Daily Headlines: Wednesday, January 30, 2013

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January 30, 2013 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National U.S. Commercial Insurance Prices to Firm in 2013: Marsh Rates for commercial lines insurance will continue to rise in 2013 thanks to above average losses, low investment returns and receding ... W.R. Berkley's 2012 Q4 Profit Up 41%; $40M in Sandy Loss Reported W.R. Berkley Corp. said its 2012 fourth quarter net profit was $165.49 million, up 41.4 percent compared to the same period in 2011 when it ... Last Chance to Participate: Find Out Who's Worth What in Today's Agency System This is the last chance to participate in Insurance Journal nationwide search to find out who's worth what in the independent agency ... AmWINS Forms Non-Standard Auto Specialty Division AmWINS Group, Inc. has combined its various non-standard auto operating entities to create AmWINS Specialty Auto (ASA), a new operation ... Monitor Liability Managers Enhances Golf Course, Country Club Coverage Monitor Liability Managers has enhanced its nonprofit management liability coverage for golf courses and country clubs. Golf courses and ... Judge Approves BP Gulf Oil Spill Settlement A U.S. judge has accepted an agreement by BP Plc to plead guilty for its role in the Deepwater Horizon disaster and pay $4.0 billion in ... Insurance Segments to Watch in 2013 - Part One: Fracking While many in the insurance industry were focused on the cyber liability, cargo theft, and weather segments in 2012, this year some insurers... More National News East New Maps Show 35,000 More NYC-Area Buildings in Flood Zones Twice as many homes and businesses in and near the city would be in flood zones under new maps that may force more property-owners to buy ... N.Y. Lawmaker Aims to Clamp Down on Unfair Claim Settlement Practices A New York state lawmaker has recently introduced a piece of legislation that aims to prevent unfair claim settlement practices during a ... Delaware Regulators: 2012 Was 'Best Year Ever' for Captive Growth The Delaware Department of Insurance announced recently the final projection for the number of captive licenses the captive bureau ... Palumbo Insurance Appoints Account Executive in Maryland Bel Air, Md.-based Palumbo Insurance Associates appointed Elio Scaccio as account executive. Scaccio brings with him over 10 years of ... Cross Insurance Buys Bond Specialty Agency Skillings Shaw in Maine Cross Insurance, a subsidiary of Maine-based Cross Financial Corp., and one of the largest independent insurance agencies in New England, ... R.I.-Based Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. Names New CFO Pawtucket, R.I.-based Narragansett Bay Insurance Co. named Kirk Lusk as the new chief financial officer.As CFO, Lusk will provide financial ... More East News Midwest Nebraska Bicyclist Sues Homeowners over Crash on Trail The past and current owners of a south Lincoln, Neb., home are being sued by a man who was hurt when he crashed his bike on a trail near ... Consulting Firm Director Seeks Kansas Insurance Post The director of a northeast Kansas health insurance consulting company is running for next year's Republican nomination for state insurance ... Benefit Solutions Group Joins Heffernan Insurance Brokers in St. Louis Heffernan Insurance Brokers is expanding in St. Louis, Mo., with the addition of Benefits Solutions Group, also of St. Louis. The Benefit ... More Midwest News Southeast Public Adjuster Firm Upset with Florida Blogger's Questioning of Name A public adjusting firm is threatening to sue a Florida blogger who claims the adjusting firm is using a name that makes it sound like it ... Hearing Reviews West Virginia Gas Pipeline Explosion To Sue Bonham, it was as if the world were coming to an end: A wall of flame had suddenly engulfed her West Virginia neighborhood. Amid a ... More Southeast News South Central Rural School Officials: Give Texas Teachers Guns Superintendents of three small rural school districts that allow some teachers to carry guns told Texas lawmakers on Jan. 28 that the ... After Disasters, Oklahoma County Struggles Against Drought In the gently rolling hills of Oklahoma ranch country is a place that has seen more than its share of destructive weather - tornadoes, ice ... Combined Agents of America Adds 5 New Kansas-Based Members Combined Agents of America LLC (CAA) has expanded further into Kansas with the addition of five new agency members: Fuqua Ruth Typer ... IICF Hosting Black Tie Event in Texas The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Texas-Southeast division is hosting a black tie benefit gala, Lone Star Legends, at the ... More South Central News West Chevron Says It Has Paid $10M After Northern California Fire Chevron Corp. has paid about $10 million and has begun what's being termed "corrective actions" after a fire last summer at its Richmond, ... Q&A on Oregon Insurance Exchange While some states have fought President Barack Obama's federal health care overhaul, known as the Affordable Care Act, Oregon has embraced ... Patriot National Names Mcfadden California Regional Vice President Patriot National Insurance Group named Michael McFadden as regional vice president for California. McFadden will oversee all marketing and ... EMPLOYERS Names Robertson Medical Director in Southern California Reno, Nev.