Daily Headlines: Wednesday, July 31, 2013

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July 31, 2013 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National Rates Up Moderately in U.S. in Q2 But Down Elsewhere: Marsh Insurance rates in most major regions including Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the UK and continental Europe declined modestly in the second ... Fracking Tied to Drinking Water Damage by EPA Regional Official Gas drilling caused "significant damage" to drinking-water aquifers in a Pennsylvania town at the center of a fight over the safety of ... Crop Insurance, High Crop Prices Leading to Eco-Catastrophe: Environmental Group Sustained high prices for corn, soybeans and wheat combined with record U.S. crop-insurance payouts are encouraging farmers to plow fragile ... Mercedes Most Popular Luxury Car Among U.S. Thieves Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz vehicles were the most sought-after luxury brand among U.S. car thieves from 2009 through 2012 as the New York ... U.S. Safety Rule for Oil Trains Delayed for Year The Obama administration has delayed by nearly a year a plan to boost safety standards for the type of rail car involved in a fiery ... Transportation Insurer National Interstate Posts Surprise Loss National Interstate Corp., the insurer majority owned by American Financial Group Inc., plunged the most since 2008 after reserves for ... How Do You Market? Share Your Best Sales & Marketing Tip What's your best sales and marketing idea? How do you target new business in your independent agency? Insurance Journal is on the hunt for ... Farmers Launches New Corporate Logo Farmers Insurance has unveiled a new corporate logo as part of the company's next "evolutionary step," the Los Angeles-based carrier ... Insurers, Customers Were Kept Safe from 2008 Financial Crisis: GAO Report At a time when efforts are underway to require additional supervision of some large insurers, a new government report concludes that the ... W.R. Berkley Q2 Profit Up 6%; Rates Up 6.5%; CEO Comments on Berkshire W.R. Berkley Corp. reported $116 million net income for its 2013 second quarter, up more than 6 percent from $109 million net income posted... How To Own Your Risk: AIR Worldwide Explains Touchstone Released in January 2013, AIR Worldwide's Touchstone modeling platform was five years in the making, according to the... More National News East N.J. Offers Tips to Assist Consumers Who Purchase Auto Insurance Online New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Ken Kobylowski is offering tips to shoppers to help them make educated choices ... Connecticut Regulator Advises Consumers: Don't Be Fooled by Misleading Ads The Connecticut Insurance Department on Tuesday issued an announcement urging consumers to be aware of unlicensed businesses promoting on ... USI Appoints Senior Benefits Consultant in New York Office USI Insurance Services appointed Deborah Watters as senior benefits consultant. She is based in USI's New York metropolitan office. Watters ... More East News Midwest Zurich Relocating Chicago Office to Greener Work Environment Zurich North America will relocate its Chicago office to a LEED-certified building in a location that accommodates its downtown-based ... New Law Means New Penalties For Minnesota Arsonists Costly-to-fight wildfires that are intentionally set in Minnesota will soon carry tougher penalties under a new law. The enhanced arson law ... Companies Bringing Safety Technology to Grain Storage The one sure-fire way to avoid dying in a grain bin is to stay out. That's where Scott Haugan and some high-tech wizardry come in. The Des ... More Midwest News Southeast Florida, Georgia Say Individual Insurance Rates to Spike Under Obamacare Florida and Georgia, two states where politicians oppose U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare law, said this week that insurance rates ... West Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to False Mine Safety Reporting A southern West Virginia mine foreman faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to falsifying safety reports at four mining ... More Southeast News South Central Agency Releasing Funds For Texas City's Ike Recovery A Southeast Texas city still recovering from 2008's Hurricane Ike has access to more than $21 million in funds previously frozen in a ... Texas Has not Surveyed Injuries from Plant Blast More than three months after a Texas fertilizer plant exploded, killing 15 people and hurting hundreds, the state still has not started ... Roach Howard Smith & Barton Adds Noble as Sales Executive Derek Noble has joined Texas-based independent insurance brokerage, Roach Howard Smith & Barton, as a sales executive in its employee ... More South Central News West Oregon Threatens To Decertify Workers' Comp Group Oregon insurance regulators said that they've taken the first steps toward decertifying a workers' compensation self-insurance trust and ... Las