Latest Auto Headlines

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

1991 Honda Most Stolen Vehicle

Nov 1 2006 // For 2005, the most stolen vehicle in the nation was the 1991 Honda Accord, according to Hot Wheels, the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s companion study to its annual Hot Spots auto theft report. The study examines...

Texas Truck Driver’s Fraud Conviction Nets Jail Time

Nov 1 2006 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company reported that Arthur Menard of Spring, Texas, pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud-related charges and a Travis County district court sentenced him to 14 months in jail. The...

Best Issues Special Report on Canadian Auto Insurance Industry

Oct 31 2006 // “During the past 10 years, the Canadian automobile insurance industry’s underwriting results have changed dramatically as reflected by the significant variations in the direct loss ratio,” concludes a...

S.C. to Raise Minimum Auto Limits

Oct 31 2006 // Starting Jan. 1, drivers in South Carolina who buy the least amount of insurance coverage allowed by law will see their premiums go up as legislatively mandated changes in coverage take effect. Those drivers will begin...

Many California Hispanics Not Aware of Uninsured Motorists Requirements

Oct 27 2006 // On Oct. 1, 2006, the California Department of Motor Vehicles began enforcing Senate Bill 1500 that requires the DMV to suspend a vehicle’s registration if the vehicle does not have a valid insurance policy or bond....

Esurance Seeks to Grow in Oregon

Oct 26 2006 // Esurance, a direct-to-consumer personal auto insurance company, announced the launch of its auto insurance program in Oregon. Gary Tolman, Esurance President & CEO, stated, “We think Oregon drivers will...

Mich. H.E.A.T. Increases Stolen Property Recovery by $2 Million

Oct 25 2006 // Michigan celebrated the 21st anniversary of the H.E.A.T. (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts) program with its annual award program this week. According to the official release, since its inception in 1985, H.E.A.T., with its...

Conn. Motor Vehicle Registries Expand Hours, Add Staff

Oct 24 2006 // As part of an effort to improve customer service at the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that, beginning November 1, DMV will open an additional day per week at three small...

Navy, Marines Battling Fatal Off-Base Car Crashes

Oct 24 2006 // Frustrated Navy and Marine Corps officials are taking a hard line to try to reduce fatal traffic crashes off bases. The Navy has tallied the most traffic fatalities in more than a decade and the Marine Corps had the...

Insurer Sues Vermont Arson Suspect for Fire Truck Damage

Oct 24 2006 // A Vermont man already facing arson charges in two apartment house fires now is being sued by the city of Rutland’s insurance company, which says the blazes damaged a fire truck. Robert Vandriel has pleaded innocent...

News Currents

Oct 23 2006 // Insurance issues take back seat in Mass. governor’s race Insurance issues have taken a back seat to crime and taxes but there is evidence that the candidates locked in the race to succeed Massachusetts Gov. Mitt...

Premium rating errors cost auto insurers more than $16 billion

Oct 23 2006 // In 2005, the private passenger auto insurance industry lost $16.2 billion because of premium rating error, according to San Francisco-based Quality Planning Corp.’s annual Premium Rating Error report. Data showed...

P/C market takes hold of rapidly developing identity theft solutions

Oct 23 2006 // Identity-related fraud is a virulent crime, with 3.5 times the aggregate losses of all property crimes, such as burglary, larceny and vehicle theft, reported last year. In today’s technology- information-driven...

Poor stepchild HO market about to smarten up

Oct 23 2006 // It’s worth $53 billion a year but the homeowners insurance market is largely unsophisticated and unloved, according to Brian Sullivan, editor of Risk Information Inc., which publishes the Property Insurance Report....

Brian Sullivan

Oct 23 2006 // Closer Look: Homeowners Poor stepchild HO market about to smarten up Exclusive interview with personal lines guru Brian Sullivan It’s worth $53 billion a year but the homeowners insurance market is largely...

La. Using Bait Cars in Effort to Reduce Auto Insurance Fraud

Oct 20 2006 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance reported it now has a powerful new tool to use in its long standing battle against auto theft and high insurance rates. The tool, known as a bait car, is a motor vehicle fitted with...

Maryland Orders Allstate Return $17.5M to Auto Insureds

Oct 20 2006 // Maryland Insurance Commissioner R. Steven Orr has ordered Allstate Insurance to return $17.5 million to 20,571 of its auto policyholders in Maryland whom he says were improperly charged. This restitution is in addition to...

Wis. Appeals Court Overturns Judge’s Decision in Demo Derby Injury

Oct 19 2006 // A western Wisconsin judge erred in ordering a car insurance company to pay benefits to a demolition derby flagman who was seriously injured when a car slammed into him as he tried to help the driver of a disabled vehicle,...

Wildlife Making Texas Highways Hazardous

Oct 17 2006 // The increasing number of motorists and deer in Texas are leading to a greater frequency of collisions between the two on the state’s roadways. Cooler weather and the annual rut season should make for even more...

Virginia Offers Consumer Guides with Sample Auto, Home Premiums

Oct 17 2006 // Virginia’s Bureau of Insurance has updated its free auto and homeowners insurance consumer guides and corresponding premium comparison pamphlets. The guides are designed to help consumers understand their insurance...