News
New warning as long October heat wave tests California's fire defenses and its insurance market
Forecasters warn the heat could last into mid-month, two weeks before the FAIR Plan's biggest rate increase in years takes effect
Southern California is heading into a stretch of heat that forecasters say is unusual even for October. It arrives just over two weeks before the state's insurer of last resort raises its rates by almost 30%.
The National Weather Service's Los Angeles office has issued an extreme heat watch for the coast and valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. It runs from Friday morning through Thursday, Oct. 8, with highs of up to 90F at the coast and 105F in the valleys. Forecasters expect the heat to continue into the second week of October and say the watch may need to be extended.
In its Sept. 29 forecast discussion, the office said downtown Los Angeles could reach the mid-to-upper 90s by Saturday, with a 20% chance of 100F.
Climate/Resilience/Sustainability
Wildfires Are Doing For Alternative Building Materials What Decades of Innovation Could Not
Alternative building materials have been trying to displace wood framing for decades without much success. The scale of recent wildfire losses is changing that faster than any innovation cycle did.
The failures of previous attempts are instructive, though, because they explain why the current moment looks different. “There have been so many companies that have tried to change the construction industry and failed,” said Ken Calligar, CEO of RSG 3-D, which manufactures composite structural panels made of steel trusses and expanded polystyrene encased in concrete. “A lot of those failures is due to putting too much into R&D before they actually have a product that someone wants.” That diagnosis identifies the core problem with how construction innovation has typically been funded. Capital flowed toward companies attempting to reinvent the entire building process, which required simultaneously solving manufacturing, logistics, labor training, code approval, lender acceptance, and insurance underwriting before a single dollar of revenue arrived. The technical achievements were often real. The businesses built around them frequently were not.
Research
Cox Automotive: Share of Consumers Owning Level 2 or 3 Vehicles Nearly Triples in a Decade
About a third of consumers now own a Level 2 or Level 3 vehicle, up from 12% in 2016.
Thirty-four percent of U.S. consumers now own a vehicle with Level 2 or Level 3 driving automation, up from 12% in 2016, according to the 2026 Cox Automotive Autonomous Vehicle Study, released Sept. 28.
In the study's framework, a Level 2 vehicle corrects itself when it drifts from its lane and avoids front and rear collisions. A Level 3 vehicle can handle city or highway driving but still needs a human for unmarked roads or heavy congestion.
A Changing Claims Landscape
Narrowing of severity between BEV and ICE vehicles and the growth of customer-pay work require different strategies.
Recently, Mitchell’s latest Plugged-In EV Collision Insights report reveals that the gap in average claims severity between battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and automobiles with an internal combustion engine (ICE) has reached its lowest level on record. In Canada, the gap has narrowed to just $1,234 and in the United States, it is down to $729 based on claims data from the second quarter of this year.
One reason why the gap has narrowed is the increasing levels of depreciation with BEVs, particularly as the electric vehicle parc matures and more affordable used options become available. It is, however, still important to consider that overall, BEV severity remains higher compared with conventional vehicles, and ongoing geopolitical and trade-related issues are likely to impact replacement parts availability and cost going forward.
U.S. Vehicle Thefts Fall 21% in First Half of 2026, Continuing Nationwide Decline
Vehicle thefts continued their nationwide decline during the first half of 2026, falling 21% compared with the same period last year, according to a new analysis from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the leading, established non-profit dedicated to identifying insurance fraud.
A total of 268,415 vehicle thefts were reported to law enforcement during the first six months of 2026. The United States experienced a vehicle theft rate of approximately 77.81 thefts per 100,000 people during the first two quarters of the year.
The decline was widespread, with all 50 states recording year-over-year percentage decreases in vehicle thefts during the first half of 2026, extending a broader downward trend in vehicle thefts seen in recent years.
"Vehicle thefts continue to decrease across the country, and it's encouraging to see that every state experienced a decline," said NICB Chief Operating Officer Tim Slater.
Amica Ranked #1 in Homeowners Insurance in JD Power 2026 Study
Amica has finished first in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Home Insurance Study for Homeowners Insurance for the second year in a row.
Amica earned top honors in four of the dimensions the study evaluates: Product/Coverage Offerings, Ease of Doing Business, People and Trust. This is the second consecutive year Amica has finished in first place in the Homeowners category. Amica also placed first in the Trust dimension in this year's Renters segment.
