Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Fiery Crash Causes $700K in Damage at Houston Car Dealership
May 8 2014 // A vehicle involved in a traffic accident careened into a Houston-area Cadillac dealership and struck a row of Escalades, triggering a fire that destroyed six of the pricey SUVs. The general manager of the dealership,...
N.Y. Senate OKs Bill Mandating Alcohol Tests After Bad Car Crashes
May 7 2014 // New York State senators have voted to require blood-alcohol tests of all drivers following serious accidents. The Senate passed the legislation on Monday. It would mandate that police test the alcohol levels of all drivers...
Allstate Q1 Profit Drops on Weather Losses
May 7 2014 // Allstate Corp. reported that higher losses from catastrophes due to severe winter weather cut into profits in the first quarter while higher premiums helped offset the effect. The company reported net income of $587...
Terre Haute, Indiana Sees Rise in Mo-Ped Thefts
May 6 2014 // With gas prices close to $4 per gallon, Terre Haute resident Russell Moffatt had been happy to park his gas-guzzling pickup truck in favor of a fuel efficient mo-ped that he could ride to work. That is, until someone stole...
Maryland Warns of Potential Insurance Coverage Gaps for Ridesharing Services
May 6 2014 // Maryland’s top insurance regulator recently issued a notice alerting consumers about potential coverage gaps affecting drivers for ridesharing services. The Maryland Insurance Administration said technology based...
Commercial Auto Insurers Still Struggle to Profit: Fitch
May 6 2014 // Commercial automobile insurers reported a third consecutive year of underwriting losses in 2013. According to an analysis by Fitch Ratings, the combined ratio came in at 106 for 2013 compared with 107 for 2012. In a...
GEICO Making Gains Across the Country: SNL Financial
May 5 2014 // GEICO Corp. beat out its competitors in premium growth in 2013 and reported one of the best underwriting margins among the top 20 U.S. auto insurers. According to a report by SNL Financial, GEICO’s direct personal...
Nationwide Insurance to Sponsor NASCAR Driver Earnhardt
May 5 2014 // Through the first four months of 2014, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has landed a new sponsor, another Daytona 500 win and an award selected by the media. Now, life will be really grand if the popular NASCAR driver can rekindle his...
R.I. Begins Allowing Digital Proof of Auto Insurance
May 5 2014 // Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has signed into law legislation allowing motorists in Rhode Island to use their smartphones to offer police proof they have auto insurance. The bills sponsored by Sen. William Conley Jr....
Unhappy Auto Customers
May 5 2014 // Customers who switch auto insurance carriers due to poor service often end up sorry they did because they end up paying more. While a poor experience with their insurer is the leading reason customers shop for, and...
Insurance in the Sharable Economy
May 5 2014 // The new sharable economy is growing across the country, and one question looms large: What are the insurance implications? Homeowners and renters understand the types of insurance they need and where they can buy coverage....
1966 Red Mustang Returned to Owner 20 Years After Being Stolen
May 4 2014 // Betsy Montgomery, drove the same car on her 55th birthday that she drove as a 15-year-old living in south Jackson, Mississippi — a 1966 red Mustang that her dad bought from the original owner in 1973. How she got the...
Auto Accident Insurance Scheme Busted in New Jersey; 12 Facing Charges
May 2 2014 // A doctor, a lawyer and two chiropractors are among 12 people facing charges stemming what authorities say was a scheme in New Jersey to recruit motor vehicle accident victims as patients. New Jersey Acting Attorney General...
R.I. Issues Consumer Alert on Ridesharing Services, Insurance Implications
May 2 2014 // Rhode Island’s insurance regulators issued a consumer alert bulletin this week, highlighting insurance coverage issues and requirements surrounding ridesharing services. “[R.I. Department of Business...
Financing Firm to Pay $200K for Prematurely Cancelling Auto Policies in Mass.
May 2 2014 // An Illinois-based premium financing provider has agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that it illegally and prematurely cancelled certain financed auto insurance policies affecting nearly 200 Massachusetts...
Massachusetts Fines GEICO $275K for Accident Reporting Inconsistencies
May 2 2014 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Joseph Murphy announced Thursday an agreement with auto insurance giant GEICO to resolve inconsistencies in its reporting of auto accident information to Massachusetts state agencies...
Hundreds Rescued From Flooding in Florida Panhandle, Coastal Alabama
May 1 2014 // People were plucked off rooftops or climbed into their attics to get away from fast-rising waters when nearly 2 feet of rain fell on the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast in the span of about 24 hours, the latest bout of...
5% of All Texas Vehicle Fires Are Arson, Fire Marshal Says
May 1 2014 // In Texas, approximately five percent of all vehicle fires are intentionally set, which accounts for $3.5 million in vehicle fire losses, according the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office. “Vehicle arson is not a...
Illinois’ Van Gundy Insurance Joins Keystone Group
May 1 2014 // Keystone Insurers Group welcomed Normal, Ill.-based agency Van Gundy Insurance as its newest franchise partner in Illinois. Van Gundy Agency was founded in 1946 by Lander Van Gundy. With his roots in the harness racing...
Best Affirms State Automobile Mutual and Operating Subs Ratings
May 1 2014 // A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A’ (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a” of State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company and its operating...
