The next wave of hobby drones will be wrapped in boxes underneath Christmas trees before they fill the skies. If industry sales projections come true, the holiday season will put tens of thousands of relative novices at the controls of … Source: Claims Journal

Companies that share data with the U.S. government for cyber security purposes will get more protection from consumer lawsuits under a measure piggybacked onto a massive federal spending bill unveiled in Congress on Wednesday. The cyber-security proposal, widely supported by … Source: Claims Journal

A crackdown on Florida’s “pill mills” – clinics dispensing large quantities of prescription painkillers often for cash-only and without proper medical examinations – appears to have dramatically reduced the number of overdose deaths in the state from these drugs and … Source: Claims Journal

Allstate announced a major shift for the insurance industry as it embraces drone technology to further improve customer service. The company has been participating in drone test flights for use in property claims, the company announced. Following years of independent … Source: Claims Journal

Massachusetts transit investigators looking into a runaway train are recommending that the operator be fired even as a lawyer for the driver said he denies tying a rope or cord around the train’s throttle to force it open, as authorities … Source: Claims Journal

Insurers can’t predict when catastrophes occur, but they can refine management plans to be better prepared for the next event, according to the Property Claim Services Personal Lines Planning and Response Report, a new benchmarking study published recently. The report … Source: Claims Journal

Wisconsin-based Church Mutual Insurance Company, a provider of insurance services to religious organizations and schools in all 50 states, announced the planned succession of the company’s senior executive leadership. Michael E. Ravn, chief executive officer, will retire effective January 8, … Source: Claims Journal

The terror attack at a social services facility in California has become a sobering reminder to companies of how vulnerable workplaces can be when employees are confronted with active shooters. Since a gun-wielding husband-and-wife team killed 14 and wounded 21 … Source: Claims Journal

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world are making greater use of the internet and are therefore becoming more exposed to potential cyber risks threats. Zurich’s survey reveals: SMEs’ greatest fear is loss of customer data and damage to … Source: Claims Journal

Maritime historians, climate scientists and ordinary citizens are coming together on a project to study the logbooks of 19th-century whaling ships to better understand modern-day climate change and Arctic weather patterns. Whaling ships kept meticulous daily logbooks of weather conditions … Source: Claims Journal