Abbie Taylor, COO of Fortegra, joins Insurance Business TV to discuss how rising complexity is impacting insurance programs. She delves into the capabilities proving critical for success; and how the company’s approach to capital and talent has evolved.
Author: Awais
Megan Mason Maryland Insurance Commissioner Marie Grant appointed Megan Mason as associate commissioner of life and health and Giri Govada as associate commissioner of operations and technology. Mason will oversee the agency’s life and health division, which is composed of the rates and forms review unit, the medical director/private review agent oversight unit, the life and health complaint unit, and the appeals and grievance unit. Mason comes to the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) from the international law firm Steptoe, where she most recently served as director of government affairs and public policy. Before joining Steptoe, she spent nearly seven years…
New state rules that eliminate natural smokeable hemp products and increase licensing fees will go into effect at the end of the month. Hemp industry leaders say these new regulations will eliminate a majority of their inventory and force those who don’t have extra income to meet these new fees to close stores. Earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services released regulations on consumable hemp-derived THC products that will go into effect on March 31. These new regulations include child-resistant packaging, a significant increase in licensing fees, new labeling, testing, and bookkeeping requirements. The rules also codify…
Vortex Weather Insurance announced the formal launch of direct sales for its HailSafe parametric hail insurance product. Previously available only through third-party vendors, HailSafe can now be purchased directly from Vortex by brokers and weather‑exposed businesses, including open car lots, solar farms, commercial roofs, and agricultural operations. HailSafe policies placed through Vortex rely on an independent third‑party hail measurement source, utilizing a combination of radar, National Weather Service data, storm reports and expert meteorologists. Overland Park, Kansas-based Vortex Weather Insurance is a data‑driven weather risk insurtech and provider of parametric weather. Was this article valuable? Yes No Here are more…
The new agreement will give Humana’s MA members access to CommonSpirit’s doctors and facilities for the next three years, and returns CommonSpirit to Humana’s networks in Colorado and Texas.
It took just days for the Iran war to hobble oil fields, refineries and gas plants across the Persian Gulf, but it could take years to restore their full potential as the conflict drags on. More than three weeks of war have created a massive supply disruption by effectively closing the critical Strait of Hormuz, while also damaging dozens of energy assets. But as President Donald Trump claims talks are under way with Iran to end the conflict, calculating the wider economic fallout must factor in the time it will take to reboot the Gulf’s oil and gas infrastructure. The…
The Lawyers for Civil Justice and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform are seeking a federal rule to require the disclosure of third-party litigation funding. Currently, the matter is handled in federal courts with mixed results. According to a letter from the groups to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, a recent study found federal district judges granted 40% of motions for some form of TPLF disclosure. Also, some federal district and appellate courts have adopted rules requiring automatic disclosure. “Our courts are employing disparate approaches and reaching different conclusions due to the lack of [Federal Rules…
Peak Reinsurance Co. Ltd., the Hong Kong-based reinsurer that specializes in emerging markets, announced that Victor Kuk will become chief executive officer, effective April 20, 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Kuk is succeeding Franz-Josef Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Peak Re, who will transition from his current role and assume the position of special adviser, continuing to provide strategic oversight until October 9, 2026. Kuk is a seasoned insurance executive with over two decades of leadership experience across Asia. He joins Peak Re from Swiss Re, where he served as CEO of Swiss Re Asia Pte. Ltd. and was also…
The impact of claims denials is widely recognized by lawmakers and the public. According to a January 2026 KFF poll, two-thirds (66%) of insured adults believe delays and denials of health care services by health insurance companies are a “major problem.” One-third (33%) of insured adults say they have had a health insurance company deny coverage for a certain health care service or medication prescribed by their doctor in the past two years. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires insurers to report transparency data for all non-grandfathered health plans sold on and off the Marketplace, including fully-insured and self-funded employer…
Nephila Capital’s specialty lines focused Syndicate 2358 at Lloyd’s delivered a $35.6 million profit for the 2025 underwriting year, as its gross premiums written soared by 129% to reach over $508.6 million for the period.2025 was the fourth full underwriting year for Nephila’s specialty lines focused Syndicate 2358 at Lloyd’s, with further expansion of the portfolio of risks and an improved combined ratio reported. The 2025 calendar year combined ratio came in at 90.9% for Syndicate 2358, much better than 2024’s 98.5%, while gross premiums of $508.6 million n 2025 was a meaningful increase on the $222 million written a…
Veteran director to step down after nearly four decades
Carlos arrived at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in New Mexico in December, believing he was one step closer to reuniting with his children. By that point, his 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter had been in a federal shelter in Texas for nearly a year after crossing the border to be with him. “I feel like I’m suffocating inside this shelter, trapped with no way out,” Carlos’ son said, according to one of the teens’ attorneys, when asked to describe how he felt after months at the Houston-area facility. “Every day, the same routine. Every day, feeling stuck. It…
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Monday he has sued the U.S. Department of Energy to stop it from using a Cold War-era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright earlier this month restarted the pipelines using powers granted to him by President Donald Trump through an executive order that invoked the Defense Production Act to supersede state laws. “We won’t let this outrageous federal overreach go without a fight,” Bonta said in a press conference Monday. Bonta alleged Wright’s restart order…
The second factor, Brown said, was governance scrutiny and AI‑related regulation. The third was coverage sophistication gaps, particularly programs sold on price rather than depth. “Brokers really need to pivot from negotiating rate to being true coverage architects,” he said. “They should build out robust programs, push Side A education with clients, lower retentions, and broaden coverage over the next couple of years.”