Monthly Archives: <span>January 2012</span>

Nationwide Calls Harleysville Deal ‘Fair and Compelling’

Nationwide is brushing off Liberty Mutual’s allegation that Nationwide’s pending acquisition of Harleysville Mutual would unfairly benefit subsidiary Harleysville Group’s stock shareholders at the expense of Harleysville Mutual policyholders. In particular, Liberty Mutual noted in its comment letter to the …

Leavitt Group Names Bridges President of Atlanta Office

The Leavitt Group insurance brokerage has named David Bridges as the president of its Atlanta office. He will also serve as an executive vice president of the affinity programs division. Most recently with Wells Fargo Insurance Services as a senior …

Former North Dakota Insurance Agent Sent to Prison

A former Fargo insurance agent has been sentenced to three years in prison and five years on supervised probation for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from three women. Fifty-seven-year-old Jeffrey Neppl was accused of using client money to fund …

HCC’s Cat Losses in Q4 Mostly Related to Thailand Flooding

HCC Insurance Holdings Inc., headquartered in Houston, has reported preliminary fourth quarter 2011 catastrophe losses, after reinsurance and reinstatement premium, of $10 million pretax ($6.5 million after-tax). These losses relate to flooding in Thailand and impacted the company’s property insurance …

Lubbock Office of Shofner, Lynch & Shulse Joins MHBT

Two well-known Texas independent insurance agencies have merged. Dallas-based McQueary Henry Bowles Troy (MHBT) and Shofner, Lynch & Shulse LLC (SLS) announced that the SLS Lubbock office joined MHBT effective Jan. 1, 2012. The merger offers MHBT a long-sought-after West …

Oak Street Funding Adds Gray as Chief Financial Officer

Carmel, Ind.-based Oak Street Funding has appointed W. Todd Gray as chief financial officer. Gray will lead the finance and underwriting groups at Oak Street Funding and will assist with strategic partnerships and acquisitions that position the company for future …

Another Lawsuit Filed Over ’09 Boat Wreck That Killed 5

The owner of a boat that slammed into a barge at night off the Louisiana coast, killing all five oilfield workers on it, has sued its insurance companies in federal court. Tarpon Rental Inc. says Chartis Specialty Insurance Co. and …

Lawsuit Seeks Information on Michigan Auto Injury Claims

A coalition fighting proposed changes to Michigan’s auto insurance laws filed a lawsuit seeking claims information from an association that handles medical bills for seriously injured accident victims. The suit filed in Ingham County by the Coalition Protecting Auto No-Fault …

Allstate Wants a Rate Increase in Louisiana

Allstate Corp. is asking to raise rates for 144,000 Louisiana homeowners who get their insurance coverage from two Allstate companies. According to the state insurance department, Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate wants an average 11.3 percent increase for 71,000 homeowners covered by …

Missouri Senate Debates Workplace Discrimination Bill

Democrats in the Missouri Senate say a bill revising workplace discrimination laws would make it harder for people to prove the claim against employers. Senate Bill 592 would require workers who fight firings or other adverse decisions to prove in …