Vegas Sands Appealing $70M Nevada Jury Award Las Vegas Sands Corp. is asking a Nevada judge to throw out a second jury verdict awarding a former consultant a $70 million settlement in ... Steak 'N Shake Sues Colorado Franchisee Steak 'n Shake Enterprises has filed a lawsuit against a former franchisee in the Denver, Colo. market amid allegations that Denver-area ... Oregon Man Files Lawsuit Over Inversion Table Tryout A second Oregon lawsuit has been filed this month over an inverted therapy table. The tables allow people to hang upside down, strapped to ... Downgraded Flossie Leaving Hawaii The remnants of what was Tropical Storm Flossie are currently northwest of Kauai and moving away from the islands at about 15 miles per ... Burnham Benefits Names Thomas Vice President in California Irvine, Calif.-based Burnham Benefits Insurance Services named Bill Thomas as its newest vice president. Thomas will focus on business ... More West News International Catlin Launches Next Seaview Survey for Caribbean, Bermuda Coral Reefs Catlin Group Limited announced the launch of its next "Seaview Survey," which it described as a "significant expansion of its study of ... Toronto Dominion Bank Warns of Insurance Losses from Weather Claims Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canada's second-largest lender, said it will take a third-quarter charge after tax of C$418 million (US$406 million) ... World Fuel Doubts Quebec Rail Crash Cleanup Payment Order is Legal U.S. fuel logistics company World Fuel Services Corp said on Tuesday it has "serious objections" to being ordered by the Quebec government ... Allied World Launches Multinational Product Initiative Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG announced the official launch of Allied WorldWideSM, which it described as "a newly created ... AXIS Capital Posts $72 Million Q2 Net Income; $50 Million Operating Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Limited reported net income available to common shareholders for the second quarter of 2013 of $72 ... Best Places S.A.C. Re Ratings under Review/Negative A.M. Best Co. has placed the financial strength rating of 'A-' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of "a-" of Bermuda-based S.A.C. Re, ... Ratings Roundup: Tower Group (NZ), Grupo Mexicano A.M. Best Asia-Pacific Limited has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of 'A'- ... More International News Insurance Journal Blogs Burand's Agency E&O Blog: Tip #41 Accepting Payment After Hours. Many agencies continue to accept premium payments even when closed. Customers put their payments through ... More Blogs Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV From 3D Printing to Driverless Cars: Emerging Risks on the Horizon New technology is happening all the time, and with that comes new risks, says Graeme Newman,... Watch Now 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 Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums Construction - Worldwide Posted: Wed Jul 31 -- I would try Chartis, Ace, Star, & RLI. I'm sure I could think of more but they would be the first to approach. Insproducer Hotels in Ca Posted: Tue Jul 30 -- CIG californiadude Need comp in ca code 5474 painting Posted: Tue Jul 30 -- Have you tried Arrowhead General? californiadude comp in ca for unarmed security firm Posted: Mon Jul 29 -- Hi Trotter! We had to market a similar account, on a smaller scale last month and we were successful! The Workers Comp portion was difficult... pnik33 Why I believe in insurance agents Posted: Sat Jul 27 -- Why don't doctors and lawyers advertise with cheesy cartoon characters? Emma Trying To Place: Public Livery Delaware Posted: Fri Jul 26 -- I have a complete application and loss runs for an account that does non-emergency medical transportation. They have been in business for 12... DIG2013 Go to Forums Reader Comments Dead Farmers Get Millions in Federal Crop Insurance Payouts Posted: Tue Jul 30 -- Now if the headline had been, "Dead Welfare and Food Stamp Recipients received Millions in Benefits," you know this article would be... Celtica Jury Awards Oregon Woman $18.6M Over Credit Report Posted: Mon Jul 29 -- Well deserved- the punitive verdict is necessary to act as a deterrent- Federal Law Mandated corrective action which obviously was ignored... Jack Straw U.S. Court Rejects Firm's Challenge to Obamacare Contraception Mandate Posted: Mon Jul 29 -- My Mom was in a serious car accident in 1982 and has had a total of 23 surgeries since then; many for reconstructive surgery due to injuries... Libby Maryland Court: Bars Not Liable for Patrons' Accidents Posted: Mon Jul 29 -- Wow! 17 beers and several drinks of hard liquor? I'm surprised he could even find his car, let alone start to drive. Libby Halliburton Pleads Guilty to Destroying Gulf Oil Spill Evidence Posted: Mon Jul 29 -- Trashy? Trash talk, maybe. But that doesn't mean it ain't true, Bob! 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