Economy

McKeel Hagerty’s parents were into wooden boats and saw an unmet need to underwrite them. Hagerty, however, has been a car nut from day one. When the family’s marine insurance business finally began to offer auto policies in 1991, he saw a chance to join the fold and, along with his sisters, Tammy and Kim, stomp on the pedal.

As we look ahead, evolving technologies are presenting home and auto owners with new potential risks. Hacking and ransomware, once confined to computer networks, may become an endemic cyber vulnerability for our increasingly connected vehicles and “smart home” devices. Yet many of these same technologies could create new data sources and risk mitigation options for personal lines insurers.

The unique partnership comes amid an increase in vehicle crash-related deaths and a desire to help customers understand how their choices could potentially support their overall health.

Digital Insurance spoke with Brett Jurgens, the CEO of Notion, a DIY smart home monitoring company, which is owned by Comcast, about how Notion works with insurers and what benefits smart home monitoring has for policyholders.

Millennials are the most eager to go electric, followed by Generation Z, who also expect to see autonomous vehicles in the next five years. However, 40% of respondents said they expect to never use an autonomous vehicle in their lives. The reason for the EV interest is mostly motivated by money.

A group of the world's biggest insurers and reinsurers jointly pledging to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their underwriting activities have run into an unexpected opponent of their planet-friendly mission: competition law.

In other news: Overhaul and Movingdots collaborate; Zurich Resilience Solutions adds DEI service; Vertafore names chief technology officer.

Digital Insurance spoke with Rand Harbert, chief agency, sales and marketing officer for State Farm about celebrating 100 years and its support of small businesses.

New research from SMA shows that the plans and progress of some transformational technologies are accelerating ahead as others have hit the brakes.

The U.S. utilities sector could suffer annual losses of up to $4.1 billion as climate hazards threaten to batter the industry’s infrastructure, according to a new report.

Auto insurers can leverage critical mobility risk insights like distracted driving, hard turns, and more, turning them into effective personalized marketing campaigns.

The EQXX, presented at the CES show in Las Vegas, can drive more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) with a battery half the size of Mercedes-Benz’s EQS, its current flagship electric vehicle, the manufacturer said Monday. The sedan’s battery technology is set to be deployed in the company’s compact cars from 2024.

Based on more than 700 billion miles of historical driving data, most recently from more than 32 million active mobile telematics connections and more than a decade of data directly from cars, we’ve predicted three major trends to keep an eye out for as we head into 2022 and beyond.

​​​​It’s hard to believe we’re approaching year eight of Apple’s work on a self-driving car. For all the fits and starts, 2022 could prove to be the project’s most pivotal.

The final standards, which govern the release of carbon dioxide from the tailpipes of cars and light trucks, roughly translate into fleet-wide fuel economy values of 55 miles (89 kilometers) per gallon in model year 2026.

Commercial structures across the U.S could face up to $13.5 billion in damage in 2022, an amount that will rise at least 25% over the next 30 years as climate change exacerbates flooding from sea rise, storms and extreme rain events, according to First Street Foundation.

The automaker got the green light to sell its Drive Pilot package for use on stretches of the country’s Autobahn network at a speed of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour, Mercedes said Thursday.

Not only is digital technology changing but so is the regulatory landscape. Some U.S. states have passed laws that will lead the insurance industry to take a fresh look at technology such as Bluetooth and navigation because they capture significant amounts of personal information from drivers and occupants.

As the wave of SPAC mergers crested in the past two years, startups that chose this path found it difficult to keep up with more established companies and investor expectations. The insurtech companies that went this route are not exempt from experiencing that strain.

Companies create a more customer-friendly, digitally-focused roadside assistance experience.