Orange County Register (CA)
Mar. 16 While pandemic lockdowns helped improve air quality worldwide in 2020, the U.S. saw its air quality worsen particularly on the West Coast thanks largely to record-setting wildfires.
And while Southern California dominated the list of most polluted U.S. cities in 2019, the fires of 2020 moved that distinction to Central and Northern California, according to the annual report released Tuesday, March 16, by IQAir, a Swiss company that has partnered with the United Nations to create the world s largest air-quality data platform.
Improved air quality was recorded by 84% of the 106 countries surveyed, but areas hit by major wildfires which also included Australia, Siberia and South America did not share in the benefits.
The insurance industry overcharged California drivers by hundreds of millions of dollars in past year amid less driving and accidents, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said. Lara ordered a refund plan by April 30.
Allianz Partners Adds Epidemic Coverage To Travel Insurance Products
Allianz Partners, a leading travel insurance and assistance company, is rolling out enhancements to its travel insurance products that may provide coverage to customers who become ill with COVID-19 or a future epidemic, are individually ordered to quarantine, or are denied boarding due to a suspected illness.
This new coverage formalizes and adds to some of the temporary accommodations the company put into place in March 2020 to assist travelers who had been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the insurer said in a news release.
Specifically, the enhancements add epidemic-related illness as a covered reason to cancel or interrupt a trip, or seek reimbursement for emergency medical care, emergency medical transportation, change fees and loyalty points redeposit fees. The product enhancements also allow insured customers to cancel or interrupt their trip if they or their traveling companion have been individually ord
Commercial Insurance Rates Take Another Hike In Q4
ARLINGTON, VA,
March 8, 2021 U.S. commercial insurance prices again grew significantly in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to leading global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson’s Commercial Lines Insurance Pricing Survey (CLIPS). The survey compared prices charged on policies underwritten during the fourth quarter of 2020 with those charged for the same coverage and quarter in 2019 and found the aggregate commercial price change reported by carriers was above 10%, the highest increase in the history of CLIPS.
Data for nearly all lines indicated significant price increases in the fourth quarter with the largest increases coming from excess/umbrella liability and directors’ and officers’ liability. The outlier continues to be workers compensation, which indicated a slight price reduction, in contrast with all other surveyed lines. Price changes for most lines were consistent with the increases
COVID-19 Insurance Claim Denial Lawsuit Will Proceed: Judge
At least one insurer will have to defend its denial virus-related business interruption insurance losses after a California federal judge ruled the high-profile case can proceed.
U.S. District Judge Cormac Joseph Carney ruled in favor of Sunstone Hotel Investors in denying a motion by Endurance American Specialty Insurance Co. to toss out the $40 million suit. The judge rejected the claim that the investors were required to meet a $100,000 deductible for cleanup costs before tapping into business interruption coverage.
So far, insurers have been mostly successful at fending off business interruption lawsuits stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Disputes are generally focused on whether the virus is a valid exclusion under policies.