Latest Illinois Headlines

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

AM Best Upgrades Credit Rating of Illinois’ American Heartland Insurance

Oct 10 2019 // AM Best has upgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “ccc-” from “cc” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of C- (Weak) of American Heartland Insurance Co....

Prather Appointed Employee Benefits Practice Leader at Alera Group in Illinois

Oct 10 2019 // Alera Group, a national employee benefits, property/ casualty, risk management and wealth management firm based in Deerfield, Illinois, has appointed Sally Prather as its national Employee Benefits Practice...

Illinois Agents Group Taps Valley Insurance Agency Alliance Members for Top Awards

Oct 9 2019 // Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIA of IL) has named Eclipse Insurance Agency of Du Quoin, Illinois, as its 2019 Insurance Agency of the Year. Keenan Rice, owner of Eclipse Insurance Agency, was named the 2019...

Schools, Homes Evacuated After Illinois Derailment, Fire

Sep 12 2019 // A freight train believed to be bearing a flammable liquid used in solvents derailed Tuesday in an Illinois suburb of St. Louis, causing a fire that sent thick, black smoke into the air and prompted the evacuation of nearby...

States Questioning How Juul’s Vaping Device Became So Popular with Teens

Sep 4 2019 // E-cigarette giant Juul Labs is facing mounting scrutiny from state law enforcement officials, with the attorneys general in Illinois and the District of Columbia investigating how the company’s blockbuster vaping...

AJG Not Liable for Late Notice that Cost Illinois Firm $1.34M

Sep 2 2019 // An Illinois construction company that waited six years to inform its excess insurer it had been sued cannot expect coverage from that carrier, and it can’t go after the insurance brokerage that sold it the policy, a...

With New, Legal Cannabis Industries, Illinois and Missouri Can Learn from Pioneer States

Aug 30 2019 // As Illinois and Missouri undertake the process of licensing businesses in their newly legalized cannabis industries — recreational in Illinois and medical in Missouri — they have the advantage of taking what has worked...

J.M. Wilson Promotes Mikos to Transportation Underwriter in Illinois

Aug 29 2019 // Managing general agency and surplus lines broker J.M. Wilson has promoted Alex Mikos to transportation underwriter in its Arlington Heights, Illinois, office.Mikos is responsible for underwriting new and renewal...

Biometrics and Financial Firms, Ransomware Variant Among Latest Cyber Trends: Chubb

Aug 28 2019 // State biometrics laws, a new ransomware threat and the targeting of financial institutions are among the recent trends in cyber risks, according to insurer Chubb in a new report.The insurer cites a recent surge in lawsuits...

Health Officials Report First Death They Believe Is Linked to Vaping

Aug 26 2019 // An Illinois resident has died after being hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness that health officials believe is linked with vaping, the state’s Department of Public Health said Friday.The death is the first...

Broker Not Liable for Late Notice that Cost Illinois Client $1.34M

Aug 23 2019 // An Illinois construction company that waited six years to inform its excess insurer that it had been sued cannot expect coverage from that carrier, and it can’t go after the insurance brokerage that sold it the...

Suits Filed Against Operator of Illinois Medical Equipment Cleaner

Aug 22 2019 // Nearly three dozen people have sued the operator of a suburban Chicago medical equipment cleaning plant they claim emits fumes that have adversely affected their health, lawyers for the plaintiffs announced.The 32 lawsuits...

Illinois Sues Company over Lead Found in Drinking Water

Aug 20 2019 // Illinois alleges that a company that provides water to a Chicago suburb made changes without permission from state regulators that caused lead to contaminate the village’s drinking water.Attorney General Kwame Raoul...

Lawsuit Accuses E-Cigarette Makers of Targeting Kids, Deceiving Consumers

Aug 20 2019 // E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. and Philip Morris USA Inc. were sued for illegally marketing nicotine-delivery devices to minors and deceiving consumers about the risks of vaping.The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a...

Illinois Insurance Agents Group Launches New Pre-Licensing Program

Aug 19 2019 // The Illinois Insurance Pre-Licensing Program, an education training program operated by the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIA of IL), is now available for Illinois professionals looking to enter the insurance...

Insurance Broker, Assurance, Relocates Illinois Headquarters

Aug 16 2019 // Citing a 15-year organic growth trajectory and commitment to an engaging and collaborative employee culture, the national insurance brokerage, Assurance, announced it has moved its headquarters down the street to a new...

Alliant Acquires InvisionBenefit in Illinois

Aug 15 2019 // Alliant Insurance Services has acquired Northern Illinois-based InvisionBenefit.As part of the company’s Employee Benefits Group, InvisionBenefit will expand Alliant’s Midwest benefits presence while bringing a...

Illinois Governor Signs Kennel Safety Law Prompted by Deadly Fire

Aug 12 2019 // New legislation requires kennels in Illinois to always be staffed and have sprinklers or alarms that ring at the local firehouse, after a fire this year killed dozens of dogs.Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law on...

Lack of FEMA Levee Approval Would Leave Southern Illinois Village at Risk

Aug 12 2019 // The fate of a Mississippi River levee that’s awaiting a decision on federal accreditation could put a southern Illinois village at risk of destructive flooding, the village president says.If the levee in Prairie du...

Facebook Must Face Privacy Class Action Over Collecting Biometric Data

Aug 12 2019 // A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected Facebook Inc.’s effort to undo a class action lawsuit claiming that it illegally collected and stored biometric data for millions of users without their consent.The 3-0...