M&A
More than $150 billion of mergers and acquisitions have been scrapped or stalled since the beginning of June. KR & Co. recently abandoned a $14 billion bid for an Australian hospital chain. (Bloomberg)

 

Credit Scores
The national average credit score sits at an all-time high of 716, unchanged from a year ago, according to a new report from Fair Isaac Co., developer of the FICO score. (Fortune)

Virginia’s traffic fatalities have increased 17% due to riskier driving since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and state officials are looking for solutions.

Q: Now that we are back in the office, my dog is having separation anxiety. Can I bring him to work with me if I keep him in my office?

“Quiet quitting” started as a TikTok video describing how one employee was finding work-life balance by changing how they approached their job, without actually quitting. The now-viral video has generated numerous articles and news stories, many with different takes on what “quiet quitting” actually means.  

Nailing the perfect head shot for your Linkedln profile can boost your career, said Callum Borchers in The Wall Street Journal. “An applicant’s odds of receiving an offer can be diminished by a head shot that doesn’t match the picture in the boss’s mind,” says one executive recruiter. Linkedln has found that “bios with headshots get 21 times more views that those without, and users receive nine times more connection requests when they include pictures of themselves.” For those chasing that “just-so photo” for the right onscreen first impression, there is now “a cottage industry of head-shot photographers who offer facial-expression coaching.” One such consultant, Peter Hurley, charges $1500 for a session. “I consider myself a facial conveyance strategist,” Hurley said. 

FEMA recently released a new, concerning proposal for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) called Direct to Customer (D2C).

 

The initiative was unveiled in a request for information (RFI). The RFI gives a brief overview of the D2C initiative and asks questions about how FEMA should approach developing and delivering the initiative. 

 

In the RFI, FEMA notes that, “other lines of insurance have made the leap into the digital realm, including WYO companies for their other lines of insurance. Flood Insurance remains behind the times, leading to potential customer frustration and the inability to protect one's home or business. (IIABA)

 

The Virginia State Claims Association (VSCA) Leadership Conference is on September 28–30, 2022, at the Westin Hotel in Richmond. The VSCA is inviting insurance professionals from Maryland to South Carolina and beyond to attend the conference, as generally local insurance organizations have been less active in the past several years, and the VSCA is presenting all insurance professionals with outstanding seminars, all-industry activities and an historic location.

 

The Conference will present distinguished speakers on the effect of technology on the insurance industry. For more information and to register to attend, click here. To be a sponsor, click here. Be sure to share this invitation with friends and colleagues who may want to attend. If you have any questions, please contact VSCA President Robert Tayloe Ross at rross@midkifflaw.com. Hope to see you at the conference!