Daily Headlines: Thursday, June 20, 2013

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June 20, 2013 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National Ebix, Goldman Sachs Terminate Merger Agreement Amid Probe Ebix Inc., a supplier of software and E-commerce services to the insurance industry, announced that it and an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & ... High Court Rules for American Express in Class Action Case The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that an arbitration agreement prevents merchants from bringing class action claims against ... Understanding Foreign Voluntary Workers' Comp Policies In spite of videoconferencing, social media and other new technologies, many businesses depend on their key executives and top sales people ... Best Affirms Kemper Corp., Affiliates and Subs Ratings A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength ratings (FSR) of 'A-' (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "a-" of the ... Best Upgrades ProAssurance and Some Subs Ratings; Outlook Stable A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to 'A+' (Superior) from 'A' (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) ... Ratings Recap: American European, Liberty Mutual (Notes), Pacific Comp., IFA A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to 'B' (Fair) from 'B+' (Good) and issuer credit rating to "bb+" from "bbb-" for ... Survey: Specialty Carriers Look to Grow Through Program Business in 2013 Guy Carpenter & Co., LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist and member of Marsh & McLennan Cos., has released the findings of its ... 10 Things to Know About Entertainment, Sports & Special Events  The average cost of a wedding in 2012 was $25,656 (Travelers)  The average wedding insurance premium for a $25,000 wedding ranges from... Insurers Surveyed Not Confident In Ability To Manage Emerging Risks: Towers Watson According to a recent survey of 500 global insurance executives conducted by Towers Watson recently, most believe they... More National News East Sandy Flood Claims Exceed $31M in R.I.; Average Payment Was $35,603 The National Flood Insurance Program has paid more than 800 claims totaling more than $31 million to property owners in Rhode Island after ... Liberty Law School in Virginia Demands Lawsuit Coverage From Hanover Liberty University's law school wants a judge to force its insurance company to pay for its defense in a lawsuit stemming from a ... New NYC Evacuation Zones Include Almost 3M People Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps ... Massachusetts Insurance Settlement Raised to $5.25M A company authorities say used deceptive practices to sell supplemental health insurance to veterans and other Massachusetts residents will ... More East News Midwest Armed Employees Could Cost Kansas Schools Insurance The company that insures most of Kansas' school districts says it won't provide coverage for districts that allow armed employees. EMC ... Tornado Cleanup Tab for Missouri's St. Charles County: $2.4M The tornado that ripped through Missouri's St. Charles County in late May, and flooding that has ravaged portions of the county, are ... Minnesota Traffic Deaths Rise in 2012 Traffic safety officials say Minnesota last year saw its first increase in traffic deaths since 2007. The final crash report shows ... More Midwest News Southeast City of Niota, Tenn., Loses Insurance Again, Shuts Down City Services The city of Niota, Tennessee, is again without insurance and has shut down most city services. According to The Daily Post-Athenian, only a ... Florida Now Among States Allowing Electronic Proof of Insurance for Drivers Florida recently joined a growing list of states that allow electronic proof of insurance via smartphones for motorists at traffic stops. ... More Southeast News South Central Oklahoma Twister Victims Face Long Recovery, Insurance Woes When the big twister hit, Maylene Sorrels huddled with her students in the halls of Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla. ... NTSB: Bad Eyesight Likely Caused Oklahoma Train Crash An engineer killed in a fiery train collision in the Oklahoma Panhandle last year suffered from serious vision problems for much of his ... After Fertilizer Blast, Nursing Home Deaths Higher Than Usual While the fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, destroyed much of the nursing home next to it, almost all of its residents ... More South Central News West EPA Report Critical Of Washington Oversight At Hanford A new report condemns Washington state for lax oversight at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site, saying state officials failed to ... Alaska Driver Awarded $375K For Crash With Patrol Car A man whose pickup was smashed by a patrol car driven by an Anchorage, Alaska police officer running red light was awarded $375,000 in ... Former Idaho Councilman Charged With Insurance Fraud A former city councilman from eastern Idaho who resigned earlier this year then left the state is back in Idaho and charged with two ... Appeal Planned On Arizona Immigrant License Policy Immigrant rights advocates plan to