Marsh USA offers a free on-demand webinar discussing the changes in workers’ compensation in 2014 and what to expect in 2015.

Experts from Marsh’s Workers’ Compensation Center of Excellence and Noreen Olson, workers’ compensation claims manager, Starbucks, held a one-hour webcast and provided insights on key developments from the past year and what’s in store for 2015.

The panel of risk experts discussed:

• Key 2014 developments in workers’ compensation.
• Key trends and issues to watch in 2015.
• Updates on pricing and capacity as you plan for the year ahead.

Watch the on-demand webinar.

National Council on Compensation Insurance offers a free on-demand webinar exploring the workers compensation implications of the fracking industry, as well as federal and state legislative and regulatory issues.

On its website, NCCI says oil and gas issues, especially hydraulic fracturing (fracking), have been receiving increased attention in the legislatures and media. Fracking is the process of enabling the extraction of natural gas from shale deep below ground.

Watch the on-demand webinar.

MetLife Inc., the U.S. life insurer deemed by regulators as too big to fail, engages in in practices that threaten national economic health, according to a lawsuit filed by a policyholder, reports Bloomberg News.

MetLife, the biggest U.S. life insurer by assets, made misleading statements about its financial condition and overstated the amount of reserves it maintains to absorb unexpected losses or financial shocks, according to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court by policyholder Andrew Yale.

MetLife “is engaging in conduct that imperils the financial future of Metropolitan Life’s policyholders, their beneficiaries, and the public at large,” Yale said in his complaint.

Read the story.

Susan K. Hatmaker, Esq. of Hatmaker Law Group along with Alan Thaxter, Senior Client Consultant of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., will present a free webinar covering an update for 2015 on the Affordable Care Act.

The one-hour event will be Wednesday, Feb. 18, beginning at noon Pacific time.

Hatmaker Law Group’s webinars serve as educational opportunities for employers, owners, managers, accountants, attorneys and human resource professionals to stay current on up-to-date information on important California employment law issues, the firm said in a release about the upcoming event..

For more information contact Laura Dakin at (559) 374-0077 or email laura@hatmakerlaw.com or go to hatmakerlaw.com/events/

Holland & Hart offers a complimentary on-demand webinar on the most important things employers should be doing now to prepare for health care reform during 2015.

The webinar discusses what to expect and how to prepare to comply with the ACA employer reporting requirements, and recent changes to the rules for determining full-time employee status and applicable employer coverage requirements.

The presenters also talk about important transition rules that delay the effective date of certain ACA requirements for some employers, and about the Administration’s enforcement efforts targeting employers who “dump” their employees on the exchanges.

Watch the on-demand webinar.

The Network for Public Health Law presents a free on-demand webinar providing an update on Affordable Care Act implementation, including states’ decisions regarding Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchanges, as well as a number of provisions regarding public health.

Experts will also discuss the legal challenges, some seeking to enjoin the law and others, to enforce it.

November marked the second year when millions of Americans can purchase health insurance coverage through the online marketplaces established by the ACA. The health law’s first year was bumpy, due to technical glitches that plagued the marketplaces and a number of states’ refusals to expand Medicaid, The Network said on its website. The ACA was challenged by dozens of lawsuits that raised a range of constitutional and statutory arguments. In the most high profile case of the year, the Supreme Court ruled that some companies can be exempt from the ACA’s contraceptive requirements.

Watch the on-demand webinar and view the slides.

EY offers a complimentary on-demand webcast discussing proposed International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) modifications to IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts after the Exposure Draft received extensive comments from preparers and industry practitioners.

On its website, EY says that in recent deliberations following the receipt of comments, the IASB has reached tentative decisions about recognizing the contractual service margin in profit or loss. Further tentative decisions have been reached concerning fixed-fee service contracts, significant insurance risk, portfolio transfers and business combinations.

This webcast discusses the background to the ED and the current project status. Our panel will review the insurance industry’s responses to IFRS 4, and outline the IASB’s path towards finalising the project, focussing on key issues, challenges and operational impacts, and on what the IASB expects from the insurance industry.

Register for the webcast.

With health reform in full effect, compliance is top of mind for employers, health insurance brokers, and CPAs. As employers transition to individual health insurance and premium reimbursement, there are important compliance considerations to understand and comply with.

Zane Benefits offers a complimentary 60-minute on-demand webinar that covers the issue.

