Yearly Archives: <span>2001</span>

Licensed Agent Says She’s Not Guilty

A licensed insurance agent from Stockton, Calif. pled not guilty to 69 felony counts during her recent arraignment. Kim Searini, aka Kim Lawrence, aka Kim Gurtis, 40, was arrested following a joint investigation by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) …

ePolicy, ACEUSA to Offer Specialty Professional Liability Online

ePolicy.com Insurance Services Inc., announced it has signed an agreement with ACE USA to offer new lines of specialty professional liability insurance. The newly offered products are designed specifically for architects and engineers with more than $1 million in revenue. …

Calif. Commissioner Announces Geographic Expansion of FAIR Plan

California Insurance Commissioner Harry W. Low issued an order expanding the geographic areas eligible for coverage through California’s Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan. The Order expands the FAIR Plan to real or personal property located at a specific …

$7M Jury Verdict Reached in Northridge Case

A jury awarded almost $7,000,000 in earthquake repair costs and bad faith damages on June 15 to a Culver City condominium homeowners association in a lawsuit against Scottsdale Insurance Company, according to Brian S. Kabateck, the association’s attorney. The Los …

Tillinghast-Towers Perrin Estimates $200B Price Tag for U.S. Asbestos Claims

Settlements to individuals exposed to asbestos in the U.S. and related expenses will ultimately reach $200 billion, according to a study conducted by Tillinghast-Towers Perrin. Of this amount, Tillinghast estimates that 39% of the costs will be retained by the …

Class Action Suit Filed Against Salomon Smith Barney, Citigroup and Travelers Group

The law firm of Dwyer & Collora LLP announced that on Friday, June 8, 2001, Federal Judge Robert E. Keeton of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts certified state classes for four states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, in a suit …

Yates Joins Progressive as Consultant

The Progressive Corporation announced that Jeff Yates has been retained as a consultant to the company’s agency business. Yates will consult with the company in its continuing efforts to help independent agents provide their customers with a competitively-priced product, 24-hour …

Hub International Limited Seals Deal With J.P. Flanagan Corp.

Hub International Limited, an international insurance brokerage which provides a broad range of products through offices in Canada and the U.S., signed a deal to purchase J.P. Flanagan Corp., an insurance agency offering brokerage services from its main office in …

Burnham Insurance Group to be Acquired

Hub International Limited signed a letter of intent to purchase Battle Creek, Mich.-based Burnham Stewart Group, a regional insurance broker, with offices throughout Michigan and in Chicago, Cleveland and Dallas. The company is among the top 100 largest independent brokers …

Fraud Probe Launched in Independent Collapse

The U.K.’s Financial Services Authority, which oversees the insurance industry, has asked the country’s serious fraud office to investigate certain aspects surrounding the collapse of Independent Insurance Co., which was put into liquidation yesterday. (See previous article) The serious fraud …