Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
9 Alternatives to Individual Health Insurance Mandate; Will They Work?
Mar 29 2011 // There are alternatives to the controversial federal government mandate that requires almost everyone to purchase health insurance, although experts are divided over how effective the alternatives might be in helping to...
Michigan Catastrophic Auto Insurance Fee to Rise 1.3%
Mar 28 2011 // Michigan auto insurance policyholders will pay an additional $1.91 starting July 1 to help pay the lifetime medical expenses of people seriously injured in accidents. The lifetime benefit is a part of Michigan’s...
Injured Cyclist’s Family Sues Car Driver for $10M
Mar 24 2011 // The family of a comatose cyclist is suing for $10 million the driver of the car that struck him in Maryland. Lawyers in the lawsuit filed Monday allege that 83-year-old Jeanette Marie Walke violated traffic laws on Feb. 26...
Florida Lawmakers Take Two-Pronged Approach to Insurance Reform
Mar 23 2011 // Tort reform and fraud have become the two big targets as Florida lawmakers are finally gearing up to tackle the state’s no-fault auto insurance law. Taking a divide and conquer approach, the House Insurance and...
Maryland Weighs Prohibition on Insurers’ Use of Credit Scores
Mar 22 2011 // Maryland lawmakers are weighing whether to prohibit insurers from using credit scores to rate auto policies — a move insurers say is a bad idea. The economic matters committee of the House of Delegates recently held an...
Hot Programs and Products
Mar 21 2011 // Here’s what some insurers and brokers have been up to recently, inventing and tweaking key programs and coverages. Liability: Professional, E&O, D&O, EPLI CNA launched Epack Extra, an enhanced version of...
California to Extend Low-Cost Auto Program to Same Sex Spouses
Mar 21 2011 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has filed regulations to add the category of “spouse” to the application form for the state’s Low Cost Auto Insurance Program. “The definition of...
Designated Driver Services Steering Drinkers to Safety
Mar 21 2011 // The evolution of the cab has come. Those who enjoy a night of drinking can now hire a company to give them rides home in their own car instead of in one of the yellow checkered variety. Leaders of BeMyDD, or Be My...
Missouri Fines Auto Insurer $256K; Orders Changes
Mar 21 2011 // A Chicago-based auto insurance company has paid $256,000 in fines and is required to more quickly process, investigate and pay claims under a settlement reached with the Missouri Department of Insurance. Universal Casualty...
Insurer Ordered to Pay Mother Who Saw Son Die in Motorcycle Crash
Mar 21 2011 // An Ohio insurance company must pay benefits to a Detroit-area woman who witnessed the death of her son on a motorcycle. A Michigan appeals court said Gale Boertmann of Clinton Township can collect on her auto policy...
MetLife Auto & Home Launches Combo Package Policy in 28 States
Mar 18 2011 // MetLife Auto & Home has will roll out its personal lines “combo” policy into 28 new states over the course of 2011. The policy combines multiple insurance products into one package with one bill and one...
Risk Retention Group Seeks Court Order in Nevada Auto Liability Case
Mar 18 2011 // The National Risk Retention Association has filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief protesting the Nevada Department of Insurance’s efforts stop a risk retention group from issuing automobile liability first...
MDS Acquires 50% Stake in Portuguese Auto Insurance Specialist
Mar 18 2011 // MDS Holdings, the Iberian and Latin American insurance broking group, announced that it has acquired a “50 percent stake in Coral, the former Portuguese in-house broker of Salvador Caetano Group, the largest...
Chubb Adds Pet Injury Coverage, Other Enhancements to Auto Policy
Mar 17 2011 // The Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. is adding up to $2,000 in coverage to its automobile policy for pets injured or killed in a crash or other covered loss. The policy will help pay to treat, board or replace domestic pets,...
Florida Senate Moves to Curb Liability Suits Against Car Makers
Mar 17 2011 // The Florida Senate has approved a bill that would change the apportionment of damages in product liability cases so that a judge or jury must consider the fault of all parties. The bill is designed to shield or limit the...
Kentucky to Penalize Lawyers Who Solicit Auto Accident Victims
Mar 16 2011 // Nearing the close of its regular legislative session, Kentucky lawmakers enacted bills designed to crack down on fraudulent auto personal insurance claims and bring the state in line with new federal tax requirements for...
North Carolina Senators Want to End Car Inspections
Mar 15 2011 // Getting a car inspected can be a hassle, and a legislative report criticized North Carolina’s annual vehicle safety program. But law enforcement and a group representing drivers are opposing an effort at the General...
Progressive Goes National with Usage-Based ‘Snapshot’ Car Insurance Program
Mar 14 2011 // Progressive has begun national advertising for its “Pay-As-You-Drive” program, Snapshot, which offers drivers discounts of as much as 30 percent based on real-time analysis of their driving habits. Over the...
Missouri DOI Fines Auto Insurer $256K; Orders Operational Changes
Mar 11 2011 // A Chicago-based auto insurance company has paid $256,000 in fines and is required to more quickly process, investigate and pay claims under a settlement reached with the Missouri Department of Insurance, the department...
Alabama Senate Approves Auto Insurance Verification Database
Mar 11 2011 // The Alabama Senate has voted to set up a computer database that would allow county tag officials and law enforcement to instantly check whether a vehicle has liability insurance. The Senate voted 35-0 Wednesday for a bill...