On its website, Zane Benefits says this session will cover:

• 3 ways to reimburse employees for individual health insurance
• The federal regulations employers must follow to avoid costly fines
• Tips for administering a compliant, tax-free reimbursement plan in 5 minutes per month
• Answers to common compliance questions

Watch the on-demand webinar.

MetLife has merged four of its previously independent subsidiaries to improve corporate governance and facilitate compliance with regulatory mandates, reports Insurance Networking News.

The merger will make it easier for MetLife to comply with Dodd-Frank collateral requirements and avoid potential regulatory issues associated with the use of captive reinsurance companies, according to the report. MetLife also will gain better visibility into its overall domestic variable annuity portfolio, which should help it better manage risk and pinpoint opportunities for improved portfolio performance.

The merger is part of MetLife’s broader strategy to de-risk its extensive variable annuity business.

Read the story.

The U.S. Department reported that Gregory E. Grantham, 57, of Oceanside, California, was sentenced to five years in prison on Nov. 14 , followed by three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud and obstruction of justice. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz also ordered Grantham to forfeit/ pay restitution of $17.4 million.

DOJ reports:

Grantham is a licensed attorney and between September 2009 and September 2011, was employed as General Counsel for IAGU Underwriters, LLC, as well as maintaining a private law practice. Graham’s co-defendant, Mervyn Phelan operated IAGU, which was in the business of underwriting loan applications submitted by real estate developers and then locating project financing from banks and other financial entities.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, between mid-2010 and August 2011, Grantham and Phelan became involved in a fraudulent scheme carried out by Patrick Belzner and Brian McCloskey, who both resided in Baltimore County. McCloskey owned a real estate development business known as the McCloskey Group, LLC. Belzner, a home builder, began working with McCloskey in late 2008 or early 2009. Phelan and IAGU began working with the McCloskey Group trying to locate sources of financing for its projects in about 2009.

Beginning in 2009 and continuing through June 2011, Belzner and McCloskey persuaded a series of private lenders to fund loans to establish that the McCloskey Group had reserves of cash that would supposedly help it obtain loans it was seeking in connection with real estate development projects through IAGU. Belzner and McCloskey falsely represented that the funds would be maintained in an escrow account under the control of Kevin Sniffen, a licensed attorney and escrow agent in Baltimore County; that the funds would not be used for any other purpose; and that the money would be returned to the lender, either upon the funding of the loan or after a specified period of time. In return for this temporary use of the lender’s funds, Belzner and McCloskey promised to pay substantial fees or interest. In fact, once the lenders transferred their funds into the escrow accounts, Belzner directed McCloskey to remove those funds from the escrow accounts without the knowledge or permission of the lenders. Belzner and McCloskey then used the majority of the stolen funds to pay for their personal and business expenses. The total losses resulting from the scheme were approximately $20 million.

Read the rest of the story.

Equifax will present the next in a series of webinars detailing the recent legislation regarding UI Integrity (Unemployment Insurance Integrity) and its impact on employers.

The free webinar will be Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 12 p.m. Central time.

Unemployment claims response is no longer an issue of whether or not to protest a claim, but a matter of UI compliance that involves increasing financial penalties, Equifax says.

Updates on the evolving UI system, which places increased focus on timely and adequate claims response, will be provided along with the following details:

–Up-to-date guidance on state interpretations of the federal mandate
–Efforts by state agencies to identify overpayments and enforce non-compliance penalties
–Best practices for timely and adequate claims response, maximizing favorable determination response, and the use of the latest enhancements to CaseBuilder to ensure UI compliance moving forward

Guest speakers will include experts in Unemployment Cost Management, UI Integrity, and Government Relations. In addition, all attendees will receive the most recently updated White Paper on UI Integrity and Compliance (Q4/2014) featuring a current state-by-state matrix with interpretations of a “pattern of failure,” non-compliance penalties, and overpayment rates by state.

Register for the webinar.

Miniter Group will host a webinar designed to clear up the confusion to loan servicers with regard to flood insurance.

The webinar will be Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

On its website, Miniter Group says the Implementation of Bigger-Waters was interrupted by the 2014 Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act. In addition The FDIC and other regulators have offered mixed messages to lenders regarding force-placed flood regulation.  

This webinar will present FDIC examination insight relative to force-placed flood insurance.Presenters also will discuss how to efficiently notify borrowers of SFHA map changes.

Register for the webinar.

The National Health Law Association has posted online a complimentary white paper on rules for determining a consumer’s Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI).

