Latest Auto Headlines

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

Progressive Adding Second Mass. Auto License

Dec 4 2007 // A second major carrier has begun making inroads to the soon-to-be-deregulated Bay State auto insurance market, although it has stopped short of saying it will sell Massachusetts personal auto policies in 2008. The...

How Mass. Agents Feel About Managed Competition, Credit Scoring

Dec 2 2007 // Insurance agents in Massachusetts support the state’s move to managed competition in private passenger auto insurance but oppose insurers’ use of credit scoring in rating or underwriting. They are expecting a...

Pets to be Covered Under Auto Insurance

Dec 2 2007 // At least one U.S. auto insurance company is now offering coverage for pets. Progressive Corp. is providing collision coverage for customers’ dogs or cats at no additional premium cost. It will pay up to $500 if a...

Mass. Auto Insurers Get Into Gear for Competition

Dec 2 2007 // Most plan to cut rates as state moves ahead with plan for managed competition for 2008 Auto insurance carriers are looking to compete by rewarding drivers with good driving records, good grades, hybrid vehicles, property...

Case Watch

Dec 2 2007 // Actions and Proceedings In Re Madrid Tex. App. El Paso Oct. 11, 2007 Reservation of rights letter protected by work product privilege. A party injured in a motor vehicle accident sued the insured. The injured party made a...

From Insurance Consumer to Commissioner

Dec 2 2007 // While the position of California Insurance Commissioner is elected and there are already rumblings that he’d make a good gubernatorial candidate in 2010, current California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner says...

Calif. Commissioner Files Uninsured Motorist Ballot Initiative

Dec 2 2007 // Proving rumors true, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has filed a draft ballot initiative with the state Attorney General’s office designed to reduce the number of uninsured motorists on state roads...

Encompass Adjusts Mass. Auto Rates for 2008

Nov 30 2007 // Encompass Insurance has further lowered its 2008 Massachusetts auto insurance rates for preferred risks by 5 percent, resulting in an overall statewide average decrease of 4.5 percent compared to the 3.4 percent in its...

Mass. Auto Insurers Pressed to Lower 2008 Rates Even More

Nov 28 2007 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is pressing auto insurers in the state to lower their 2008 rates, arguing that their initial filings last week included more than $200 million in extra profits and payments to...

Arbella, MetLife, Main Street Amend Mass. Rates; OneBeacon Unveils Plans

Nov 28 2007 // Several Massachusetts auto insurers have amended last week’s filings to further lower rates and increase discounts for safe drivers while another revealed its plans for 2008 under the new managed care system. MetLife...

Mapquest Printout Leads to N.Y. Insurance Fraud Sentencing

Nov 28 2007 // A 36-year-old Rochester, N.Y. man, whose Mapquest directions led police to his home, was sentenced to five years probation in Monroe County Court on Nov. 26 for trying to fraudulently obtain a $10,282 insurance...

Calif. Commissioner Files Uninsured Motorist Ballot Initiative

Nov 27 2007 // Proving rumors true, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has filed a draft ballot initiative with the state Attorney General’s office designed to reduce the number of uninsured motorists on state roads...

State Auto Names Allison Director of Government Relations

Nov 26 2007 // Columbus, Ohio-based The State Auto Insurance Cos. recently named Jon Allison as director of government relations. Additionally, Allison has been elected assistant vice president by the board of directors of State...

Mass. Drivers Get Taste of Competition; Insurers Cut Rates, Enhance Products

Nov 20 2007 // Drivers with good driving records, good grades, hybrid vehicles, property policies and pets are among those who could benefit under auto insurance rating plans filed for use in 2008 in Massachusetts. Indeeed, most drivers...

UK Auto Report by Research & Markets

Nov 19 2007 // Dublin-based Research and Markets has added “Snapshots UK Motor Insurance 2007” to their offering as part of the research firm’s “Snapdata” series. “Snapdata’s Snapshots UK Motor...

Hanover Among First to Tout Mass. Auto Rates; Vows Agent Appointments

Nov 19 2007 // The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. was one of the first insurers to tout its competitive rates and product filings at today’s deadline for auto insurers looking to compete in Massachusetts under the new managed...

Insurers File Mass. Auto Rates Today; Bill to Control Rating Factors Stalled

Nov 19 2007 // The auto insurance market in Massachusetts gets a glimpse of greater competition today when carriers disclose their proposed rates, but the big unknown is whether motorists honk for joy or hit the guardrail. The Patrick...

Richardson’s Stats Misleading in Defense of Immigrant Driver’s Licenses

Nov 19 2007 // Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson points to a substantial drop in uninsured motorists in New Mexico when he defends his decision four years ago to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver’s...

Calif. Wants to Crack Down on Uninsured Motorists

Nov 18 2007 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is reportedly exploring the possibility of a ballot measure next year designed to get uninsured motorists off the state’s roads and highways. Industry sources confirmed...

Stolen Autos’ Good/Bad News

Nov 18 2007 // A recent report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) said auto theft statistics from 2006 indicate vehicle theft declined for the third year in a row. According to the NICB, 1.19 million motor vehicles were...