Originating in Wuhan, China, the Covid-19 virus has now been diagnosed in more than 111,000 people worldwide and resulted in over 3,800 deaths.^7,8 The first U.S. case of COVID-19 was reported on January 21st, and that number has grown to 566+ U.S. infections resulting in over 20 deaths, so far.^4,8 As we watch the coronavirus begin to touch communities across the country many are naturally wondering who is at risk and how to prepare.

A good reputation is valuable but also fragile. As Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and five minutes to ruin it.” In the headlines every day are incidents that damage the public’s perception of an organization, from social media controversies, to executive misconduct to regulatory violations. Fortunately, a new generation of insurance products is emerging to provide protection for reputational risks.

Chemicals commonly used in fire-fighting foams and a wide range of household items, from non-stick cookware to stain-resistant carpet, are turning up more often as exclusions on insurance policies. That’s due to a growing wave of litigation over water contamination and rising concerns among insurers that the chemicals per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, could expose them to the same kind of expensive, unanticipated claims as asbestos did a generation ago. While property owners may see more scrutiny over PFAS, environmental insurance can still provide effective risk transfer in many cases.

The construction industry has seen significant growth over the last several years. However, emerging trends such as large rate increases and reductions in excess capacity are posing challenges for construction insureds as the insurance market hardens. An increase in high-value claim payments and settlements, labor shortages, and more careful deployment of underwriting capacity are all factors adding difficulty to the state of the market across the country.

The CDC estimates that almost 3 million Americans were affected by concussion or traumatic brain injury (TBI) related emergencies in 2014, with almost a third of those events impacting children.