Author: completebodyneeds

Deere agreed on July 8 to settle a lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission and five U.S. states accusing the farm equipment maker of illegally requiring farmers to use its network of authorized dealers for repairs, rather than use independent service providers or do the work themselves. The settlement requires Deere to give farmers and independent providers access to the same equipment diagnostic and other repair resources available to authorized dealers for 10 years, and access to new repair resources once more than 50% of authorized dealers have access. Deere will also instruct authorized dealers to provide those resources to…

Thanks to a strengthening El Nino, the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season will be well below normal, said researchers at Colorado State University. In a July 8 update to its forecast, CSU said the 2026 hurricane season will have nine named storms, four hurricanes, and one major hurricane. The first system, Tropical Storm Arthur, formed in June. An average hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30, has about 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. CSU explained there is a “high potential” for a strong El Nino. The difficult-to-predict climate phenomenon produces vertical wind shear…

It seems like we get alerted of another data breach or other cyber incident every week. These incidents have gone beyond what we expect. It’s more than the retailer or the online store. We are seeing hospitals, cities, and more becoming victims of cyber incidents. The latest one that has come across my screen came from what you might think of as an unlikely place, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). I get it. Your first thought is what in the world would hackers want with NAIC data? If insurance is boring by nature (which it isn’t, but some…

The following is an unedited transcript provided by New York City of a July 7, 2026 press conference with Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, Fire Department Chief John Esposito, and Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani concerning the unstable building at a construction site on East 42nd Street. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good afternoon, everyone. Around 8 a.m. this morning, FDNY received reports of a structural issue at an active construction site on East 42nd Street between Second and Third Avenues. This is an existing 37-story building with active permits to convert it from a commercial office building to…

Some war underwriters have advised shipping companies to pause voyages through the Strait of Hormuz while others are reviewing their policy terms after renewed vessel attacks threatened a return to war between Iran and the U.S., insurance industry sources said on Wednesday. Tuesday’s attacks on three tankers in the critical waterway prompted Washington to revoke a license allowing Iran to sell oil and launch strikes on Iranian targets overnight. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was “over” and U.S. forces were likely to launch new strikes on Wednesday night following…

AM Best has revised the outlook to stable from negative for the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term ICR of “bbb+” (Good) of Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company (Brotherhood) (Fort Wayne, IN). The outlook of the FSR is stable. The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Brotherhood’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The revision of the Long-Term ICR outlook to stable from negative reflects improved balance sheet strength fundamentals in recent…

Wisconsin residents affected by the April storms that brought severe flooding and tornadoes to the state can apply for FEMA aid. Affected individuals in Bayfield, Brown, Buffalo, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Manitowoc, Marathon, Milwaukee, Outagamie, Racine, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca and Winnebago counties and the Oneida Nation are eligible for financial assistance. FEMA grants can be used for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and families recover from the effects of the disaster. A severe weather outbreak occurred on April 17-18, bringing heavy rainfall and several…

New York City is taking the unprecedented step of publicly identifying buildings on the Upper East Side where cooling towers test positive for the bacteria causing Legionnaires’ disease. Buildings with positive initial tests are also being ordered to immediately drain, clean and disinfect their cooling towers to reduce the risk of further exposure. The steps mark an escalation of efforts to contain the spread of the disease that has already infected 28 people overall and hospitalized 21 since it was first detected on July 2. No deaths have been reported. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said the city’s immediate priority is…

Ciara Billie was about to step into the shower of her newly built townhome on the Hollywood Seminole Reservation in South Florida when her ceiling began to crumble and an air-conditioning vent crashed down on her toilet. For months, Billie said she had experienced problems with her home. The roof had to be repaired. The floors were buckling. And then there was the mold. It started on the laundry-room ceiling and popped up around vents in the bedrooms and bathrooms, Billie said, and crept up the exterior walls and onto the windowsills. “I feel like the mold just ran us…

U.S. claim volume fell 8.9% from last year, with total claims dipping 13.1% below the five-year average, despite several large catastrophe events, said a new report. Changes in policy language and policy provisions are a big factor in suppressing the volume, according to authors of Verisk’s property report on the first quarter. “We’re really starting to see increased usage across the board of those ACV (actual cash value)-only loss provisions and loss settlements and endorsements than we have in the past,” said Susan Fleming, vice president of business intelligence and insights at Verisk. Verisk is seeing more carriers using the…