Daily Headlines: Monday, October 3, 2011

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October 3, 2011 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National JPMorgan, BofA Sued Over Mortgage Debt Losses JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. were hit with new lawsuits by investors claiming losses on $4.5 billion of soured ... Supreme Court Rejects Internet Music Copyright Case The Supreme Court let stand Monday a ruling that a traditional Internet download of sound recording does not constitute a public ... Supreme Court Allows Investor Claim Against Blackstone to Proceed A lawsuit against Blackstone Group LP , alleging the private equity firm failed to disclose problem investments before its 2007 initial ... Food Illnesses Linked to Multiple Stops Along Food Chain Outbreaks of listeria and other serious illnesses linked to tainted food are becoming more common, partly because much of what we eat takes ... Best Affirms American Southern, Parent and Subs Ratings; Outlooks Stable A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of 'A' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) of "a" of American ... Ratings Roundup: Unique, Montpelier U.S., MedPro A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to stable from positive, downgraded the issuer credit rating to "bb" from "bb+" and affirmed ... LexisNexis Insurance Exchange Buys MarshBerry Sales Portal LexisNexis Risk Solutions has acquired the Sales Portal from MarshBerry, the insurance consulting and merger and acquisition advisory firm. ... NFIB, EMPLOYERS Expand WC Program to Eight Additional States The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has extended its discounted workers' compensation coverage benefits to its members ... Online Service Tracks Motor Carrier Insurance, Certificates Insurance agents and brokers frustrated with issuing certificates of insurance for transportation risks may have a friend in an Oregon... More National News East Thousands of Maryland Drivers Ticketed for Cell Phone Use Maryland police agencies have issued thousands of tickets to drivers for using hand-held cellphones behind the wheel in the year since a ... Court Agrees with Dismissal of Abuse Suit Versus Pittsburgh Diocese The Superior Court has sided with a judge who dismissed a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh filed by the family of a ... William Gallagher Associates Appoints New Senior VP in Boston William Gallagher Associates, a Boston-based broker and risk management services provider, has hired former Willis staff Mary Broderick as ... More East News Midwest Program to Lower Workers’ Comp Rates for New Employers in Ohio Approved The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) board of directors has approved the creation of Grow Ohio, a program targeted toward job ... Indiana Insurance Adds Six New Business Classes, Cyber Liability Endorsement Indiana Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Corp. regional company, has added six new internet retailer classes and a limited cyber ... Despite National Recession, South Dakota Sees Growth Agriculture and manufacturing have spurred the South Dakota economy to moderate prosperity in the backwash of the national recession. Gains ... Workplace Deaths Drop 25% in Missouri Fewer people are dying on the job in Missouri. The Department of Labor announced that there were 107 fatal work injuries in 2010 in ... North Dakota Flood Disaster Aid Nears $350M Officials say nearly $350 million in federal and state disaster assistance has now been obligated to North Dakotans for this spring's ... More Midwest News Southeast Florida Commercial Lines Deregulation Law Takes Effect Commercial insurers in Florida will no longer have to seek prior approval from state regulators before changing some of the rates they ... Parties Mum on $35M West Virginia Coal Slurry Settlement Lawyers, plaintiffs and others are remaining quiet about a $35 million settlement with hundreds of people who say a Massey Energy ... Burns & Wilcox Acquires South Carolina Wholesale Broker Wholesale broker Burns & Wilcox has purchased Kimbrell Insurance Group Inc., a wholesale broker and underwriting manager in South ... More Southeast News South Central Texas AG: Roofing Contractor to Pay Restitution for Misleading Homeowners A Rosenberg, Texas-based roofing contractor has agreed to reimburse all homeowners who improperly paid the company's "liquidated ... Work-Related Fatalities Decreased in Texas in 2010 Texas recorded a preliminary total of 456 work-related fatalities in 2010, a 5 percent decrease compared to the revised 2009 total of 482 ... The Woodlands Financial Group Announces 6 New Locations Texas-based The Woodlands Financial Group Inc. (TWFG) has opened six new branch locations in three states. Desiree Garza has opened a new ... More South Central News West Western General Downgraded Calabasas, Calif.