Itasca, Ill.-based insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. says it has acquired Mortgage Insurance Agency, Ltd. in Crystal Lake, Ill.

An estimated 9,500 claims resulting from June 1 tornadoes that devastated several Mass. communities may total up to $175 million.

Company founder is new CEO at Clearwater insurer; continues as chairman of the board.

Worcester, Mass.-based insurer The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. says it has completed its acquisition of Chaucer Holdings PLC, a major specialist Lloyd’s insurance group.

Patriot National Insurance Group announces it has selected the WorkersCompExpert software platform from Paradox Technology Solutions to support its insurance, managing general underwriting, billing, and claims services operations.

Almost half of Internet users age 16 and older—48 percent—are worried about companies checking their actions on the Internet, according to a recent survey by USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism as part of the Digital Future Project.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of U.S. and Canadian consumers plan to renew or purchase insurance products through an agent in the next 12 months, according to an Accenture survey of 2,500 consumers.

Although U.S. workers are notorious for not taking as much vacation time as their European counterparts, 24 percent of respondents in a recent survey said they can’t afford to take vacation in 2011, up from 21 percent last year.