Latest Agribusiness Headlines

All the headlines from our Agribusiness Topic Page, ordered by recency.

USDA Refuses Approvals for Sale of Acceptance Crop Policies; American Growers Under Supervision

Nov 26 2002 // Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc. announced that Rain and Hail, L.L.C and others have discontinued efforts to purchase its crop insurance assets, mainly its American Growers Insurance Company (AGIC) subsidiary, following...

TEMP. DEAL FOR FARMERS, STATE

Nov 25 2002 // Farmers Insurance Group of Companies worked out a temporary deal with the Governor’s office, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and the Office of Attorney General (OAG) under which it will continue to offer...

Acceptance to Receive $21.5 Million for Crop Insurance, S&P Lowers Ratings

Nov 20 2002 // Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc. (AICI) gave further details of its preliminary agreement with Rain and Hail L.L.C. and others, to sell its crop insurance assets. If the deal is concluded and approved by regulators,...

S&P’s Puts Acceptance Insurance Cos. and Subsidiaries on Watch Negative

Nov 19 2002 // Standard & Poor’s has placed its ‘B+’ counterparty credit rating on Acceptance Insurance Cos. Inc. (AICI) and its operating units on CreditWatch with negative implications. At the same time, Standard...

Acceptance Posts $131 Million Q3 Loss, Plans to Exit Crop Insurance

Nov 19 2002 // Acceptance Insurance Companies Inc. reported an estimated after-tax net loss of $131 million, or $9.23 per share, for the third quarter of 2002. The figure includes the previously reported loss from crop insurance...

Farmers to Extend Renewals 30 Days; Rate Cut Part of Temporary Settlement

Nov 12 2002 // As a result of ongoing discussions with the Governor’s office, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and the Office of Attorney General (OAG), the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies announced that it would...

No Duty to Investigate Before Terminating Agent

Nov 11 2002 // In Texas Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. v. Sears, the Texas Supreme Court addressed what duties an insurance company owes an independent agent when terminating an “at will” relationship. No. 01-0851 (Tex., Aug. 30,...

Farmers Says it Stated Just the Facts in Ballard Case

Nov 8 2002 // Responding to a lawsuit filed against the company by Melinda Ballard alleging libel as a result of a defamatory and false statement, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies said it has only stated the facts of their claim to...

Ballard Sues Farmers Over Accusations

Nov 6 2002 // Austin, Texas-based homeowner advocate, Melinda Ballard, announced she filed a lawsuit in Travis County District Court against Farmers Insurance (Farmers) and its paid spokesman for falsely accusing her of committing...

Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Selects Direcway Satellite System

Oct 31 2002 // Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company (GFB), based in Atlanta, will deploy Hughes Network Sytems’ (HNS) DIRECWAY(R) satellite solution for network services. Signal Mountain will be the service provider. With...

Farmers Information May Go Public

Oct 28 2002 // Travis County District Judge Scott Jenkins ruled that certain information the Texas Department of Information believes supports its claims against Farmers Insurance Group of Companies can be released to the...

Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance Seeking Project XL Participants

Oct 28 2002 // Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance has issued a bulletin reminding the state’s high school students to begin planning for their participation in the company’s annual “Project XL (Excel)” creative arts...

Reinsurance Market Tries to Reel In Profits

Oct 28 2002 // A year ago the reinsurance industry faced the biggest loss event in its history – the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon. Nevertheless, commentators were almost unanimous in predicting that the market would harden,...

Reinsurance Market Tries to Reel In Profits

Oct 28 2002 // A year ago the reinsurance industry faced the biggest loss event in its history – the attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon. Nevertheless commentators were almost unanimous in predicting that the market would harden,...

Survival in the Homeowners Market Takes Preparation

Oct 28 2002 // Be prepared.” Personal lines agents would do well to take that time-tested Scout motto to heart during these troubled times in the Texas homeowners market. Already inundated with calls from folks who are having a...

Survival in the Homeowners Market Takes Preparation

Oct 28 2002 // Be prepared.” Personal lines agents would do well to take that time-tested Scout motto to heart during these troubled times in the Texas homeowners market. Already inundated with calls from folks who are having a...

Pa. Agriculture Secretary Touts Benefits of Crop Insurance

Oct 25 2002 // Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Sam Hayes kicked off a 2002-03 crop insurance education and outreach program at the behest of Gov. Mark Schweiker during the third annual Crop Insurance Conference in...

AcroSoft Provides Document Management, Workflow Solutions to Farmers Alliance Mutual

Oct 15 2002 // AcroSoft of Columbia, S.C., announced that Farmers Alliance Mutual Insurance Company is in live production in the Claims Department with AcroSoft’s AcroSure solution for document management, imaging, and automated...

Montemayor Hears Testimony on Last-Resort Options

Oct 15 2002 // Angry agents from Farmers Insurance Group confronted Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor during a recent public hearing on Texas Department of Insurance proposals designed to increase the availability of homeowners...

Dairyland Auto Insurance Rates to Increase

Oct 14 2002 // Nevada Insurance Commissioner Alice A. Molasky-Arman has granted a request by Dairyland Insurance Company (Dairyland) to increase its private passenger automobile insurance rates by an overall 8.5 percent statewide...