Of special interest to compliance professionals.  Vince Vitkowsky will be speaking at the Privacy & Data Protection Conference USA symposium on Data Protection:  Global Compliance Management, to be held on May 24 in Chicago.  His topic is “SARs in the Current Climate”.  The complete agenda and registration materials can be found here. …
Read More EAPD Attorney to Speak at Conference on Data Protection: Global Compliance Management

IBM’s latest super computer, dubbed Watson, recently triumphed over its human competition on the TV game show “Jeopardy!”  Its creators have now announced that the artificial intelligence that powers Watson may have several useful applications in the insurance industry. …
Read More IBM’s Watson, made Famous on “Jeopardy!”, to Make a Move into Insurance

In the case of Melinda Holdings SA v Hellenic Mutual War Risks Association (Bermuda) Ltd [2011] EWHC 181 (Comm) Hellenic provided Melinda with a war risks policy in relation to its vessel the SILVA (the War Risks Policy). That ship was arrested by the Port Suez Court in Egypt in December 2008 and, at the time of judgment, remains there. SILVA had been seized by the Port Suez Court in an effort to recover a fine levied on another vessel in 1996. …
Read More UK: English Court Finds Egyptian Court Knowingly Relied on Forged Documents to Recover Fine

Earlier this year, John Oxendine, former Georgia Insurance Commissioner, issued himself several licenses to sell insurance and adjust claims on his last day in office on Sunday, which was January 9, 2011. …
Read More Georgia Insurance Commissioner Waived Licensing Requirements and Issues Himself Several Licenses on Last Day in Office; State House Reacts by Passing Legislation to Curb Such Practices

A bipartisan briefing was held for House of Representatives staff on March 1, in order to hear the concerns of durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers with regard to the new Medicare DME competitive bidding program. …
Read More Healthcare Update: DME Concerns; Combating Hospital-Acquired Infections; PPACA Revisions; Meaningful Use Concerns

New Jersey state officials are currently negotiating with a group of 20 insurance companies to reclaim $161.9 million that was paid to insure the Hudson River tunnel project. …
Read More New Jersey Seeks Refunds for $161.9 Million Paid in Insurance Premiums on Scrapped Tunnel Project

On February 17, 2011, the New York Court of Appeals issued a unanimous opinion holding that “an insurance broker does not have a common-law fiduciary duty to disclose to its customers ‘incentive’ arrangements that the broker has entered into with insurance companies.”  In People ex rel. Cuomo v. Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc., a case brought by the New York Attorney General, the court refuted the plaintiff’s argument that a fiduciary duty is inherent because brokers maintain a principal-agent relationship with their customers. …
Read More New York Court of Appeals: Brokers Have No Common-Law Fiduciary Duty to Disclose Incentive Arrangements

In Aviva Insurance Limited v Roger George Brown [2011] EWHC 362 QB, Mr Justice Eder was asked to consider a claim by Aviva for the recovery of sums it had paid to an insured under a home insurance policy (the Policy) on the basis that the paid claims were fraudulent. …
Read More UK: English Court Considers Recovery by an Insurer of Sums Paid on Account of a Fraudulent Claim

In an unpublished opinion released earlier this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit emphasized the primacy of the actual words used in a D&O insurance policy.  The decision is notable because it reflects a continued emphasis by courts on the language used in the policy that the insured actually bought, and because the court unflinchingly employs a plain-language analysis to reach its conclusions as to coverage. …
Read More Third Circuit D&O Decision Underlines Primacy of Exclusionary Language

In response to country-wide turmoil and civil unrest and growing reports of deadly attacks by the Libyan government upon protesters, on February 25, 2011, President Barack Obama by Executive Order imposed broad economic sanctions against Muammar Qadhafi and his sons, senior officials of the Libyan government, persons involved in human rights abuses in Libya, persons providing financial or other support to Colonel Qadhafi, his family, the Libyan government or those violating human rights, persons owned or controlled by or acting on behalf of any of such persons and the families of any of such persons (“Blocked Libyan Person(s)”). …
Read More President Obama imposes Sanctions on Libya