Daily Headlines: Friday, January 18, 2013

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January 18, 2013 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National A Future Without the Terrorism Insurance Backstop? The federal backstop that is widely credited with establishing today's robust terrorism insurance market may be gone in just 24 months. The ... Change Forecast for Blizzard of Winter Weather Terms Ever hit a mental whiteout pondering the difference between a winter storm watch and winter weather advisory? The National Weather Service ... U.S. Issues Mine Safety Rule on Patterns of Violations Labor Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced a final rule to strengthen safety in the nation's most dangerous mines. Solis said that ... No Relief In Sight for Drought-Stricken Plains States Dry weather should continue through at least the end of January in the drought-stricken U.S. Plains and a blast of Arctic cold air in the ... Ratings: Southern General/GreenStar, Fairfield, Community Mutual, Wisconsin County A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to 'B' (Fair) from 'B++' (Good) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to ... Standards Organizations ACORD, DISA to Merge ACORD, the nonprofit global data standards organization for the insurance industry, and DISA, the organization for development of ... Utica National's Reynolds Elected Chairman of I.I.I. J. Douglas Robinson, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Utica National Insurance Group, has been elected 2013 ... ThinkRisk, Aspen U.S. Partner to Offer Media, Technology, Privacy E&O Program Ryan Specialty Group's (RSG) ThinkRisk Underwriting Agency and Aspen US Insurance have entered into a new underwriting partnership. ... After the Storm: Insurance Agents E&O Lessons Learned More often than not, a second wave of claims against insurance agents by their clients follows a natural disaster. As parties find... More National News East Vermont Licensed 32 New Captives in 2012 Vermont licensed 32 new captives in 2012 -- finishing with strong showings by the construction and manufacturing sectors which each had ... N.J. Gov. Christie: Congress 'a Little Late' With Sandy Aid New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the Hurricane Sandy aid package Congress approved Tuesday will help expedite rebuilding after the ... Marsh Names U.S. D&O Liability Product Leader in New York Marsh, the insurance broking division of Marsh & McLennan Cos., announced that Brenda Shelly, a veteran management liability broker and ... A.M. Best Withdraws Ratings of Community Mutual Insurance Co. in N.Y. Insurance ratings agency A.M. Best Co. said it has downgraded the financial strength rating to C (Weak) from C+ (Marginal) and the issuer ... More East News Midwest Handmaker Promoted to Chief Marketing Officer at Assurance Steven Handmaker has been promoted to chief marketing officer at Assurance, an independent insurance brokerage headquartered in the ... Missouri Cops Investigating Smash-and-Grab Crimes Police in several St. Louis, Mo.- area towns are investigating a string of smash-and-grab crimes with a twist: In many cases, nothing is ... Kansas, Missouri Could Be Hit by Disaster Aid Fight Midwesterners accustomed to generous government aid after ice storms, floods and tornadoes may soon have to look somewhere else for help ... More Midwest News Southeast Florida Looks to Restructure Its Hurricane Fund; Federal Option Proposed Florida lawmakers are poised to consider restructuring the state-run property reinsurance facility by possibly lowering its mandatory ... Florida Audit Says Citizens' Travel Expenses Excessive; Governor Orders Reform A review by Florida's chief inspector general contends that employees at the state-created Citizens Property Insurance racked up excessive ... Florida Facing $300M Fine Over Health Insurance for Part-Time Employees It turns out that the state of Florida has yet another major decision to make in the next few months when it comes to the federal ... More Southeast News South Central SUV Test Drive in Texas Turns Into Drug Deal A man who took a $40,000 SUV on an unauthorized test drive in Central Texas has been accused of selling the vehicle for two rocks of crack ... Arkansas Lawmaker Files Tort Reform Ballot Measure An Arkansas lawmaker is proposing a constitutional amendment to require those who file lawsuits found to be "frivolous" to pay court costs ... Texas Bill Would Grant Liability Protection for Emergency Volunteers A Texas state representative has filed a bill that would allow fire departments to accept volunteer assistance during an emergency and ... More South Central News West More Survivors Join Suit in Deadly Oregon Bus Crash The legal problems are piling up for the Canadian tour company whose bus crashed on an icy highway in Eastern Oregon last month, killing ... California-based NAS Taps Troester As VP of Entertainment and Sports Encino, Calif.