Daily Headlines: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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October 18, 2011 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National Workers’ Compensation Market Outlook Still Grim: A.M. Best The U.S. workers' compensation insurance segment continued to face competitive pricing, further rate decreases, weak macroeconomic ... Treasury Seeks Comments on Improving Insurance Regulation The U.S. Treasury Department's Federal Insurance Office is seeking public comment for its report on how to improve the country's ... BP Gets $4 Billion from Anadarko for Gulf Oil Spill Costs Anadarko Petroleum Corp. will pay BP Plc $4 billion toward clean-up and victim compensation for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The amount is ... Myself, the Car: Aggressive Driving Linked to Personality Those who view their car as an extension of themselves have stronger aggressive driving tendencies, a new study finds. The study ... Toymaker to Pay $1.1 Million Over Recalled Toy Dart Gun Toymaker Henry Gordy International Inc. has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.1 million over a dart gun set linked to three deaths, the ... Don’t Miss This Year’s Agency E&O Survey Once again, Insurance Journal is polling its readers asking for their thoughts on today's agency errors and omissions market. Don't miss ... Arch Names Whiddon to Head Railroad Casualty Business Arch Insurance Group has appointed Catherine Whiddon, regional vice president, as head of the company's railroad casualty business unit. ... Travelers Red Umbrella Featured at Trademark Show The iconic Travelers Insurance red umbrella was recently showcased in an educational event on the role trademarks play in the economy. ... Travelers Launches IntelliDrive Mileage-Based Auto Insurance Travelers has launched a program to help low-mileage drivers reduce annual vehicle expenses with its mileage-based auto insurance product, ... State Farm to Stop Insuring Churches in Florida Florida churches are having to seek insurance elsewhere after one of the state's provider of coverage to houses of worship has decided to... More National News East Massachusetts Jury Returns $20M Verdict in Pool Slide Suit A Massachusetts jury has ordered Toys `R Us to pay more than $20 million to the family of a woman who was killed when an inflatable pool ... R-T Specialty Hires Wholesale Veteran Smith to Manage N.Y. Operation R-T Specialty, the wholesale brokerage unit of Ryan Specialty Group, appointed industry veteran Mark Smith as president and managing ... Vitale Appointed as New York-based Co-CEO of Aspen Insurance Aspen Insurance Holdings appointed Mario Vitale as co-CEO of Aspen Insurance, effective Jan. 1, 2012. He replaces John Cavoores who will be ... More East News Midwest State Auto Financial Estimates Around $60M in Cat Losses in Q3 State Auto Financial Corp. estimates its third quarter 2011 results will include between $60 million and $63 million in pre-tax catastrophe ... Reduced North Dakota Crop Harvest Expected to Hurt Economy Reduced yields in some crops will hurt North Dakota's economy, officials say. The U.S. Agriculture Department has reported that floods, ... Report: Central Ohio Highway Work Means Jobs, Fewer Crashes The state and local communities would gain about 1,000 jobs and millions in tax dollars with reconstruction of a major highway interchange ... More Midwest News Southeast Mississippi High Court Weighing Limit on Lawsuit Damages The Mississippi Supreme Court has asked attorneys for more information as it considers whether the state's limitation on damages in civil ... Florida Approves Insurer Targeting Foreign Nationals Florida regulators have given the go-ahead for an insurer that wants to provide foreign nationals with access to the U.S. health insurance ... Florida’s Ranew, Ranzino Agencies Merge Two Florida insurance agencies have merged as part of a plan to increase their business in southeast Florida. Ranew Insurance President ... More Southeast News South Central Study: Improved Fire Protection Could Mean Insurance Savings for Oklahoma Homeowners If Oklahoma communities improve fire protection services it could result in major savings on homeowners' policies for local families, ... Drought, Flooding Cause Hard Times for Farmers in Arkansas, Louisiana In a year when severe drought scorched the Southwest, a hurricane drowned crops in the East, and river flooding swamped farms in the ... Texas Workers' Comp September Enforcements Include $118K in Fines Final disciplinary actions taken by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation (TDI-DWC) for September include ... More South Central News International Piracy Attacks at Record Levels But Hijackings Decline As world piracy hits a new high, more ships are escaping Somali pirates, according to a new report. Piracy on the world's seas has risen ... Stricken New Zealand Container Ship May Break Apart or Sink Salvage crews raced Monday to pump oil from a stricken ship teetering on a reef off the New Zealand coast, while also preparing for the ... BP Settles for $4 Billion from Anadarko for Oil Spill Costs Anadarko Petroleum Corp will pay BP Plc $4 billion toward clean-up and victim compensation for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The amount is ... Europe’s Fleet Vehicle Market Valued at $23 Billion New research by Finaccord, a specialist market research consulting firm, estimates that the market for motor insurance for fleet vehicles ... Best Affirms Lloyd's Syndicate 2010, Cathedral Capital Ratings A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating of 'A' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) ... Willis Launches Liability Coverage for Hedge Fund Directors The ongoing financial crisis has claimed many victims over the past few years, but while banks and their depositors have been largely ... More International News Sponsored Content Insurance Technologies Corporation Introduces AgencyBuzz Carrollton, Texas, 10/18/11 – Insurance Technologies Corporation today introduced AgencyBuzz, the premier drip marketing tool created for ... More Sponsored Content Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Thinking Globally, Operating Locally All insurance is regional, according to conventional wisdom, so maintaining strong local... Watch Now 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 Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums Combinability of Interest Posted: Tue Oct 18 -- There is no specific scenario. It is understood there needs to be some common ownership. I am trying to establish if there is a requirement... bbane Book recommendation for starting an agency? Posted: Tue Oct 18 -- The Accreditted Advisor in Insurance (AAI) designation material may be of some value. It is put out by the Insurance Institute of America.... jtownagent Salary- CPCU Posted: Mon Oct 17 -- I know lots of CPCUs. Some are very good at what they do and some are not good at all. The good ones tend to be paid well and the not so... bullmann Can you get different rates for same insurer? Posted: Sat Oct 15 -- I agree. Your relationship with the underwriter will influence the rate as well as your agencies volume with that particular carrier. If you... saabins Joint Underwriting Association vs. a state Auto Plan? Posted: Fri Oct 14 -- What is the difference between a Joint Underwriting Association and a state "Automobile Insurance Plan"? Don't they both serve the same... John J90 Why bother with an agency management system? Posted: Fri Oct 14 -- I think that there are many different reasons for having an agency management system vs. not having one or building one yourself. With an... chris294 Go to Forums Reader Comments Top 10 Excuses From Drivers Caught Using Phones Posted: Fri Oct 14 -- These people should be cited for stupidity. Jester In Few Years, Social Network Data May Be Used in Underwriting Posted: Thu Oct 13 -- Who'd a thunk that "Big Brother" would end up watching us through FaceBook? As IF credit scoring isn't invasive enough, we will now soon be... Dee Obama Pulls Plug on Long-Term Care Plan in Healthcare Law Posted: Mon Oct 17 -- How may times can a man look up, before he sees the sky? Yanti Parazzi Hartford Is Latest Site of Wall Street Protest Posted: Tue Oct 11 -- Right now this is a fun fall picnic. Lets see how committed to the cause the protesters/campers are once its 45 degrees and rainy outside. LaMichael Widow Sues Tennessee Veterans Hospital Over Husband's Suicide Posted: Fri Oct 14 -- I am so sorry to read about what happened to Scott Eiswert and now to his family. I know a lot of veterans who have received shabby care... 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