-based Western General Insurance Co.'s issuer credit rating has been downgraded by A.M. Best Co. to "bbb" from "bbb+" ... California Earthquake Authority Inks Risk Deal Sans Reinsurance The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) has completed what it called a "first-of-its-kind transaction," taking reinsurance out of the ... More West News International Chartis CEO Says Europe Still Safe; Insurer Seeks ‘Value Over Volume’ AIG's global property and casualty insurer Chartis continues to see opportunities in Europe despite the sovereign debt crisis, the chief ... Record Numbers Attend FERMA Conference in Stockholm the bi-annual conference of the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) got under way at 9:00 sharp in Stockholm's ... Hurricane Ophelia Sweeps Past Bermuda, Heads North Hurricane Ophelia swirled to the east of Bermuda Saturday, whipping up showers, thunderstorms and surf on the British overseas territory as ... Ratings Recap: Rembrandt, XL (notes) A.M. Best Europe - Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of 'A' (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of ... More International News Sponsored Content The e-Marketing Minute is a bi-weekly video series designed to help insurance agents learn how to grow their agency utilizing the Internet. Check it out. More Sponsored Content Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Triage Nurses Cut Costs in Workers' Comp What if a business could lower its workers' compensation claims costs by as much as 30... Watch Now PURE Innovation During his 25-year career in the property/casualty insurance business, Ross Buchmueller has... Watch Now Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums Social Media Posted: Mon Oct 3 -- Social media sites are a good platform for promotion and even lead generation. We've been using the PPC campaign Facebook to promote our... sethm SEO and buying back links Posted: Mon Oct 3 -- I'm not a big fan of buying backlinks because of the quality of links. Our company hired an SEO specialist to build links manually. We also... sethm Do you purchase Damage Waiver when renting a car? Posted: Mon Oct 3 -- I personally think it's not worth it. There is no benefit if you already have insurance on another vehicle, it's just redundant because... sethm Direct carriers muscling us out of the market? Posted: Mon Oct 3 -- The original topic was referring to direct writers muscling corner insurance agents out of the market. On the original topic I say that this... rodgwag Apartment complex wants to be additional interest Posted: Sun Oct 2 -- "They want to be named as Additional Interest," or "Certificate Holder" or "Additional Interested Party. "I called and asked, are... itzawlgud Agency Management System Posted: Sun Oct 2 -- I see a lot posts here regarding recommendations for large and mid size agencies, but what about recommendations for a one person insurance... John J90 Go to Forums Reader Comments Republican Ryan Proposes Individual Health Insurance Tax Credit Posted: Wed Sep 28 -- "Giving patients and consumers control over health care resources would make all Americans less dependent on big business and big government... The Other Point of View Judge Lets Agent Orange Case Against Monsanto Proceed Posted: Thu Sep 29 -- I revel in any event that throws a wrench in the gears of this machine of evil. Only people can be evil, but the totality of the... Stephon Smith Feds Sue Texas Firm for Firing 600-Pound Employee Posted: Thu Sep 29 -- This individual is a high hazard, and the Federal Government is butting in where they have no business being. Maybe Michelle will straighten... BMR Facebook Policies Tricky for Employers, Employees Posted: Wed Sep 28 -- Why is this new law? In 2011, you can post on FB, LI, and the like. In 1970, one could have taken out an ad in the New York Post. What's the... Yanti Parazi Independent Agents Worried About Nationwide/Harleysville Deal Posted: Wed Sep 28 -- I suppose Independent Agents are forgetting that Liberty Mutual purchased Montgomery Mutual and Ohio Casualty and merged the two. It seems... Bob Go to Popular Comments Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us Current Issue Surplus Lines: State of the Market / NAPSLO Issue, Lloyd's Syndicate Spotlight, Agency Financial Products Directory (Banks, Funding, Capital for Acqui October 3, 2011 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 Senior Claims Examiner / Property VP, Underwriting Executive Vice President of Insurance Operations Account Executive - High Net Worth Personal Lines Insurance Have a job opening? List it on our Web site. How to Advertise For information about advertising on this newsletter and Insurance Journal magazines, contact Julie Tinney at (800) 897-9965 x148. 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