Daily Headlines: Thursday, March 21, 2013

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March 21, 2013 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National Health Cost Savings Innovations Need Time: Obama Official The Obama administration on Wednesday said its experiments at controlling healthcare costs could need up to a year to produce results, ... Goldman Avoids Class Action Over Gender Bias Claim; Court Allows Arbitration Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Thursday won a U.S. court order allowing it to send a former employee's gender discrimination dispute to ... Carnival Cruise Ships To Be Out of Service Longer Than Expected The Carnival Triumph, which was crippled by an engine fire in the Gulf of Mexico last month leaving 4,200 people stranded for five days, ... Senate Votes $55M to Avoid Meat Inspector Layoffs U.S. Senators agreed to shift $55 million in funds within the Agriculture Department on Wednesday to avert the layoff of all U.S. meat ... Best Affirms Hallmark Financial and Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of 'A-' (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "a-" of the members ... Ratings: American Resources, Attorneys Mutual, Markel (notes), Caelus Re, National Automotive A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to 'B' (Fair) from 'B-' (Fair) and issuer credit rating to "bb+" from "bb-" of ... Keogh Resigns as Eqecat President; Little Named to Succeed Him Bill Keogh has resigned as president of catastrophe risk modeling firm Eqecat, according to the company, and Paul Little has been named to ... ACE Launches Portal for Placing U.S. Small Business International Policies ACE Commercial Risk Services, the U.S.-based small business insurance division of the ACE Group, has introduced a portal for U.S. brokers ... XL Group Launches Recreational Marine Coverage for Yacht Owners XXL Group's North America Marine insurance business has launched a new suite of recreational marine coverages tailored to yacht owners ... ISO Commercial Property Changes Coming to a Carrier Near You - Part 1 - Policy Forms Insurance Services Office's (ISO's) form and endorsement filing is actually quite fascinating. The commercial property changes presented... The Greenberg Interview: Spitzer, AIG, Bailout, Foreign Trade and More The near-collapse of American International Group (AIG) in 2008 came about because of the scare tactics and political... More National News East New York Reaches Settlement With Assurant, Largest 'Force-Placed' Insurer in U.S. The New York State Department of Financial Services investigation has produced a settlement with the country's largest "force-placed" ... Small Biz Owners Were Hit Hard By Sandy Outages, The Hartford Finds Among small business owners in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who were impacted by Superstorm Sandy, some 71 percent of them ... N.J. Gov. Christie Seeks $250M to Buy Out Homes in Flood-Prone Areas New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Tuesday, March 19, that he is asking the federal government to let the state use $250 million in ... Gowrie Group Names Personal Lines, Equine Insurance Specialist in Rhode Island Gowrie Group, an independent insurance agency based in Westbrook, Conn., appointed Kiley Prime as a personal lines and equine insurance ... More East News Midwest Michigan Oil Spill Cleanup Costs to Exceed Insurance: Enbridge Enbridge Energy Partners LP said on Wednesday that the costs of additional cleanup from a huge Michigan oil spill three years ago may push ... Illinois Lawmakers Reject Firearm Liability Insurance Bill The Illinois House has rejected a measure that would require $1 million in liability insurance for people carrying concealed weapons. ... Mixed Bag of Drought, Flooding and Warm Weather Predicted for Spring In its three-month U.S. Spring Outlook, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that odds favor above-average ... FEMA Giving Minot, North Dakota $2.1M for Floodwall Project The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it is giving the city of Minot about $2.1 million for the first phase of a project to protect ... Geico Expands in Indiana, Plans 1,200 Jobs in Carmel Geico is announcing plans to bring 1,200 jobs to Indiana and pump millions of dollars into developing a campus just north of Indianapolis. ... More Midwest News Southeast Crist Leads Scott in 2014 Governor's Race Poll Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist holds a big edge over Republican Gov. Rick Scott among registered Florida voters in a hypothetical ... Georgia Teens Offer Road Safety Recommendations An all-teen board appointed by Georgia's governor wants harsher penalties for teens who violate the state's law that bans drivers from ... Insurers Handling Claims from Southeast Hail Storms Several southern states are cleaning up after powerful winds and massive hail hammered the region. Hundreds of claims are pouring in to ... Feds Would Set Florida Health Insurance Rates Under Senate Bill A state Senate health committee recommended this week that the state suspend the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation's power to set ... More Southeast News South Central Louisiana Commissioner Opposes $100M Citizens Insurance Borrowing Plan Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said it's premature for the state property insurer of last resort to borrow $100 million to ... Company Settles Oklahoma Man's