Author: completebodyneeds

Now that a new Alabama law has had time to take effect, the state Department of Insurance has lifted a 16-month moratorium on new captive insurance companies in the state. A captive manager and supporter of the new law said the move is good news for Alabama and for firms who want to domicile captives in the state. “Alabama captives are back,” said Travis Bowden, a former Georgia insurance regulator and now president of Crossroads Risk Management. “The lifting of this moratorium has occurred at an ideal time as Alabama is continuously explored as a strong option for filers seeking…

The FBI is investigating whether a subsidiary of the data-collection firm Alarum Technologies Ltd. had a role in linking customers’ home internet devices without their consent into a network that people can use to disguise their locations, according to documents seen by Bloomberg News and confirmed by people familiar with the situation. The investigation involves what are known as residential proxy networks that are capable of routing internet traffic for users in a way that appears as if it’s coming from a different location. Businesses routinely use these networks to customize their websites for different regions. Sports fans might also…

Maybe it’s the result of a softer market. Or maybe deliberate carrier investments in agency relationships are paying off. First Connect Chief Executive Officer Aviad Pinkovezky tossed out the two possibilities to explain the markedly improved picture of agents’ ability to find capacity, understand carrier appetites, and receive timely quotes this year in an introduction to First Connect’s “2026 State of the Industry Report.” According to the report, published in late June: Roughly one-third of agents surveyed (35%) reported “significant challenges” with coverage availability in 2026. Only 8% report “significant” struggles to understand carrier appetites. Just 11% said quote speed…

At anchor in the Persian Gulf, Abhijit Chopra found out about the US-Iran peace deal when his phone lit up with messages from family and friends. The captain of a crude oil tanker, he had to temper his excitement. There were no signs of celebration from nearby vessels, and no ships making haste towards the Strait of Hormuz. Chopra and his 21-strong crew have been trapped since the war began in late February. At the beginning, they struggled with fear and uncertainty, which ebbed into boredom and a constant battle not to let negative thoughts set in. For more than…

This weekend, America turns 250 years old and that means that everyone will be celebrating in the most American of ways. We are all for the traditional celebrations, but let’s face it, it’s hard to turn the internal risk meter completely off. So in light of that, let’s talk about some of the risks that some of us might have to manage while we celebrate our nation. (Cue Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America on repeat…) Now that I think about it, what could possibly go wrong? Just because someone in your neighborhood is going to pull their grill out…

A former Lincoln Township, Michigan Police Department Detective Lieutenant has pled no contest to falsifying salvage vehicle inspections, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Johnathan Chase, 54, of Stevensville, pled to one count of Misconduct in Office and one count of False Certification. “We trust law enforcement to protect our communities, not misuse their authority,” said Attorney General Nessel. “By falsifying these inspections, this officer put unverified vehicles on our roads and jeopardized public safety. I am proud of the FORCE Team and the Michigan State Police for securing this conviction and holding him accountable.” Salvage vehicle inspections are conducted…

Nearly two decades had passed since the storm. For many, the memory of what had happened on Goat Island had largely vanished into the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, what residents remembered that year were the piles of boats and cars washed up along the highway to Galveston and the twisted mounds of debris where homes once stood. It was late summer 2008, and Hurricane Ike had just struck, decimating parts of the upper Texas Gulf Coast. But Goat Island — a spit of swampy land just east of Galveston — also flooded, and with it an oil and gas facility…

AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “a+” (Excellent) of Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC), based in Baton Rouge. At the same time, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of “a” (Excellent) of Prescient National Insurance Company (Prescient National) (Charlotte, NC). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect LWCC’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, limited…

H.C. Employees, LLC doing business as Home Creations, a homebuilder operating in Oklahoma and Texas, violated federal law when it fired an employee because of her pregnancy, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Home Creations’ sales director and sales manager made repeated comments reflecting bias against pregnant sales staff, cautioning female employees not to “drink the water” because women “get pregnant and leave.” When Home Creations learned in the fall of 2023 that a new sales employee in the Oklahoma City area was pregnant near the end of…

Alliant Insurance Services has hired Justin Sorensen, ARM, as executive vice president within its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) vertical. Based in Chicago, Sorensen will deliver strategic risk and insurance solutions to a diverse, nationwide client base, drawing on his cross-disciplinary expertise across commercial property and casualty and employee benefits. With more than 20 years’ experience in the risk and insurance industry, Sorensen partners with Fortune 500 corporations, venture-backed and private equity organizations, startups, middle-market firms and large multinational companies to design and manage programs aligned with their strategic and financial objectives. Prior to joining Alliant, Sorensen has held senior broking…