplace Safety Rules, Reflecting Shift to Home Working During COVID

Jun 29 2021 // BRUSSELS – The European Commission plans to update its rules on worker safety to reflect the shift millions employees made to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and to reflect the anticipated digital and...

OSHA Announces $21M in Workplace Safety Grants for Nonprofits

Jun 28 2021 // The Department of Labor announced funding opportunities for more than $21 million in Occupational Safety and Health Administration training grants for non-profit organizations.The first availability will provide $10...

Employers See Employee Mental Health as Major Concern

Jun 25 2021 // Employees’ mental health has become a serious issue in the workplace and employers are increasingly likely to recognize not only the costs but also how the stigma surrounding mental illness is an obstacle to...

People Moves: Liberty Company Names Taylor VP in California; LP Adds Schroeder to Commercial Team

Jun 25 2021 // The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers has named Valerie Taylor a vice president, producer in the San Francisco Bay area office.Taylor has 16 years of experience in the insurance industry, with niches in cannabis, real...

‘Zombie’ Companies Likely to Keep Commercial Insurance Rates Rising

Jun 21 2021 // The expectation that hundreds of so-called zombie companies will fail over the next few years and drag on the economy is among the major concerns prompting insurers to reduce risk and charge higher premiums, a trend likely...

The Impact of Commercial Lines Raters on Independent Agencies

Jun 21 2021 // For many years independent agencies waited anxiously for a practical multi-company rating system in commercial lines.Now, several easy-to-use products are available to agencies with quoting capability among a growing...

Why Agents Should Specialize in the Commercial Surety Space

Jun 21 2021 // Agents with clients who need license and permit bonds, miscellaneous bonds, court bonds or any number of bonds classified as “commercial,” should think twice about letting this business go to a competitor....

Panel Approves Pennsylvania House GOP Bill to Ban Employer Vaccine Mandates

Jun 17 2021 // A ban on employers mandating vaccines for their workers inched ahead in the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday with a committee vote supported by all Republicans and opposed by every Democrat.The main sponsor, Rep. Russ...

Texas Tortilla Factory Fined $218K for Workplace Safety Violations

Jun 16 2021 // A San Marcos, Texas-based tortilla manufacturer has been cited for repeat and serious workplace safety violations, and faces penalties of more than $200,000, federal regulators say.The Occupational Safety and Health...

People Moves: CSAA Names Brown EVP of Commercial, Woodruff Sawyer Names Fuhrman Southern California Practice Leader

Jun 14 2021 // Walnut Creek, Calif.-based CSAA Insurance Group has named Julie Brown executive vice president of commercial insurance.Brown will be responsible for the distribution of commercial insurance under the Mobilitas brand,...

Controversial California Workplace Mask Rule Withdrawn

Jun 11 2021 // California’s workplace regulators have withdrawn a controversial pending mask regulation while they consider a rule that more closely aligns with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s promise that the state will fully reopen...

Wisconsin Grain Facility Fined $676.8K for Workplace Safety Violations

Jun 8 2021 // A Wisconsin grain facility faces 14 workplace safety violation citations and more than $676,000 in penalties following the death of a following the engulfment death of a worker in a corn silo.The Occupational Safety and...

How to Manage Social Media Liability in the Workplace: RIMS

Jun 7 2021 // “I remember when the worst thing you had to worry about at work was a misdirected reply-to-all on an email.”Joann Lytle, a partner with the law firm McCarter & English in Philadelphia, knows things have...

U.S. Updates Guidance on COVID Vaccine Mandates, Incentives, Privacy in Workplace

Jun 1 2021 // Federal employment laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has affirmed.Also,...