MEMIC Recognizes Three NE Agencies for Service to Policyholders

A plumbing contractor has been ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to the State Compensation Insurance Fund as part of a workers’ comp fraud prosecution. Daniela G. Birdwell, 41, owner of GPS Plumbing, pleaded guilty to one count of workers’ comp insurance premium fraud. A judge also imposed a sentence of two years of…

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Woodruff Sawyer for $1.2 billion. Andy Barrengos, leader of San Francisco-based Woodruff Sawyer, will operate under the direction of Peter Doyle, head of Gallagher’s U.S. retail property/casualty brokerage operations. The deal follows Gallagher’s much larger agreement to acquire AssuredPartners for $13.45 billion. Woodruff…

Broker Lockton early this week issued its outlook of the mostly buyer-friendly U.S. property/casualty market with eye on potential changes in directors and officers liability. The latest edition of the Lockton Market Update noted public and private D&O insurance buyers continue to see a stable market, with rates for public companies dropping 9.5% during the…

Pen Underwriting, the London-based managing general agent, has expanded and enhanced its specialist insurance proposition for recruitment agencies, to support clients’ international growth strategies and help them respond to increasing legal liabilities arising from contractual complexities. With immediate effect, Pen’s international and multi-section insurance policies customized for recruiters can now cover the professional indemnity risk…

Artemis Insurance, a full-service insurance agency and the new parent brand of Texan Insurance, announced its partnership with Louisiana-based Ozark Insurance Agency, a provider of personal and commercial insurance solutions for six decades. Ozark Insurance Agency was founded by Robert “Bob” Mitchell in 1971. Originally started as a real estate agency, it branched into the…

Drake has reached a settlement with Texas-based iHeartMedia in his ongoing legal dispute over Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” according to court records. In November, Drake filed a legal petition in Bexar County, Texas, where San Antonio is located, alleging that iHeartMedia had received illegal payments from Universal Music Group to boost radio…