Patricia Wells

NFP, an Aon company, has strengthened its benefits team by bringing in two seasoned leaders, Mark Carroll and Bill Schmidt. Both will serve as vice presidents of Benefits in NFP’s Atlantic region. Based in northern Virginia, they will report to Katie McLaughlin, senior vice president of Benefits. Bill Schmidt comes with 30 years of experience … Read more

A California lawmaker is demanding the resignation of Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara after reports surfaced that Lara used taxpayer money for lavish international trips. Assemblyman David Tangipa, a Republican from Fresno, is calling on Lara to step down following an investigation into travel expenses linked to at least a dozen overseas trips. The Fair Political … Read more

The US Supreme Court has turned away an appeal that sought to hold Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook responsible for radicalizing the man who killed nine people at a South Carolina church. The court refused to allow a lawsuit claiming Facebook’s algorithms helped fuel the shooter’s extremist views. The case stems from the tragic 2015 shooting … Read more

SiriusPoint Ltd., a specialty insurer and reinsurer based in Bermuda, is set to sell its 49% stake in Arcadian Risk Capital, a managing general agent, to private equity firm Lee Equity Partners for $139 million. This sale includes a pre-close dividend and marks another step in SiriusPoint’s evolving business strategy. Alongside the sale, SiriusPoint has … Read more

The superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, Ian Roberts, has come under fire after federal authorities revealed he had a history of criminal charges and was in the U.S. illegally. Roberts was arrested last week by immigration agents, shocking the Des Moines community and leading the school board to sue the consulting firm it hired … Read more

New Century Insurance Company, a Texas-only property and casualty insurer, has been placed into liquidation after a court ruled it insolvent. The Travis County District Court in Austin made the decision on September 3, following findings that the company’s assets are not enough to cover its liabilities. As a result, the Texas commissioner of insurance … Read more

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is stepping up the fight against the Trump administration’s rollbacks on environmental protections. Speaking during New York Climate Week, Bonta said California plans to keep suing over actions that break the law and harm the state’s people and environment. So far, the state has filed more than one lawsuit per … Read more

Highstreet Insurance Partners, based in Traverse City, Michigan, has named Kristen Stokes as its new chief broking officer. Stokes will work out of Highstreet’s New York City office and join the company’s executive leadership team. With over 20 years of experience in the insurance world, Stokes brings a strong background to her new role. She … Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached a settlement with Orlando Askins and his companies, Askins Development Group LLC and Shaw Holding Group LLC, over violations of federal lead paint rules. Since 2015, these companies have been renovating several homes in urban St. Louis without following safety regulations meant to protect people from harmful … Read more

Residents of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, are set to see lower flood insurance premiums starting October 1. The parish has improved its rating in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS), moving from Class 5 to Class 3. This upgrade means bigger discounts for those living in flood-prone areas. The CRS is a program … Read more