Scenes of chaos, tragedy, humanity and strength still resonate

By: Louise Esola | September 1, 2021

The insurance industry had a large presence in the World Trade Center, and Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, began like any other morning in lower Manhattan. People had gotten their coffee on the way from the trains. They took the elevators up. They chatted with colleagues and made plans for lunch. Meetings were in session or about to begin.

But some were running late. They had doctor or dentist appointments, or they missed the train. Had gotten called to a meeting in another city. A child was sick. Or they were stuck in New York’s infamous morning commute.

Chance and circumstance determined the fate of so many people in the industry when, a short while later, lives ended and many more were changed when al-Qaida terrorists flew hijacked planes into the iconic Twin Towers.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Business Insurance interviewed industry professionals who survived the attacks, who could have been there, who should have been there, and who can’t forget.

Flood watches are in effect from northeastern Pennsylvania to New Hampshire.

By Meredith Deliso, Max Golembo, Melissa Griffin, Julia Jacobo, Marlene Lenthang, Ivan Pereira, Morgan Winsor, and Samantha Wnek

Henri continues to churn across the Northeast where heavy rain and flooding are still possible through Monday night.

Flood watches remain in effect from northeastern Pennsylvania to New Hampshire.

The storm made landfall as a tropical storm in Rhode Island early Sunday afternoon, bringing wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour and a storm surge of up to 4 feet to the surrounding regions. Over 9 inches of rain was recorded in Brooklyn, New York. Henri weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday night and will leave the Northeast by Monday night.

Aug 23, 12:14 pm
Tornado confirmed in Massachusetts

A tornado touched down near Marlborough, Massachusetts, Monday as Henri veered away from the Northeast.

Aug 23, 9:18 am
Biden approves emergency declaration for Vermont after New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island

The White House announced Monday that President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Vermont due to Henri, following his previous approvals for New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise and cyber risks continue to mount

By: Elizabeth Blosfield | August 4, 2021

As ransomware attacks are on the rise and cyber risks continue to mount, experts say there has been “a paradigm shift in cybersecurity enforcement.”

That’s according to Matt Levine, a partner in Phillips Nizer’s litigation department in its New York office, in the most recent episode of The Insuring Cyber Podcast. Levine has experience in criminal, civil and regulatory litigation and previously served as the first executive deputy superintendent for enforcement at the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS).

New York led the charge as the first state to apply GDPR-like cybersecurity regulations for its financial services industry with DFS’ cyber rules – often referred to as Part 500 – implemented under a phased two-year timeline beginning in March 2017.

The regulation aims to protect New York’s financial services industry from the threat of a cyber attack and is the first cybersecurity regulation of its kind in the U.S.

Severe convective storms and wildfires have caused increasingly large insured losses over the past few years due to increased frequency and severity.

By: Matthew Lerner | July 12, 2021

A dramatic supercell over Lubbock, Texas in May of 2021. This storm previously produced a tornado and was beginning to weaken./ Reuters

While traditional windstorm catastrophe losses continue to be a major source of claims, the so-called secondary perils losses are reaching levels akin to moderate hurricane events, experts say.

Insurers continue to focus on loss prevention and risk engineering to combat the rising secondary peril losses but have also begun to make defensive moves.

Secondary perils caused $57.4 billion or 71% of worldwide insured losses from natural catastrophes in 2020, with the main drivers being severe convective storms and wildfires in the United States and Australia, according to a March report by Swiss Re Ltd.

From 1990 through 2020, aggregate U.S.

Litigated claims could impact reputation and market share in ways no policy can cover. Here’s how proactive risk mitigation reduces the expense.

By: The Hartford | June 1, 2021

White Paper Summary

Product liability claims in the life sciences industry are unique. In many cases, the products in question make a direct impact on consumers’ health. When they don’t perform as intended or cause an injury, the consequences can be severe. Especially in the context of social inflation, product liability claims can potentially cost life sciences companies millions.

What many in the industry don’t realize is that a portion of these costs can’t be recouped from a product liability policy.

“These unexpected costs can be categorized as immediate or deferred costs. Immediate costs would include additional legal costs to respond to heightened regulatory scrutiny incurred after a claim. It also includes losses absorbed in attempts to restore reputation. Companies may need to offer discounts or refunds, for example, to retain existing business, which may not be reimbursable damages under a customary insurance policy,” said Tom Morelli, Claims Representative in The Hartford’s Major Case Unit.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made an already-hardening insurance market in the health care sector even harder.

By: Maura Keller | June 7, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on all segments of the health care industry, including the medical malpractice market, which has continued to harden over the last 12 months.

