Daily Headlines: Wednesday, July 17, 2013

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July 17, 2013 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National Treasury Secretary Lew Urges Congress Not to Change Dodd-Frank Reforms U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said he is "stepping on the accelerator" to implement the Dodd-Frank Act and warned lawmakers against ... Greenberg Lawyers Say Bernanke Testimony Key to Suit Over AIG Bailout U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke should be required to testify in Maurice "Hank" Greenberg's lawsuit over the bailout of American ... BP Wants Gulf Oil Spill Claim Payments to Stop Until Probe Complete BP Plc asked a federal judge to temporarily halt payments from the court-supervised settlement program set up after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico ... Cauti Named Senior VP of Liberty Mutual's Construction Practice Liberty Mutual Insurance's Commercial Insurance strategic business unit has appointed Douglas Cauti as senior vice president and chief ... Kneeland Promoted to Acting General Counsel for Agents Association Scott Kneeland has been promoted to acting general counsel for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA). He has served ... The Hanover Expands Healthcare Capabilities The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. has expanded its healthcare industry options with an increased appetite and capabilities for the rapidly ... CEOs, Insurers Finally Ready to Embrace Intellectual Property Insurance? The small yet complicated niche of patent and intellectual property (IP) insurance has seen more interest lately as patent claims rise and... Sharp Interest Rate Spike Could Wipe Out More Than $100B P/C Surplus: Moody's For each 1 percentage point rise in interest rates, the value of bonds held by the U.S. property/casualty insurance... More National News East Conn.-Based Insurers Now Required to Participate in NAIC Climate Risk Surveys Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi today announced that Connecticut-based insurance companies will now be required to ... New York Health Insurance Rates Said to Drop About 50% for Individuals New York State insurance regulators have approved rates for plans to be sold under the federal health-care law that average at least 50 ... USI Insurance Services Acquires Cohen-Seltzer Agency in Pennsylvania USI Insurance Services said it completed its acquisition of Cohen-Seltzer Inc., in Fort Washington, Penn. Terms of the transaction were not ... MTA Plans Catastrophe Bond Sale Linked to Storm Damage, S&P Says The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to use bonds designed to help New York City's subway operator guard against storm surge ... N.J. Post-Sandy Buyout Offers Start in South River, Sayreville New Jersey is making the first post-Hurricane Sandy buyout offers to South River and Sayreville homeowners this week, Governor Chris ... New Jersey Man Admits to Running Vehicle Theft Ring A New Jersey man has admitted to supervising an auto theft ring that authorities say stole over 100 vehicles worth a total of more than ... More East News Midwest Galvin Named President of Midwest Employers Casualty W. R. Berkley Corp. said it has named Timothy F. Galvin as president of its subsidiary, Midwest Employers Casualty Co. (MECC). The ... Detroit Says It's Settled with Some Creditors Detroit has reached an "important settlement" with some creditors as it negotiates ways to get rid of billions of dollars of debt, ... Iowa Egg Farms Settle Suit Over Salmonella Recalls The Iowa egg producers blamed for a 2010 salmonella outbreak have settled a lawsuit brought by a California distributor that lost profits ... SIAA Signs 11 Midwest Agencies in June The Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA) announced that among the 25 new member agencies that signed with the group during June, 11 ... More Midwest News Southeast Nearly 1,800 North Carolina Drivers Arrested for Drunk Driving Over Holiday North Carolina transportation officials said almost 1,800 motorists were arrested on North Carolina highways for driving while impaired ... Georgia Lobbying Gift Limit Doesn't Apply to All in Executive Branch Gov. Nathan Deal's executive order seems simple: Employees in Georgia's executive branch should not accept gifts worth more than $25, ... More Southeast News South Central Texas-Based LevelFirst Adds Harris as Senior Broker LevelFirst, a wholesale insurance broker and managing general agency based in Dallas, Texas, announced that Lawana Harris has joined the ... BP Sets up Anti-Fraud Hotline for Spill Claims BP has set up a hotline for people to report alleged fraud involving claims arising from the company's massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf ... Oklahoma Requiring Transparency for Interlocal Insurance Pools Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak is urging school districts considering interlocal insurance agreements to be diligent about ... Alliant Insurance Services Promotes Hagemeier to Executive VP Specialty insurance brokerage firm, Alliant Insurance Services, has promoted senior vice president Todd Hagemeier to executive vice ... Oklahoma's Gooszen & Associates Joins SIAA The Strategic Insurance