Patricia Wells

A strong earthquake off the southern coast of Alaska shook communities along a 700-mile stretch on Wednesday, prompting residents to move to higher ground. The quake, measuring magnitude 7.3, struck just south of Sand Point on Popof Island in the Aleutian chain around 12:37 p.m. local time. Fortunately, no major damage was reported, and the … Read more

President Donald Trump is pushing to put a Republican majority on the board that handles private-sector labor disputes and union elections. This board hasn’t been able to make decisions because Trump fired a Democratic member, Gwynne Wilcox, earlier this year—something that has never happened since the board was set up in 1935. On Wednesday, the … Read more

Several new opportunities and updates have emerged in the insurance world this week, highlighting wide-ranging developments from job openings to industry insights and emerging trends. In Colorado, Westminster is seeking a senior insurance agent with at least three years of property and casualty experience. This role offers warm leads and requires working in-office on a … Read more

Aon and AXA XL have announced several important leadership changes that are set to strengthen their teams and boost their business efforts in key regions. At Aon, the focus is on expanding their Commercial Risk team across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Paul Young has taken on the role of Specialty Leader for … Read more

Neptune Flood, a flood insurance company based in St. Petersburg, Florida, has expanded its reach to all 50 states after securing over $400 million in premium capacity. This is a big step up from last year’s $300 million and highlights the company’s fast growth in the private flood insurance market. The company’s growth is backed … Read more

Johnny Ray Jackson, a former insurance agent from Gallatin, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for illegally selling insurance products. Although most of the prison time was suspended by the judge, Jackson will still serve a portion behind bars. Jackson, 55, lost his insurance license back in 1999 but continued to operate … Read more

The Cayman Islands are seeing a surge in new international insurance companies setting up shop. During the first half of 2025, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) approved licenses for 21 new insurers. This includes 16 licenses granted between April and June—covering nine Class B(i) captives, six Class B(iii) reinsurers, and one Class C insurer—on … Read more

Encova Insurance is making some changes to its leadership team as a longtime executive gets ready to retire. John Kessler, who has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for over 40 years, plans to retire at the end of 2026. To prepare for his departure, the company has brought two new senior … Read more

Illinois is facing a serious crisis involving widespread child sexual abuse at juvenile detention centers, with more than 900 survivors coming forward and filing lawsuits. Hundreds of complaints have exposed a pattern of abuse by staff members, stretching from the mid-1990s to 2018 across multiple facilities throughout the state. This week, new lawsuits were filed … Read more

A trial is underway in Miami federal court over a deadly Tesla crash that happened in 2019, raising tough questions about the safety of the company’s Autopilot system. At the center of the case is whether Tesla did enough to prevent drivers from misusing its driver-assist technology. Mary “Missy” Cummings, an engineering professor at George … Read more