MAGI applies when determining eligibility for advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) for health coverage purchased through the Marketplace, as well as eligibility for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, NHLA says on its website.

This paper focuses on using MAGI to calculate a consumer’s total household income. This paper was provided as part of the navigator and assister training series by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Weekly Marketplace Webinar trainings for assisters.

Download the white paper.

Chubb Corp. distanced itself from insurance adjusters in Sudan and Syria after a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry into business in nations blacklisted by the U.S. because of terrorism ties, Bloomberg is reporting.

In a letter to the SEC, the insurer categorized third-party adjusters who examine marine claims as “surveyors” rather than “representatives.” Chubb said that while it doesn’t sell coverage in Sudan or Syria, it has people available there in case they are needed by clients with multinational operations.

“The company is strongly committed to compliance with U.S. economic sanction laws,” Maureen Brundage, Chubb’s general counsel, wrote. Warren, New Jersey-based Chubb doesn’t have any “operations, employees or agents” in Sudan and Syria and hasn’t made payments to entities in either country, she said.

Read the story.

Littler Mendelson will present a free webinar on employer responsibility requirements imposed by the Affordable Care Act.

The webinar will be Tuesday, Dec. 16, beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

On its website, the firm says that in 2015, employers with 100 or more full-time employees will be required to comply with the employer responsibility requirements imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In this webinar, Littler attorneys will review these pay or play rules, and will discuss what is in store for employers beyond 2015. From the phasing out of transitional relief to the Cadillac tax, presenters will explain how employers should continue preparing for what the ACA has in store for years to come.

Register for the webinar.

Nixon Peabody has posted a free on-demand webinar on the complex issues at the intersection of insurance law and bankruptcy code.

On its website, the firm says that understanding these issues is important for insurers when faced with insureds that have filed for, or may be planning to file for, bankruptcy. With constantly evolving requirements, keeping this knowledge current is paramount to keeping your business moving forward.

The webinar covers these topics:

• Overview of the bankruptcy code: standards for filing, the differences between chapters 7 and 11, and how a debtor gets out of bankruptcy;
• Best practices in the event of an insured’s bankruptcy: policy cancelation, claims department procedures, and handling SIR issues;
• Mass tort bankruptcies: the asbestos crisis, requirements for a “channeling injunction,” and recent cases interpreting Section 524(g).

Watch the on-demand webinar.

Risk & Insurance magazine has posted a free on-demand webinar on unbundling workers’ compensation managed care services can make a lot of sense for some employers.

Meeting the demands of a changing environment is a constant challenge whether you are — considering unbundling — have recently unbundled — or want to gauge the effectiveness of your unbundled program, the magazine says on its website.

Limited risk management resources, the complexities of data management and transparency, and increased medical costs are combining to push claims executives to improve their approach. Not doing so is to risk bad outcomes, not only for injured workers but for corporate bottom lines.

Watch the on-demand webinar.

Epstein Becker Green and EBG Advisors, as part of the Thought Leaders in Population Health Speaker Series, will host a complimentary webinar on emerging trends in value-based purchasing in health care.

The webinar will be Tuesday, August 26, beginning at noon Eastern time.

The session, Population Health Strategies for Employer-Based Coverage, will assess how employers and other health plan sponsors are developing new programs to promote enhanced clinical and financial outcomes for the groups and populations they manage. In particular, speakers will highlight how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is influencing population health management strategies for employer-based coverage.

The webinar will be led by two thought leaders from the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute (HCI3): Francois de Brantes, MS, MBA, Executive Director; and Douglas Emery, MS, Program Implementation Leader, Western Region. Gretchen K. Young, Senior Vice President, Health Policy, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), will also serve as a panelist and Adam Solander, Associate, Epstein Becker Green, will moderate the session.

Get more information and register for the webinar.

Cozen O’Connor will present a webinar on the ramifications of natural disasters in terms of coverage for business interruption losses.

The free webinar will be Thursday, July 17, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time.

As Superstorm Sandy demonstrated in a dramatic fashion, a major storm or a similar catastrophe can affect businesses hundreds or even thousands of miles from the epicenter.

Using different hypothetical claim scenarios, participants will learn about the limits of basic business interruption coverage, the range of contingent business interruption (CBI) coverages available to respond to business income losses resulting from damage away from the insured’s business premises and the limits of such coverage, as well as the unique considerations applicable to the measurement of business income losses under CBI insurance.

Register for the webinar.