As a result, the past year has seen prices, exclusions and limitations increase and capacity reduce, in part because some carriers left the market. The pandemic also placed tremendous pressure on hospitals, health care providers and long-term care facilities.

“The industry anticipates that, in addition to inevitable claims arising from the spread, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, there will be claims arising from the pandemic’s impact upon the availability of health care and health care resources, such as claims resulting from the delay or cancellation of procedures deemed elective,” said Dennis Cook, senior underwriting executive, IronHealth, Liberty Mutual.

“The anticipation of these indirect COVID-19 claims has added to the hardening of the market.”

By: Elizabeth Blosfield | March 8, 2021

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued new guidance for New York-regulated property/casualty insurers that write cyber insurance. This serves as the first guidance the regulator has issued on cyber insurance in particular.

“Cybersecurity is the biggest risk for government and industry, bar none,” said DFS Superintendent Linda Lacewell in a press release issued by her office.

As part of the guidance, called the Cyber Insurance Risk Framework, DFS is calling on regulated insurers to establish a formal strategy, approved by the insurer’s board or other governing entity, for measuring cyber risk based on the insurer’s size, resources and geographic distribution, among other factors.

In particular, insurers are urged to take measures to manage and eliminate exposure to silent cyber risk, which occurs when cyber exposures exist within a traditional property and liability policy that does not specifically include or exclude cyber risk.

AIR Worldwide has updated its hurricane and wildfire models to get more granular insight on long-term climate risk.

By: John Hintze | April 20, 2021

As it builds out a framework to model future climate risk, AIR Worldwide made changes last year to its hurricane and U.S. wildfire models with the goal of providing insurers and their clients with more accurate assessments of those morphing risks.

The catastrophe (CAT) modeling firm described in detail last June its longer-term project, which began three years ago and blends its “traditional hybrid, physical, and statistical approaches with a new set of tools that come from the world of artificial intelligence — specifically machine learning.” AIR anticipates the new framework will provide insight into “not only today’s new climate questions, but also tomorrow’s.”

There is “huge demand” from insurers and across industries to quantify the impact of climate change in the near, medium and long term, according to Liz Henderson, senior managing director of analytics at Aon.

True progress in promoting diversity and inclusion in insurance will require a departure from the “safety” of comfortable silos.

By: Kiara Taylor | April 16, 2021

The events of the last year have brought an increased emphasis on diversity and inclusion within the commercial insurance industry.

Some of these events have been strikingly visible, such as the widespread protests that followed the death of unarmed Black men. Others, such as the disproportionate effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on ethnic and racial minorities in the U.S., have remained largely invisible.

Insurance cannot expect to solve these issues alone, of course, but neither can it lag behind when it comes to tackling social injustice. Indeed, as professionals many of us feel that we have a responsibility to use our knowledge, experience and influence to work for a better society.

Risk & Insurance®, as an affiliate of The Institutes, is committed to moving things forward.

While most homeowners will see lower premiums, others will face higher rates under the NFIP’s long-awaited new system.

(Bloomberg) — On Friday, April 2, the Federal Emergency Management Agency unveiled the details of an overhaul to its beleaguered National Flood Insurance Program, the initiative’s first major update in 50 years. Most homeowners in the program will have lower or stable premiums, but roughly 11% of homes — largely the highest value ones — will see increases in premiums of at least $10 a month. Those could continue to rise until they reach a cap of $12,000 a year.

The NFIP serves roughly 5 million homes, most of which are in high-risk flood areas. Premiums have risen steadily over the years, and yet the program is more than $20 billion in debt, in part because of climate change-related phenomena such as sea-level rise and increased storms and heavy precipitation events, which lead to more intense and more widespread flooding.

Avoid these common mistakes and you’re on your way to getting the best insurance for your needs and budget

Avoid these pitfalls when buying auto, home, flood and renters insurance.

Dear Clients and Friends:

It is my pleasure to announce that Deborah Faber will be retiring from the Mogil Organization effective 12/31/2020 after 30 plus years of service.  I would like to personally congratulate Debbie on a wonderful and successful career and thank her for her contribution to the Mogil Organization.  I wish Debbie the very best in her future and I hope retirement brings her health and happiness.  Debbie has always demonstrated the utmost professionalism and highest level of service that has allowed her to have such a distinguished career.

Mogil has been transitioning Debbie’s accounts for the last 5 years with the intent of providing the same professional service that you received from her.  The Mogil Organization looks forward to continuing to provide you with all your insurance needs.

Thank you and please call our office with any questions.

Jeffrey Mogil

Chief Executive Officer