Ted Shallcross, chairman, president and CEO of Amica, stated, “We’re honored to earn this recognition for the 22nd time. To achieve this along with being first in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study for New England earlier this year is truly gratifying. This demonstrates that Amica continues to earn customer trust, reflecting our commitment to delivering quality products and services.”
Announcements
AXA XL Launches Dedicated Excess & Surplus Insurance Company: "AXA XL E&S"
AXA XL today announced the launch of AXA XL Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance Company ("AXA XL E&S"), a dedicated legal entity established to exclusively serve wholesale brokers.
This strategic move enhances AXA XL's underwriting focus and capabilities within the Excess & Surplus (E&S) insurance market, reinforcing its commitment to providing tailored, innovative solutions through a specialized distribution channel.
Operating alongside existing AXA XL entities and participating in the same AXA XL pool as Indian Harbor Insurance Company, AXA XL E&S will serve as a dedicated carrier, solely focused on wholesale broker relationships. It will issue policies developed by AXA XL in collaboration with wholesale brokers nationwide.
Tokio Marine adds generative AI image checks with Shift Technology | IBTimes JP
- Tokio Marine starts AI checks for suspected generative AI image manipulation in fire insurance claims in September 2026
- New function expands fraud screening beyond claim details and documents to include submitted image data and reused-image detection
- Shift Technology partnership in place since 2022, with AI fraud screening rolled out nationwide in
Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance has started using a new function to detect signs that images submitted in fire insurance claims may have been created or altered using generative AI, as the Japanese insurer steps up fraud checks in claims handling, according to a release issued on September 30.
Sigo Seguros Launches Commercial Auto Insurance to Help Hispanic and Working-Class Business Owners Find the Coverage Their Work Requires
Sigo Seguros, a licensed insurance agency built for Hispanic and working-class families, today announced its expansion into commercial auto insurance, starting in Texas on October 1, 2026. Personal auto policies are generally not designed for business use, so contractors, delivery drivers, and other business owners who work from their trucks and vans can now request a quote at sigoseguros.com/comercial. A licensed Sigo Seguros agent will help them understand their options and compare coverage from multiple carriers.
"The demand from our personal auto customers for commercial coverage made this an obvious move," said Nestor Hugo Solari, co-founder and CEO of Sigo Seguros. "Many of our customers are hardworking entrepreneurs. We've earned their trust with honest service and by comparing prices across carriers on their behalf, so of course they're coming to us for their business needs too. Now the same bilingual team they already know can help them protect the vehicles their business runs on."
All quotes are subject to underwriting, eligibility, and state filing. Sigo Seguros is an insurance agency, not an insurance company. Policies are issued by the carriers Sigo Seguros represents.
eMaxx Names Rob Gronkowski as Company Spokesperson
eMaxx today announced that Rob Gronkowski has been named company spokesperson. Gronkowski will represent eMaxx across brand campaigns, industry and public appearances, and selected community initiatives supporting the Company’s policyholder-owned commercial property and casualty programs.
The appointment is intended to expand awareness of its property and casualty programs among commercial business owners, brokers, and agents. eMaxx designs programs for organizations that invest in risk management, maintain strong operating standards, and seek greater alignment between premium, claims performance, and long-term results through the eMaxx Reciprocal Insurance Exchange and related captive structures.
“eMaxx is a property and casualty provider built for businesses that take risk management seriously,” said Brian K. McCarthy, CEO and President, eMaxx. “Rob’s commitment to teamwork reflects the values of Members, and we are proud to welcome him as the Company’s spokesperson.”
AI in Insurance
Insurers rate themselves AI leaders but none has rebuilt distribution around it: KPMG
Insurance leaders are confident about their progress on artificial intelligence, but new research from KPMG suggests their organizations have changed far less than that confidence implies.
In KPMG International's report Unlocking AI value in insurance, 44% of respondents placed their organization in the top quartile for AI transformation, and none said they were significantly behind. Yet no organization in the survey had fully redesigned sales and distribution or underwriting around AI. Only 3% had done so in policy servicing or claims.
KPMG surveyed insurance leaders at organizations with 500 or more employees across 20 countries and six regions between May 20 and 29, 2026. It used a discussion-board format that combined structured questions with open-ended responses, and it has not disclosed how many people took part. The report also draws on 53 insurance respondents from KPMG's Transforming the Enterprise 2026 study.