Monthly Archives: <span>October 2014</span>

D.C. Council Passes Bill Regulating Rideshare Firms

The D.C. Council has approved a bill that regulates popular ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The bill gained initial approval on Tuesday by a 12-1 vote. Among other things, it would require that drivers for smartphone-based vehicle-for-hire services …

Hanover Insurance’s Q3 Net Income Falls 10% to $55M

The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. reported $54.9 million net income for its 2014 third quarter, a 10.4 percent decline compared with $61.3 million net income during the third quarter of 2013. The Worcester, Massachusetts-based insurer’s earnings were dampened by what …

Anchor P&C Is Newest Florida Homeowners Insurance Carrier

Anchor Property and Casualty Insurance Co. became licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) on Oct. 28 to write homeowners insurance business in the state. At the same time, the company has been approved to assume approximately 50,000 …

Jordan Wins FIWT Leadership Award from Litchfield Special Risks

Cindy Jordan, of Barnard Insurance Group in Wichita Falls, Texas, won the FIWT Leadership Award sponsored by Litchfield Special Risks Inc., the company announced. This is the second year the award has been presented to a member of the Federation …

A.M. Best Assigns ‘A’ Rating to Missouri’s American Shield Insurance

A.M. Best announced it assigned a financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and an issuer credit rating of “a+” to American Shield Insurance Co. (American Shield) in Columbia, Mo. The outlook assigned to both ratings is stable. The ratings reflect …

Houston Bus Company Owner Gets Probation for Fatal Crash in 2008

The owner of a Houston bus company who was charged after a 2008 crash that killed 17 passengers on their way to a religious retreat has avoided prison after a federal judge sentenced him to three years of probation in …

2 Years After Sandy: Sea Bright, N.J., Prepares for Next Big Storm

Sea Bright, New Jersey, is a great example of how difficult it is to truly prepare a Jersey shore community for the next big storm. The low-lying community on a narrow strip of sand between the ocean and the Shrewsbury …

Mediation Ordered in Suit Against Texas Guardrail Maker

A federal judge has ordered mediation between a Texas company and a whistleblower who won a $175 million verdict over a design change in the company’s highway guardrails. Critics say the change made it more likely that cars could be …

Florida Approves Up to 183K Takeouts from Citizens for 2015

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) has approved the removal of up to 180,040 personal residential policies and 2,527 commercial residential polices from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The OIR said these are the first take-outs approved for 2015. The …

Corps Sued over Cost of Louisiana Wetland Restoration

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should bear the full $2.9 billion cost of restoring wetland damage blamed on poor maintenance of the now-closed Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, Louisiana coastal restoration officials say in a federal lawsuit. The suit was …