-based NAS Insurance Services has hired Tim Troester as vice president of entertainment and sports. Troester was formerly ... More West News International Many Hostages in Gas Plant Siege Unaccounted for; New Terrorist Threats At least 22 foreign hostages were unaccounted for on Friday and their al-Qaeda-linked captors threatened to attack other energy ... Floods Paralyze Indonesian Capital Jakarta; at Least 4 Die Seasonal rains triggered massive flooding in Indonesia's capital on Thursday, killing at least four people, triggering the evacuation of at ... German Court Allows Investors to Sue S&P over Lehman Insolvency Germany's Federal Court of Justice has ruled that investors can sue Standard & Poor's for failing to adequately reflect the deteriorating ... Lloyd's Notes More Use of Specialist M&A Insurance Given the reduced amount of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity as a result of the financial crisis, it's not surprising that the deals, ... Allianz Estimates Sandy Impact at $670 Million; Won't Affect Profit Forecast Germany's Allianz SE has announced that its losses from Hurricane Sandy are estimated to total €455 million [approximately $607 million ... Ratings Roundup: New India Assurance, South China Insurance A.M. Best Asia-Pacific Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of 'A-' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of "a-" of The New ... More International News Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Van Eeten Takes the Reins at Texas Surplus Lines Association Kathy Van Eeten, senior vice president, regional marketing for CRC | Crump, was installed... Watch Now Effects of Worldwide Economic Instability on American Companies Despite a slightly improved economy here in the U.S., the global economy is not out of the... Watch Now Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums What is your biggest pain as an agent? Posted: Fri Jan 18 -- rodgwag, I am with you, as far as I wish I did not have to do any service work. Keep in mind carriers do not like to pay agents anyway, and... lonestar What is most fullfilling as an agent? Posted: Thu Jan 17 -- 1) Fulfilling client needs and solving clients problems. Offering "peace of mind". 2) Delivering on promises-ie Claims payments. 3) Getting... jtownagent Credit Card Processing Posted: Wed Jan 16 -- I would second the three quotes and Square. I have some friends that use Reliafund, and they are all wanting to switch, ie they don't like... OldIndyAgent Florida Mobile Home Insurance - Coastal Surplus Lines Posted: Tue Jan 15 -- Are you dealing with wholesale brokers? Neal Ecker The New Small Insurance Agency Posted: Tue Jan 15 -- I thought this article was great for those that have recently decided to open an insurance agency. Let me know what you... DBL Surety Comp in Ca for a Farm code 0171 Posted: Tue Jan 15 -- If PEO is an option let me know & I'll inquire. There is enough payroll but not sure about the code. Chad Filley Agency In NC or SC Posted: Mon Jan 14 -- I operate an agency that acts in NC, SC, VA, GA, and TN. If I had the choice, I would say operate in SC. You have more coverages available... NCPCLHagent Go to Forums Reader Comments What Employees Should Know About Healthcare Changes Ahead Posted: Thu Jan 17 -- "What Employees Should Know About Healthcare Changes Ahead" 1) Reduced coverage 2) Fewer doctors, longer waits 3) Higher premiums 4) Higher... wvagt Heavy-Duty Restricted Guns Legally Sold in Texas Posted: Wed Jan 16 -- "Any sane person would not try it," he said of potential attackers. Sane people are not the ones I'm concerned about. It's the insane... Captain Planet Utah Man Accused of Killing Officer Sues Insurer Posted: Tue Jan 15 -- "The shootout is considered an intentional act, Farmers spokesman Mark Toohey said, and claims resulting from such acts are not covered by... Always Amazed New York Senator Pitches Mold Relief in Sandy Aid Bill Posted: Fri Jan 11 -- why in the hell is this the federal government's ( taxpayer ) responsibility to pay ? Anyone who builds a house by the ocean should... gregsmith N.J. Gov. Criticizes Some Oceanfront Property Owners Who Reject Sand Dunes Posted: Wed Jan 16 -- Something does not make sense to me - if building a sand dune system will protect property, why not build it? I can't believe the dunes... jet Go to Popular Comments Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us Current Issue January 14, 2013 Contractors / Subcontractors; Employment Practices Liability Insurance; 2013 Insurance Agents & Brokers Meetings / Conventions Directory 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 Technology Claims Consultant Professional Liability Claims Examiner Product Development Specialist Commercial Insurance Specialist Have a job opening? List it on our Web site. 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