Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
North Carolina Challenges 1.4% Auto Insurance Rate Hike
Mar 30 2009 // A 1.4 perent rate hike requested by North Carolina auto insurance companies is being contested by state officials. Insurance department actuaries have concluded that the increase is not warranted in part because it...
Georgia Lawmakers Defeat Pickup Truck Seat Belt Law
Mar 26 2009 // A bid to require adults in pickup trucks to buckle their seat belts was narrowly defeated by a Georgia House panel, defying supporters of stronger safety standards that have been adopted by much of the nation. The House...
MetLife Auto & Home Appoints Swan Regional Sales Manager in California
Mar 25 2009 // MetLife Auto & Home announced the appointment of Madera, Calif., resident Rene Swan to the position of regional sales manager, overseeing the company’s growth plans in California’s Central Valley...
Oklahoma House Calls for More Stringent Youth ATV Regulations
Mar 25 2009 // A resolution urging the federal government to amend regulations banning the sale of youth all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles has been passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. House Resolution 1024, by state Reps....
Esurance Exploring Massachusetts Personal Auto Market
Mar 24 2009 // Esurance, a San Francisco-based personal auto insurance direct writer, has taken preliminary steps to obtain a license to sell auto insurance in Massachusetts — although the company says it has no immediate plans to...
Mississippi Buyers Caught In Stolen Car Scam Must Return Vehicles
Mar 24 2009 // Normally, a 2008 BMW M3 or 3 Series sedan in excellent condition would sell for between $35,000 and $42,000 in a private party transaction, depending on mileage and equipment. For some Jones County buyer who possibly...
MetLife Auto & Home Eyes California for Expansion
Mar 23 2009 // Snoopy is moving to California and is bringing with him opportunities for independent insurance agents. MetLife Inc., which uses the famous beagle in its advertising, said it plans to expand its MetLife Auto & Home...
Michigan’s Auto Insurance Rate Denials Reignite Credit Scoring Fight
Mar 23 2009 // Michigan’s regulator has reignited a debate over credit scoring by denying auto insurance companies requested rate increases because their proposed rate schemes include discounts for good credit scores. Commissioner...
Lawmakers Aim to Roll Back Texas’ 2003 Insurance Reforms
Mar 23 2009 // Reforms to the Texas insurance regulatory system put in place by Senate Bill 14 in 2003 are under attack by a coalition of state lawmakers who have filed bills to, among other things, return the rate setting process for...
Geico to Sell Auto Insurance in Massachusetts
Mar 23 2009 // Geico is entering the auto insurance market in Massachusetts. State Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes confirmed in a statement Friday that the nation’s third-largest auto insurer has filed to begin selling...
Swett & Crawford Names Peterson to Head New Auto Program
Mar 23 2009 // Swett & Crawford appointed Robert Peterson as program manager for a new product, the Swett & Crawford Program for Contractors Auto, to be marketed with its carrier partner, Travelers Companies Inc. Before joining...
Mass. AG Questions Insurer’s High Risk Insurance Auto Rates
Mar 23 2009 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley wants a public hearing to review the auto insurance rates of a new company entering the market in Massachusetts. Occidental Fire and Casualty Insurance Co. of North Carolina is...
Truck Owner Pleads Guilty in 2005 Connecticut Crash
Mar 19 2009 // A Connecticut trucking company owner whose poorly maintained dump truck lost control and caused a fiery crash that killed four people in 2005 has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault charges. David Wilcox, 73,...
Mass. Commissioner Reverses Plan to Drop Auto Surcharge Appeals Board
Mar 19 2009 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes has reversed her plan to scrap the Bay State’s Board of Appeals — part of the long-standing system through which drivers could appeal insurance surcharges they...
Auto Loan Delinquency Rate Up Nearly 9%
Mar 18 2009 // The percentage of auto loans past due 60 days or more rose 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared with the prior-year period, according to credit reporting agency TransUnion. And the numbers point to auto...
Michigan Uncovers Agency’s Fake Auto Insurance Certificate Scheme
Mar 18 2009 // Michigan officials have warned consumers that they may have unknowingly purchased fraudulent automobile insurance certificates from a Detroit-based insurance agency named Fender Bender Insurance Agency. The Office of...
Las Cruces Vehicle Impound Ordinance Approved
Mar 17 2009 // The Las Cruces, N.M., City Council has approved an ordinance that will allow Las Cruces police officers to impound vehicles that are uninsured, and those that are driven by drivers who are unlicensed, or whose license to...
Report: New York Fraud Investigations Yielded 755 Arrests Last Year
Mar 17 2009 // Investigations by The New York State Insurance Department Frauds Bureau led to 755 arrests in 2008 — a slight increase over 2007 and and the highest arrest total since 2004, the department said. “Arrests for...
MetLife Auto & Home Names Regional Sales Managers in California
Mar 16 2009 // MetLife Auto & Home has appointed Hemet, Calif., resident Daniel Slaten regional sales manager, to oversee the company’s growth plans in the Inland Empire, Calif., territory, including Riverside, San Bernardino...
Ohio Windstorm Losses in Feb. Reach Nearly $89M; Ike Losses Rise
Mar 16 2009 // Ohio’s Feb. 11-12 windstorm caused at least $88.9 million in damages, based on preliminary insured loss estimates from the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII), an insurance industry trade group. Widespread losses were...
