Daily Headlines: Monday, December 17, 2012

Contact us | Subscribe | Send to a Friend

December 17, 2012 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National PCI Responds to IAIS Proposals; Urges 'Freedom to Structure Co. Operations' The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) has issued a statement urging the International Association of Insurance ... Crop Insurance Juicy Target in 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal Rural lawmakers worry that $9 billion in annual federal crop insurance subsidies are an easy target for spending cuts in a "fiscal cliff" ... Best Affirms W. R. Berkley Corp and Subs 'A+' Ratings A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of' A+ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "aa-" of the ... Commentary: Sandy Shows Social Media is Practically Made for Insurers In the days before Superstorm Sandy, there were many questions. When and where would it arrive, and what kind of destruction would it ... Anderson Named President, COO of Founders Insurance John M. Anderson has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Founders Insurance Company, a member company of the Utica ... Agents Can Benefit from New Homeowners Insurance Online Options Keeping up with the auto insurance industry when it comes to online quoting services has been challenging for homeowners insurers. The... More National News East Hoboken, N.J., Mayor Urges Congress to Fix Flood Claim Rules Hoboken, N.J., Mayor Dawn Zimmer told a U.S. Senate committee Hurricane Sandy caused $100 million in damages to the square-mile city across ... Slow Pace of Flood Repairs a Concern in New York City As winter approaches, construction crews in New York are in a race against the clock to make thousands of houses damaged by Superstorm ... N.Y.-Based Holborn Taps Guy Carpenter Exec as Senior VP Holborn Corp., an independent reinsurance brokerage based in New York, announced that Simon Hudson has joined the firm as senior vice ... More East News Midwest Indiana Supreme Court Considers Punitive Damage Cap A top state attorney defended Indiana's punitive damages law on Dec. 13 against claims that it renders trials meaningless by forcing judges ... Arson Registry Compromise Clears Ohio Legislature Convicted arsonists in Ohio would be required to register with local sheriffs under a bill headed to the governor's desk. Gov. John Kasich ... Insurance Costs Forcing Sale of Civil War Cannons at Ohio Cemetery A Civil War heritage activist is taking aim at a southwest Ohio cemetery's plan to sell its two cannons from that era. The Sugar Grove ... Slight Uptick in South Dakota Highway Fatalities Highway fatalities in South Dakota are up slightly this year after a 20 percent drop in 2011, state Department of Public Safety officials ... More Midwest News Southeast Deal Reached on Change to N.C. Workers' Comp Law Legislators say they don't expect any obstacles when they consider a bill allowing workers to make sure their employers carry workers' ... Dozens Sue Pharmacy but Compensation Uncertain, Tenn. Attorney Says Dennis O'Brien rubs his head as he details ailments triggered by the fungal meningitis he developed after a series of steroid shots in his ... Brightway Insurance Names Howard as Chief Marketing Officer Brightway Insurance has named Talman Howard as the company's new chief marketing officer. Brightway Insurance, a national independent ... Wells Fargo Names Head of Personal, Small Biz Insurance Unit in N.C. Wells Fargo Insurance -- part of San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Company -- has promoted Anne Doss to the head of its personal and small ... More Southeast News South Central Judgment Upheld in Arkansas Brain Surgery Lawsuit The Arkansas Supreme Court has upheld an $11 million judgment in a medical malpractice lawsuit against an insurer for Arkansas Children's ... Louisiana Used Car Dealer Sentenced in Odometer Fraud Scheme Beau Michael Guidry of Baton Rouge, La., has been sentenced in connection with an odometer tampering scheme that defrauded victims in and ... Guest Worker Permit Bill Planned in Oklahoma A Republican state senator from Seminole says he'll reintroduce a proposal to allow illegal immigrants to work in Oklahoma. Sen. Harry ... More South Central News West Integro Acquires Southern California's The Rule Group New York-based insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro has acquired The Rule Group of Pasadena, Calif. Terms of the deal were ... Lawsuit Filed Over Ex-Utah Trooper's DUI Arrests A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Utah Highway Patrol over alleged wrongful arrests for driving under the influence. Three ... Utah: Chevron To Pay $1.8 Million In Settlement Chevron Corp. has paid Utah $1.8 million in a settlement reached after the state claimed the oil company collected money from a cleanup ... Biologist: Tsunami Debris Overwhelming In Spots In Alaska Debris that gathered this past summer on Alaska's Kayak Island made walking on its beaches feel like walking through a natural disaster ... Vegas Police Officer Accused Of Workers Comp Fraud Authorities say a veteran Las Vegas traffic officer has been suspended without pay following his arrest on felony fraud charges in a ... Wife Of Marine Shot By New Mexico State Police Sues The wife of a troubled Marine veteran who killed himself after being shot by a New Mexico state police officer near Santa Fe two years ago ... More West