Latest Property Headlines

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

As Texas Windstorm Insurer Mulls Rates, Policyholders, Lawmakers Strongly Oppose Hikes

Nov 15 2019 // Texas’ property insurer of last resort for wind and hail in counties along the Gulf Coast is finding itself once again between a rock and a hard place — or perhaps more appropriately, between a hurricane and a...

Mercury Adds Landlord Insurance in California

Nov 14 2019 // Mercury Insurance has introduced landlord insurance in California designed to help protect people with rental properties. Landlord insurance covers the costs to repair rental properties if they’re damaged by fires,...

What to Expect in Commercial Insurance Market Conditions Heading Into 2020

Nov 12 2019 // Ongoing rate increases and reductions in capacity are taking shape in most property/casualty commercial lines in the fourth—and for some, will continue into the new year, according to a recent report from broker USI...

EPIC Launches Site Pollution Liability Insurance Program for Cannabis Risks

Nov 12 2019 // Greyling Insurance Brokerage & Risk Consulting (Greyling), a division of EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants (EPIC), has launched a nationwide site pollution liability insurance program for the emerging cannabis...

Scores of U.S. Dams in Poor Condition Pose Danger to Thousands

Nov 7 2019 // On a cold morning last March, Kenny Angel got a frantic knock on his door. Two workers from a utility company in northern Nebraska had come with a stark warning: Get out of your house.Just a little over a quarter-mile...

Boosting Resilience to U.S. Wildfires Should Be Insurance Industry Priority: I.I.I.

Nov 6 2019 // Nearly a year after the deadliest and costliest wildfire in U.S. history, insurers and the customers they cover are revisiting how to reduce their collective exposure to this risk, according to the Insurance Information...

Louisiana’s Excalibur Has a New Name: Lighthouse Excalibur Insurance

Nov 5 2019 // Louisiana-based Excalibur Insurance Co. is now officially named Lighthouse Excalibur Insurance Co., following its acquisition by Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp.The name change was unveiled on Nov. 1. In May, Lighthouse...

Broker BMS Taps Willis Re’s Irvan as Chief Property Officer, U.S. Reinsurance

Nov 4 2019 // BMS Group, the London-based specialist re/insurance broker, announced the appointment of Jeff Irvan as chief property officer, U.S. reinsurance, reporting to BMS U.S. Reinsurance President Pete Chandler.The appointment is...

Resolving Claim Disputes: Step 3 Research and Document the Interpretation – Part 3 of 3

Nov 4 2019 // In the past two columns, we examined eight legal and contractual principles nonlawyers can use to resolve most claim disputes without litigation. In this month’s column, we’ll wrap up this discussion with nine...

Beazley Makes Two New Underwriting Appointments to Its New York Team

Nov 1 2019 // Specialist insurer Beazley has appointed Matthew Westhoff as head of U.S. large commercial property based in New York.Reporting to Beazley’s global head of commercial property, Simon Jackson, Westhoff will manage the...

Houston-Area Residents Get Encroachment Letters as Flood Control Projects Proceed

Oct 31 2019 // On a Friday night in August, Diane and Ted Simpson got home from work to find a certified letter from the Harris County Flood Control District notifying them that a portion of their backyard was in a public right of...

Beazley Beefs Up U.S. Large Property Team with Berkshire’s Westhoff, Ironshore’s Irwin

Oct 29 2019 // Specialist insurer Beazley has appointed Matthew Westhoff as head of U.S. large commercial property based in New York.Westhoff will manage the US-based team, working alongside the property team in London. He brings 16...

Profit Lessons in Commercial Auto, Workers Comp and Other Business

Oct 25 2019 // Progressive has a competitive edge over long-term players in the commercial auto insurance market and national carriers outpace regionals on workers compensation profit measures, according to a new report from Guy...

Sompo International Adds Email Security Review Services to Cyber Policies

Oct 25 2019 // Sompo International Holdings Ltd., a Bermuda-based specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, has partnered with SecurIT360, a full-service security consulting firm, and The Crypsis Group, a...

Fidelis Taps Bellamy from Pembroke’s Acapella Syndicate for Reinsurance Team

Oct 22 2019 // Fidelis Insurance announce that Matthew Bellamy will join Fidelis Underwriting Ltd.’s (FUL) London underwriting team to continue to build its reinsurance business.Bellamy has over 13 years of experience where he was...

Why the Differences Make a Difference in Coverage

Oct 21 2019 // We recently received a question from a reader who had a customer with several single-family dwellings as rentals, all written on carrier-specific DP 00 03 (DP-3) policies. The question: “What are the pros and cons...

How Risk Management is Transforming Risk in Commercial Property

Oct 21 2019 // Commercial property underwriters are adjusting to a market defined by rising catastrophe losses and dwindling profits. From increasing rates and higher deductibles to fewer classes of business and stricter underwriting,...

Rivard Appointed Chair of Board of Governors for Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance

Oct 11 2019 // Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis has appointed Bo Rivard as the chair of the Citizens Board of Governors, effective immediately.Rivard has served on the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of...

Tate Joins EPIC’s Property/Casualty Unit in Dallas

Oct 9 2019 // EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has added Dave Tate to its property/casualty operations in Dallas, as a principal, reporting to EPIC Managing Principal and Director of the Southwest Region KJ Wagner. Tate will be...

Verisk to Acquire Property Data Provider, BuildFax, in Austin

Oct 3 2019 // Verisk, which provides data analytics services to the insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services industries, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire BuildFax, an Austin, Texas-based provider of...