High-speed winds during a thunderstorm may cause trees around an electric grid to crash into the distribution system feeders causing an outage in that area. Currently, most utility companies diminish such accidents by scheduling regular tree-trimming operations. This effort is … Source: Claims Journal

Five years after Superstorm Sandy devastated towns along the New Jersey shore, Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Frank Pallone want changes made to federal flood insurance they said will fix a system that often failed beleaguered homeowners. Speaking Thursday on … Source: Claims Journal

An SUV crashed after all four occupants overdosed on heroin in North Carolina. The same day, a man in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, grabbed the steering wheel after his grandson lost consciousness while driving. Police in the city of 30,000 responded to … Source: Claims Journal

Kevin Balke turned his SUV southeastward, checked his instruments and confirmed he was ready. Nearly a mile of concrete stood before him with plenty of room to run, but he wouldn’t need all of it to prove his point – … Source: Claims Journal

Travelers Completes Acquisition of UK-Based Simply Business The Travelers Companies, Inc.completed its previously announced acquisition of Simply Business, a leading provider of small business insurance policies in the United Kingdom, offering products online on behalf of a broad panel of … Source: Claims Journal

The nation’s largest pharmacy benefit manager will soon limit the number and strength of opioid drugs prescribed to first-time users as part of a wide-ranging effort to curb an epidemic affecting millions of Americans. But the new program from Express … Source: Claims Journal

Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday he wants to broaden Louisiana’s flood aid program to include homeowners whose flood insurance proceeds didn’t cover their rebuilding costs and to boost grant amounts. Initial limits setting homeowner eligibility for the rebuilding aid … Source: Claims Journal

A defense attorney questioned misdemeanor charges against a man accused of accidentally sparking a massive Utah wildfire that destroyed 13 homes and cost some $40 million to fight. Attorney Andrew Deiss said after a Tuesday court hearing that part of … Source: Claims Journal

According to preliminary sigma estimates, global total economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters in the first half of 2017 were $44 billion. That was well below the first half annual average of $120 billion of the last 10 … Source: Claims Journal

A recent federal hearing on insurance fraud exploring the necessity of a federal fraud fighting program, highlighted how stakeholders work to address and fight the multi-billion dollar industry. The Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security, held … Source: Claims Journal