Employment Discrimination Lawsuit A Nebraska-based company accused of refusing to hire an Oklahoma man because of his religious beliefs has settled a discrimination lawsuit ... Arkansas House Panel Considers Small Business Tax Credit Bill Arkansas lawmakers are considering a proposal to create a new tax credit to spur private investment of small businesses. A bipartisan ... U.S. Appeals Court Affirms Ruling Against OSU in Insurance Case A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling against Oklahoma State University's athletic fundraising arm and its top booster, T. Boone ... More South Central News West Oregon City Fears Isolation After Major Earthquake Officials in Medford say an emerging state plan for recovering from a major earthquake would keep their region isolated from the rest of ... Alaska Bill On Proof Of Insurance Via Cell Phone Advances If a bill passes out of the Alaska Legislature, you might be handing an officer your phone instead of paper. HB146, by Rep. Pete Higgins, ... Fewer DUI's In Arizona Over St. Paddy's Weekend Arizona authorities say there were fewer DUI arrests made over the St. Patrick's Day weekend compared to a year ago. According to ... Northern California Transit Approves Settlement Over Journalist Death The widow of a veteran Oakland Tribune journalist who was struck and killed by a San Francisco Muni train four years ago has been awarded a ... More West News International RSA in Agreement with NFU Mutual to Control Claims, Cut Costs RSA announced that it has concluded a bilateral agreement with major UK rural insurer NFU Mutual to help control accident claims and remove ... Longer Routes Help Oil Tankers Mitigate Iran Sanctions Oil tanker owners are cushioning the impact of Iranian trade restrictions by shipping crude over greater distances to some of Asia's ... Vaughan Joins Beazley from Catlin as Deputy Reinsurance Head Beazley announced that Mark Vaughan has joined the company as deputy head of its reinsurance division. He moves to Beazley from Catlin, ... Gill Joins UK's Miller Insurance Services UK-based Miller Insurance Services announced that Kevin Gill, a non-marine retrocession production and placement specialist, has joined the ... More International News Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Greenberg's View: AIG's Rise and Near Fall, Spitzer's Campaign, Financial Crisis Maurice "Hank" Greenberg helped build American International Group into the world's largest... Watch Now Gordy Bunch on Growth at The Woodlands Financial Group Richard "Gordy" Bunch, president and CEO of The Woodlands Financial Group, readily concedes... Watch Now Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums What is your biggest pain as an agent? Posted: Tue Mar 19 -- Silly requests on COI's from people who think they know what they are doing. Examples: Requiring a 2/4 GL limit, nothing else, when insured... kevinraz Insurance agencies for sale ? Posted: Mon Mar 18 -- I've got an idea or two. First, contact your broker who handles your E&O agency policy...they're going to know first when an agency is ready... d's insurance store Insurance directories?? Posted: Sun Mar 17 -- I agree the BBB is a great directory to use and it will provide a boast to the rankings Google applies to your site. The more trusted the... BestCarCoverage AI request on form 126 - where do you Posted: Sat Mar 16 -- I was talking to some agent friends this week, they each work at a different agency. We started discussing completed Acord forms. One agent... etimer Arizona broker fees Posted: Fri Mar 15 -- As a general rule unless there is specific regulation prohibiting or limiting fees on surplus lines there is "freedom of rate and form" and... INTLXS Astonish Results or Squid Posted: Fri Mar 15 -- NYagent301- I'm also a 24 year veteran industry professional...while its true everyone is Entitled to their personal opinion, and It's true... Pathwayinsurance Online Competition Posted: Fri Mar 15 -- "I believe you are incorrect in your assumption. Clients do want value. You just need To take steps to educate them on why they need value.... Robert742 Trailer Interchange 75k Delaware Posted: Tue Mar 12 -- Does anyone have a market for $75k in trailer interchange coverage, and $250k cargo coverage that would include the insured hauling 3 -5... DIG2013 Go to Forums Reader Comments Applying for Obama Health Care Plan Daunting Task Posted: Fri Mar 15 -- Planet: I already posted a CBO link on regarding the Iraq war spending. Those are the numbers. When numbers don't line up with what you... Bob Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Refuses to Enforce Affordable Care Act Posted: Mon Mar 18 -- I understand what you're saying, and those are interesting points. However, this article is not about those things you mention. This is only... jw ACE Private Risk Survey: High Net Worth Families Overpaying to be Underinsured Posted: Thu Mar 14 -- So I can just conduct my own "study", determine that other companies' products and agents suck compared to mine and then get IJ to write a... phoenix New Mexico Drunken Driver Explains Suit Against Friend, Restaurants Posted: Fri Mar 15 -- Absurd Rationale. SteveB California Senator Proposes 4 a.m Last Call for Alcohol Posted: Fri Mar 15 -- ...because people really plan vacations based on which cities pour after 2am? I'm not a crazy prudish wacko, but please consider that maybe... insurance is fun! 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