Latest Construction Headlines

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

Heffernan Insurance Hires Newell for Southern Calif. Construction Practice

Apr 7 2010 // Heffernan Insurance Brokers headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., has hired Keith W. Newell as senior vice president, Southern California Construction Practice Leader in its Los Angeles office. Newell will expand...

Green Building Movement Raises Some Construction Defect, Claims Concern

Apr 7 2010 // New insurance products to protect innovative green construction products such as wind turbines, fuel cells and vegetative roofs are on the rise. But even those closest to the situation admit to being a bit, well, green,...

People

Apr 5 2010 // New York-based USI Holdings Corp. has named Sandra Usleman, former president of USI’s Austin, Texas, operating company in the Southwest region, as senior vice president and chief sales officer.Other changes in...

Beauvais to Head Ironshore’s Construction Practice in U.S.

Apr 5 2010 // Specialty insurer Ironshore Inc. announced that Ben Beauvais will head the company’s domestic construction practice within its U.S. Specialty Casualty division, including the operations of IronBuilt.Beauvais, based...

200-Plus Construction Workers Denied Fair Wages by Drywall Co.

Apr 5 2010 // Calif. Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced that his office has secured back pay for more than 200 workers who were “routinely denied” fair wages and overtime pay by Charles Evleth Construction Inc.,...

Four Injured in Partial Collapse at Brooklyn Construction Site

Mar 31 2010 // Authorities are investigating a partial collapse at a construction site in Brooklyn where four workers were injured, one seriously. The Fire Department of New York and the Buildings Department were investigating the...

Insurance Agents: Get Ready for Green Building Exposures

Mar 30 2010 // An idyllic, pasture-like setting is not the only green image agribusiness owners would like the public to imagine when they picture their operations — they increasingly want to be known for their “green”...

OneBeacon Introduces Combination Policy for Contractors

Mar 30 2010 // OneBeacon has combined property, equipment breakdown, crime, contractors equipment, builders risk and installation in one policy for the construction industry. The Construction @vantage policy includes 25 new or enhanced...

Travelers Construction Develops Product for Tile Contractors

Mar 29 2010 // Travelers Construction Insurance has developed a new IndustryEdge product for tile contractors to help manage the need for additional insurance coverage and related services.The new IndustryEdge products include insurance...

8 New Markets in Response to Current Trends

Mar 22 2010 // The last few years of the soft market have forced many carriers and agencies to get creative when it comes to bringing in additional premium. This has included launching new products for specialized risks. At first glance,...

Businesses Going Green

Mar 22 2010 // With the U.S. Green Building Council forecasting growth in the green building market to double between now and 2013, agents and brokers can expect to see increasing client demand for green insurance coverage. Because...

Green Is Good, Right?

Mar 22 2010 // From wind turbines and fuel cells to vegetative roofs and bamboo surfaces, innovative green construction materials are showing up everywhere. A number of insurers are on board with new insurance products to protect those...

Zurich North America Commercial Names Rasor to Lead Construction Unit

Mar 11 2010 // Property and casualty insurance provider Zurich named Scott Rasor as head of Zurich North America Commercial’s Construction group. Rasor previously served as senior vice president for Construction, specializing in...

Holt Joins Higginbotham & Associates

Mar 11 2010 // Parker Holt has joined the Austin, Texas, office of independent insurance and financial services brokerage firm Higginbotham & Associates as vice president.He is a property/casualty insurance broker and risk consultant...

IRS, States Target Employer Abuse of Classification of Independent Contractors

Mar 7 2010 // The Internal Revenue Service and 37 states are cracking down on companies that try to trim payroll costs by illegally classifying workers as independent contractors, rather than as full employees, the Associated Press has...

IRS, States Target Employer Abuse of Classification of Independent Contractors

Mar 7 2010 // The Internal Revenue Service and 37 states are cracking down on companies that try to trim payroll costs by illegally classifying workers as independent contractors, rather than as full employees, The Associated Press has...

AIR Updates Analysis of Damages from Chile Earthquake

Mar 4 2010 // According to catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide, a more complete picture of damages is beginning to emerge in the hardest-hit regions of Bio Bio and Maule, four days after the devastating Mw8.8 earthquake struck...

Calif. Construction Company Sued for Misclassifying, Underpaying Workers

Mar 3 2010 // California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. has filed a lawsuit against Livermore-based Country Builders Inc. after he said the company “cheated workers out of wages,” falsified the company’s payroll...

Architect Not Liable for Economic Loss in Construction Defect Case

Feb 25 2010 // A property owner cannot sue an architectural firm for economic losses because of negligent design in a construction defect case, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled.Issuing its decision in Flagstaff Affordable Housing...

Louisiana: Tax, Premium Advantages Available for Retrofitting Structures

Feb 24 2010 // Louisiana residents can apply for a state tax deduction for retrofitting their homes, as well as an insurance premium discount for building or retrofitting your home to comply with the Louisiana State Uniform Construction...