Articles by The Associated Press

Leavitt Sells Interest in Leavitt Group

Motivated by federal ethical standards, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has divested his interests in two Utah-based, family owned corporations. Because his agency oversees the insurance and animal health industries, Leavitt has had to sell his interests in …

GOP in N.Y. Tries to Paint Spitzer as ‘Job Killer’

Eliot Spitzer’s “reckless efforts to land himself on the front page” with high-profile investigations of America’s financial institutions are “making it harder to do business and create jobs in New York,” according to state GOP Chairman Stephen Minarik. The line …

Historic Richmond Facing Uncertain Future After Flooding

Shockoe Bottom’s 17.5 Ethos Cafe didn’t have flood insurance. With a 21-foot flood wall shielding the historic, low-lying area in Richmond, Va., from the nearby James River, part-owners of the cafe, Kathy Emerson and Damon Persiani, saw no need to …

The Growing Clout – and Controversy – of Consumer Credit Records

It’s Not Just the Insurance Industry Using Credit Scores to Size-Up Customers Brenda Matthews thought she had a new job lined up at Johnson & Johnson headquarters in New Jersey. After applying online for a position as a patent specialist, …

Hurricanes Mean Crunch Time for Reinsurance Industry

High-tech charts and up-to-the-minute data meticulously track Hurricane Frances as employees run storm simulations that pop out specific damage estimates for certain zip codes. This office in Atlanta is not run by a federal disaster agency, it’s an extension of …

Mistakes Cost Farmers Millions in Lost Insurance Pay

Farmers may lose millions of dollars in insurance payments for their sprout-damaged wheat because of widespread mistakes in sampling their crop at Kansas grain elevators, state officials said. Kansas Agriculture Secretary Adrian Polansky, in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ann …

Insurance Carrier Won’t Renew Lake Havasu

The city of Lake Havasu, Arizona has been told by its insurance company that its policy will not be renewed, apparently because the carrier fears too much liability related to carbon monoxide at the lake. The city received a non-renewal …

The Growing Clout – and Controversy – of Consumer Credit Records

It’s Not Just the Insurance Industry Using Credit Scores to Size-Up Customers Brenda Matthews thought she had a new job lined up at Johnson & Johnson headquarters in New Jersey. After applying online for a position as a patent specialist, …

Hurricanes Equal Crunch Time for Reinsurers

High-tech charts and up-to-the-minute data meticulously track Hurricane Frances as employees run storm simulations that pop out specific damage estimates for certain zip codes. The office is not run by a federal disaster agency, it’s an extension of the Benfield …

Rival Insurer Gave Far More than it Said to Group Battling SAIF

Insurance company Liberty Northwest gave far more money than it had initially said to a nonprofit group battling its rival, the SAIF Corporation. According to tax returns, Liberty Northwest poured more than $700,000 into Oregonians for Sound Economic Policy, the …