The U.S. Transportation Department said Wednesday it is permanently banning passengers and crew members from carrying e-cigarettes in checked baggage or charging the devices onboard aircraft. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx cited a number of recent incidents that show the devices … Source: Claims Journal

Floods are getting worse and more expensive in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, where entire neighborhoods are often overwhelmed shortly after a heavy rainstorm. Since 1998, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid more than $3 billion in today’s dollars … Source: Claims Journal

Standard liability policies typically contain an exhaustion clause that establishes that the primary insurer’s duty to defend terminates upon the payment of the insurer’s policy limits through a formal settlement or satisfaction of judgment of claims asserted against the insured. … Source: Claims Journal

It’s that time of year in the Southwest – and as far as Alaska – when dust storms take shape, raising health and safety risks as plumes of dirt take to the sky. A dry winter means the Southwest is … Source: Claims Journal

My appraisal team was recently asked to determine feasibility of restoration or conservation as well as the replacement values for 18 rugs damaged in a water loss. Color runs, discoloration and stains were among the types of damage incurred. Seller … Source: Claims Journal

Governor John R. Kasich named Sarah Morrison as administrator and CEO of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, tapping her to lead an agency with more than 1,800 employees and serving more than 250,000 Ohio employers. She has served in … Source: Claims Journal

U.S. auto safety regulators will oversee General Motors Co’s decision-making about potential vehicle safety issues for another year, until May 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) told the automaker in a letter made public on Tuesday. The Detroit … Source: Claims Journal

A new study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin concludes that human activity, particularly oil and gas production, has been a factor in earthquakes throughout the state for nearly 100 years. The study’s conclusions are in a … Source: Claims Journal

More than 3,100 people were killed in 2014 as a result of distracted driving, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Although distractions come in many forms, texting is the most dangerous because it takes eyes, hands and minds … Source: Claims Journal

The owners of a movie theater where 12 people were killed during a screening of the Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises” are not liable for the mass shooting, a jury ruled on Thursday, in the first civil lawsuit stemming … Source: Claims Journal