appeal a court ruling that declined to halt Gov. Jan Brewer's order denying driver's licenses for young ... Poms Names Minkel to Head Executive Protection in Colorado Poms & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc. named Monica Minkel senior vice president and the leader of the executive protection practice in ... More West News International AIR Estimates Insured German Flood Losses between $5.28 and $7.66 Billion Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that insured losses in Germany from the recent floods in Central Europe are between ... Tropical Storm Barry Lands on Mexico Gulf Coast; Pemex Refinery Unaffected Tropical Storm Barry made landfall north of Mexico's major Gulf Coast port of Veracruz on Thursday morning and was heading inland, ... Small Global Warming Rise Would Have 'Alarming' Impact Says World Bank Much of Bangkok could flood within the next two decades if global warming stays on its current trajectory, as sea levels rise and cyclones ... FERMA: 'Disclosure' Alone Not Enough to Control Companies' Social Risks "Public disclosure of a company's social issues is good, but by itself does not show that the risks are under control," the Federation of ... Lockton Names Gusmão CEO for Brazil Lockton announced the appointment of Tony Gusmão as CEO of its Brazilian businesses. He has more than 20 years of experience, primarily ... Best Revises Lancashire's ICR to Positive; Affirms Ratings A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "a" of Bermuda-based ... Ratings Roundup: Wind River, InnovAssur, Radius A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of 'A' (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "a" of Bermuda-based ... More International News Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Geneva Association's Secretary General John Fitzpatrick on Systemic Risks, Nat Cats, ILS and Cyber Risks The Geneva Association's studies and reports are now an important part of the dialogue between... Watch Now The Good and the Bad: Healthcare Reform and Medical Liability The Patient's Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has very little to do with the medical... Watch Now Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums Question regarding my universal life insurance policy ! Posted: Thu Jun 20 -- It may be that the carrier is headed towards liquidation, but knowing who the carrier is will help to better answer that question. Once... Big Dog How to obtain release of liablity Posted: Thu Jun 20 -- [quote="d's insurance store":lhqlrral]What a great question for a family law attorney! People who seek legal advice from an open internet... janesc Ohio Looking for a market, 8 Trucks pulling RVs Posted: Wed Jun 19 -- You may wish to try Nationwide or Victoria Insurance; both write standard & non-standard commercial transportation. insurancepro2 Garagekeepers Coverage - Florida Account Posted: Mon Jun 17 -- Let's imagine one of the car owners hires a lawyer and takes the auto garage to court. A judge declares the garage responsible (legally... darnovak Course of Construction for non licensed contractor Posted: Mon Jun 17 -- You can easily find GL for an owner/builder with Markel/Essex. Understand we are only interested if he is building his own home. Meytai,... LadyBroker CPCU Question and advice Posted: Mon Jun 17 -- I cannot say if the CPCU will "move my career on", but it certainly will not hurt and can only help. Placing E&S is a difficult business and... gdsmack Start up cost for a new agent Posted: Thu Jun 13 -- Thanks, Yes , I want to have a website that will do both bring me leads and serve my clients( claim posting, payments, changes request) .... manny79 GL for operation renting out Zorbs? Posted: Thu Jun 13 -- You should check these guys out... KHoney Workers Comp (Ca) Auto Repair with large loss Posted: Tue Jun 11 -- Hi Paul, I think this one is probably best with SCIF for now. Unfortunately it's the triple whammy of non-renewal, large loss, and newer... californiadude Go to Forums Reader Comments Philadelphia Building Inspector Kills Self After Deadly Collapse Posted: Mon Jun 17 -- How does someone making $60k afford a $500,000 house??? Libby Berkshire Hathaway's Eastwood Hiring Specialty Team to Vie with Ex-Employer AIG Posted: Thu Jun 13 -- Gosh, Bernie - Don't make yourself sound so unintelligent. Company just formed less than 2 months ago. If you knew ANYTHING about the... sips White House Threatens Veto of Farm Bill Over Food Stamp Cuts Posted: Tue Jun 18 -- Tim, it's no use - your facts don't fit the narrative. Don't get in the way of the talking points with your accuracy. Besides, America was... Captain Planet Small Health Insurers Assuming Big Role In Many States Under Obamacare Posted: Fri Jun 14 -- Good one Sarah. All but the most ardent supporters all see the oncoming train wreck. Congressmen are now saying they and staff need a break... Agent FEMA Denies Texas Aid to Rebuild Town After Fertilizer Blast Posted: Thu Jun 13 -- Sandy, your statement is incorrect - unless of course the Boss Hogg and Sheriff Roscoe you speak of are federal regulators. The fertilizer... 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