News International AIG May Raise up to $6.5 Billion through AIA Share Sale - Sources American International Group may raise as much as $6.5 billion from the sale of its remaining stake in AIA Group Ltd in Asia's ... Geneva Association's Response to IAIS Policy Report Urges Caution International insurance think tank, The Geneva Association, published its response to the International Association of Insurance ... Willis Launches New Insurance Facility for Offshore Decommissioning Risks "As many oil and gas installations reach the end of their productive life, the energy industry faces new risks associated with ... Best Special Report Focuses on Asia-Pacific Insurers Cat Loss Challenges A special report from A.M. Best analyzes the "reduced frequency of large-scale catastrophes through November 2012, which, Best said, has ... Best Upgrades W.R. Berkley Insurance (Europe) ICR Rating; Affirms 'A' FSR A.M. Best Europe - Rating Services Ltd. has upgraded the issuer credit rating (ICR) to "a+" from "a" and affirmed the financial strength ... Ratings Recap: Jordan Plc, Builders Re S.A., Sava Re, Allianz (Notes) A.M. Best Europe - Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of 'B++' (Good) and the issuer credit rating of ... More International News Insurance Journal Blogs Improving Your Sales Process by Answering the Phone It's almost maddening how many sales opportunities are lost by insurance agents, CSRs, producers, or even receptionists who simply don't ... More Blogs Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Contractual, Regulatory Requirements Effects on Cyber Marketplace Federal and state privacy laws and contractual requirements are driving interest and demand of... Watch Now Rate Changes Coming to Healthy Railroad Industry At one time it seemed that the railroad industry was doomed, but thanks in part to the... Watch Now Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums California Raw Milk Sales( Products Liability Markets ) Posted: Sun Dec 16 -- Are you looking for product liability or products contamination/recall coverage? e-mail me at ... INTLXS WC account Losses 189 X-mod hard class codes Posted: Fri Dec 14 -- There is not enough info here. Some important factors are: What was their mod prior to the last 3 years? What is their... consult1 Insurance directories?? Posted: Fri Dec 14 -- I'm of the belief currently that it's pretty insane to try and start a general lines/personal lines agency from scratch and that... d's insurance store Deposit into the trust account or operating account? Posted: Thu Dec 13 -- I concur- Option A is the correct procedure. sacman Contractor License Question Posted: Thu Dec 13 -- I would think having a contractor working under another's license and initiating new policies under that license could also create a... Shagster1261 Can an employer fire an employee because their pre-convicted Posted: Thu Dec 13 -- Technically "convicted" means until the person (employee) has exhausted the appeals process... consult1 carriers for multistate trucking/warehousing work comp Posted: Thu Dec 13 -- $250K-$500K consult1 Partnership Questions Posted: Wed Dec 12 -- "I'm thinking about partnering with a former co-worker who has an independent agency. We both went out on our own... joelm Go to Forums Reader Comments Only 15 States Plan to Operate Own Health Insurance Exchanges Posted: Thu Dec 13 -- I wonder, will the Fed Gov't establish one main exchange, and then provide access to the two thirds of the country that chose to have the... Producer #1 Dallas Cowboys Player Death Raises Question of Safety Net Posted: Wed Dec 12 -- Fanucci, you are right. A star athlete is catered to from grade school, jr high, high school, college and then the pros if they are good... Agent Treasury Selling All of Its Remaining AIG Common Stock Posted: Tue Dec 11 -- D, what is it called when taxpayer money is extended to a company to keep it from going under? We have a pretty good idea on why AIG was... Agent Despair after Climate Conference Inaction, but UN Still Offers Hope Posted: Mon Dec 10 -- AS long as the UN keeps doing nothing, the world is on the right path. Carbon-trading schemes and UN-intervention are sure proof that... Tony Small Business Owners Face Health Insurance Dilemma Posted: Tue Dec 11 -- blah blah blah, Libby. We haven't rebounded as fast as we hoped???That's LAUGHABLE!! We haven't rebounded AT ALL!! Just whom is he going to... CT Agent Go to Popular Comments Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us Current Issue December 17, 2012 New Players (New insurers, brokers and vendors that are less than 2 years old.); Buyers Guide More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail Market Directories Excess & Surplus Markets Programs Workers' Comp Markets New Insurance Jobs Call Center Director - Retirement Health Insurance Sales Workers' Compensation Claim Rep / Claim Trainee Workers' Compensation Claim Rep/ Senior Claim Rep Assistant Vice President, Casualty Claims Have a job opening? List it on our Web site. How to Advertise For information about advertising on this newsletter and Insurance Journal magazines, contact Julie Tinney at (800) 897-9965 x148. View our Media Kit for advertising options in our magazines and online properties. Subscribe | Unsubscribe | Send to a Friend | Contact Us Insurance Journal 3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92108 (800) 897-9965 Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.