-based EMPLOYERS named Dwight L. Robertson, M.D., medical director. Dr. Robertson will provide physician oversight for the ... More West News International AIR Analyzes Australian Floods According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, the flooding that has hit parts of eastern Australia has forced the evacuation of ... FERMA Cites Survey Highlighting Company Neglect of Cyber Risks "Many companies still do not devote sufficient attention to cyber risks, despite an increase in frequency, scope, and sophistication - and ... Haiti Launches Micro-Finance Catastrophe Insurance Program When Hurricane Sandy struck Haiti late last year, the home Guerda Pierre shares with her three children and mother in Cabaret, north of ... ACE Limited Forecasts 2013 Profit below Estimates; Shares Drop Insurer ACE Limited reported a 24 percent fall in quarterly operating profit, hurt by losses related to Superstorm Sandy, and forecast a ... More International News Insurance Journal Blogs Burand's Agency E&O Blog: Tip #21 Do you always verify exposure changes at renewal? The genesis of a common E&O claim is when a commercial client changes their operations ... More Blogs Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV North Carolina Home (Insurance) Improvement: Commissioner Goodwin Recently re-elected North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin welcomes his expanded... 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 1st Year as a Producer Stories Posted: Wed Jan 30 -- cali-dude, on designations: Nothing against the agents that have them, and nothing against the idea of obtaining a designation. But in my 14... lonestar The New Small Insurance Agency Posted: Tue Jan 29 -- Fortunately, opportunities are everywhere given the wide range of products that can be offered. The major challenge is being able to... DBL Surety Imprezzio Marketing: SEO Firm Posted: Tue Jan 29 -- I agree with much of what d says. Here is a good thread about SEO from a few years back... sankykid State Auto Opinions Posted: Tue Jan 29 -- Thanks Small Town, I have called with billing and EFT issues and the customer service reps were excellent to work with. JohnnyLaw What is your biggest pain as an agent? Posted: Tue Jan 29 -- I'm with lonestar on this one. A colleague of mine called the other day a little nervous about the new State Farm commercial where after a... Smalltownagent Insurance Noodle vs. Superior Access vs. Agent Secure Posted: Mon Jan 28 -- These MGA's are working on quantity and the system is set up for expedicious processing when a risk meets a tight set of guides and thus,... d's insurance store Need state insurance requirements to open a boys home Posted: Mon Jan 28 -- Risk in ca. Need insurance requirements when opening a boys home. Thanks Trotter trotter Can an insured buy Contractual liabiliy as separtate policy Posted: Mon Jan 28 -- Risk in Ca. Sub Contractor needing to satsfiy gen contractor for contractual liability. Current gl doesnt offer what gen contractor is... trotter Farmers Changes Hiring Policies Re: Bankrupcy Posted: Sat Jan 26 -- by Farmers loosening their agent hiring practices, this can only be indicative that they are having trouble filling their recruiting goals.... lonestar Go to Forums Reader Comments Should Worst-Flooded Areas Be Left After Superstorm Sandy? Posted: Wed Jan 23 -- If these folks want to rebuild, fine, but isn't it reasonable to mandate that taxpayers shouldn't have to bear the cost of repeated rebuilds... wvagt Match.Com Calls Vegas Woman's Lawsuit 'Absurd' Posted: Wed Jan 23 -- If she wins this, I know a friend of my parents who set me up with their daughter for a horrible prom date that'll be hearing from my... Cheetoh Mulligan What Employees Should Know About Healthcare Changes Ahead Posted: Sat Jan 26 -- Slow down folks - let's figure out what is happening to the health care industry. It boils down to this - health care in America will soon... George B Taylor Sr Blogger Defends Against Cincinnati Bengals Cheerleader's Defamation Claim Posted: Fri Jan 25 -- I believe in freedom of speech and having an opinion. I disagree that we need to continually share it with the general public, especially... Huh! In Inaugural Address, Obama Vows to Tackle Climate Change Posted: Wed Jan 23 -- D: Stupidest reply I've ever seen. Thank YOU Mr. Scientist D would be my reply for Wayne. Your argument here seems to be that he can't say... 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