Agency Alliance (SIAA) announced it signed a new member agency based in Oklahoma during the month of June. Gooszen ... More South Central News West Report: Arizona Wildfire Grew Quickly, Was Erratic A new report shows an Arizona wildfire that began with a lightning strike and caused little immediate concern because of its remote ... California Governments Seek $1B In Lead Paint Cleanup Ten California cities and counties are suing leading paint manufacturers, seeking to force them to remove lead paint from millions of homes ... Pistachios in Hawaii Recalled Over Salmonella Bags of pistachios made by a Hilo company are being recalled for possible salmonella contamination. Hawaii News Now reported the Food and ... Estimated $13 Million Loss In Washington Apartment Fire The three-alarm fire in Pullman, Wash. destroyed four apartment buildings and a club house that would have been worth about $13 million ... IMA Names Bovasso Director of Public Company and Large Risk in Colorado IMA Inc. named Brian Bovasso director of the its public company and large risk practice. This is a new practice that will be part of IMA's ... More West News International U.S., China Agree to Restart Investment Treaty Talks The United States and China have agreed to restart stalled negotiations on an investment treaty, with Beijing dropping previous efforts to ... AXA UK Report Targets 'Whiplash' Injuries; Urges Reform AXA UK's Whiplash Report, launched at a roundtable co-hosted by the Rt. Hon Jack Straw, MP for Blackburn and Chris Voller, AXA Claims ... More International News Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Oklahoma Opens Up to Captive Insurers Oklahoma this year will join the ranks of other states that aim to attract and keep captive... Watch Now 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 Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums Life Insurance Companies for Independent Agents? Posted: Tue Jul 16 -- Thanks, I think that I am more towards "Brokers Alliance" .They offer decent street level commissions and (apparently) great service, a... manny79 The Age Old Question-How much to split Posted: Tue Jul 16 -- As an owner of an agency that has been through this with young PL agents, I would agree that 70% is too high a percentage. You have invested... JimatJKD Agency Management System Posted: Fri Jul 12 -- Couldnt agree more on this "married to vendor" statement. We recently spent about 400K on upgrade to Vertafore. Obviosly did a great deal... exclaimsguy Removing a Named Insured Posted: Fri Jul 12 -- If a partnership, both individuals can be interpreted as first named insured since the two individuals comprise the partnership (assuming... NYagent301 Medical malpractice for all states Posted: Fri Jul 12 -- I can help you with this. How shall I contact you? MedMal Man Applied Underwriters / Equity Comp Posted: Thu Jul 11 -- Does anyone have experience they could share (good or bad) with Applied's Equity Comp product? This would be the standalone WC product for... SFINS National Agents Alliance? Legit or Keep Away? Posted: Wed Jul 10 -- This sounds like a MLM. Did not read every post, but when people who are in the company responds to the question "Is this an MLM?" by saying... ishootfriendlies Insurance Noodle vs. Superior Access vs. Agent Secure Posted: Wed Jul 10 -- I have done research looking for a network/cluster for my agency. We are 4 years old, located in New York City with over $20mm in premium.... mschwartz Opt Out Info for Marketing Email Solicitations Posted: Mon Jul 8 -- If you are a Florida licensed agent, CSR or appraiser and you are sick to death of getting hundreds of email solicitations from every... Lcan250 Go to Forums Reader Comments Pennsylvania Law Banning Gay Marriage Faces Court Challenge Posted: Thu Jul 11 -- If the 'sanctity' of your marriage is threatened by someone else's marriage – whether gay or straight – you really need to re-evaluate... BS Republicans Press for Delay in Obamacare Individual Mandate Posted: Thu Jul 11 -- Ill conceived is putting it mildly TAR. This is the mother of all laws of unintended consequences. Every day brings a new revelation and it... Agent House May Split Food Stamps from Rest of Farm Bill Posted: Wed Jul 10 -- Say it with me Republicans - 'NON-STARTER'! Quit pandering and get something done already. And to Huh! - I think you mean Big Ag and... Captain Planet Lawsuits Could Follow Zimmerman Acquittal Posted: Mon Jul 15 -- Zimmerman should sue NBC for editing out of the 911 tape the part where he said Trayvon is black only after the 911 operator asked. Joan Gard Allstate Says Book Value to Rise on Cut in Employees' Retirement Benefits Posted: Tue Jul 16 -- less is more (less for employees, more for owners) Kurt Go to Popular Comments Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us Current Issue July 1, 2013 The Disaster Issue: Flood, Earthquake, Windstorm, Terrorism, Cyber Attack & More; Commercial Auto (Including Taxis, Limos & Fleets); Digital Product Guide; Bonus: The Florida Issue (Special Supplement) 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 Business Development Manager Actuary Management Trainee Commercial Automobile Underwriter Have a job opening? List it on our Web site. 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