February 18, 2021 Edition

Can the COVID-19 virus cause “direct physical loss” to an insured business, thus triggering coverage under a commercial business interruption policy of insurance? That is the question percolating through state and federal courts across the country, with no clear answer.

After years of development, a West Coast earthquake early warning system will be ready to send alerts to your phone in a matter of weeks. The much-anticipated system rolls out in May in our state. Experts say it will be critical to saving lives and property in an earthquake.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s economic effects on insurance consumers and companies are likely to linger well into 2021 and beyond, according to a new survey. The report called the pandemic a “watershed moment” for the industry and highlighted its ongoing and possibly permanent consequences.

Both agents and insurers express strong support for agent-insurer connectivity and digital collaboration in distribution and servicing. In fact, 71% of agencies rank the availability of digital connectivity as the highest priority when selecting an insurer with which to do business.

The smaller, lighter vehicles that women more often drive, and the types of crashes they get into, may explain why they are much more likely to suffer a serious injury in a collision than men, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found.

Pitched metal roofs, which are becoming more popular in some parts of the country, present challenges to firefighters. Read one firefighter's first-hand account of dealing with a metal roof and the lessons learned. 

The country’s insurance regulators are vowing to prioritize the monitoring of the use of consumer and non-consumer data by companies, the use of artificial intelligence, and the availability and affordability of insurance products for racial minorities.

Flooding in the Columbia River Basin is expected to increase dramatically in scale over the next few years as the climate warms, according to new research from Oregon State University.

With the help of the automaker and parts supplier, Aurora is aiming to quickly deploy its self-driving tech, starting this year with a fleet of Sienna minivans.