Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Five Charged in Md. Auto Accident Scam
Oct 6 2004 // Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced the filing of felony insurance fraud, felony theft and conspiracy charges against Michael Horner, former owner of Contemporary Auto in Harford County, and four...
Mass. Delays High Risk Rule Hearing Until Oct. 20
Oct 4 2004 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler has postponed the second public hearing into changes to the state’s high risk sharing pool that was scheduled for today until Oct. 20. The Division of Insurance...
S.C. Car Insurance Rates Outpace U.S. Despite 1999 Deregulation Law
Oct 4 2004 // Insurance rates for drivers in South Carolina have been rising faster than the national average, according to a new report. The state’s drivers on average spent $702.44 for auto insurance in 2002, an increase of 10.4...
N.J. Maintains Top Auto Insurance Premium Figures Reflect Years of ‘Suffering’ Before 2003 Reforms
Oct 1 2004 // New Jersey Banking and Insurance Commissioner Holly C. Bakke wasted little time in putting the latest numbers showing the state with the highest average auto insurance premium — $1,113 — in perspective. Those numbers...
Alliance Applauds Passage of SB 1500
Oct 1 2004 // The American Agents Alliance congratulated State Senator Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) on the passage of SB 1500. Her legislation, which puts an end to debate over electronic auto insurance policy data sharing, as well as...
Final Mass. Auto Rate Bid Filed: 1%
Oct 1 2004 // The last bid in the process of setting 2005 Massachusetts private passenger auto insurance rates is in. The State Rating Bureau (SRB), the consumer arm of the Division of Insurance, has recommended that rate go up just...
N.C. Moves to 8th Lowest Auto Rates in Nation
Oct 1 2004 // A report released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners comparing auto insurance rates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia found that North Carolina ranks eighth in the nation for the lowest...
Mass. A.G. Reilly Calls for 6.2% Cut in Auto Rates
Sep 30 2004 // Following up on his previous assertion that auto insurance in the state is actually too profitable, Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly has now called for a 6.2 percent cut in private passenger auto insurance...
Mich. Insurer Group Taps Former Auto Industry Lobbyist as New Executive Director
Sep 28 2004 // The Lansing, Mich.-based Insurance Institute of Michigan has named a former lobbyist for the auto industry as its new executive director. Peter Kuhnmuench will start Oct. 11, 2004 and previously served as legislative...
N.C. Commissioner Alerts Federal Reserve of Potential for $700 Million in Auto Rate Refunds
Sep 24 2004 // North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Jim Long has advised the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va., of the potential for up to $700 million in auto rate refund checks being distributed to North Carolinians in the coming...
State Auto Expects at Least $32 Million in Hurricane Losses From Charley, Frances and Ivan
Sep 23 2004 // Columbus, Ohio-based regional property/casualty carrier State Auto Financial Corp. estimates that hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan, cumulatively, will contribute about $32 million to $36 million in pre-tax losses, or...
Grand Jury Indicts 16 Including Lawyers and Agent for Alleged Lawrence, Mass. Auto Fraud
Sep 23 2004 // Sixteen people, including three lawyers and four chiropractors, have been indicted by a special grand jury in Essex County for their alleged involvement in auto insurance fraud in Lawrence. The 16 were summonsed for...
Fortis CEO Van Rossum Steps Down; Votron Appointed
Sep 21 2004 // Fortis, the Belgian-Dutch banking, financial services and insurance group, announced that CEO Anton van Rossum, 59, who had earlier indicated to the Fortis Board not to extend his contract after August 2005, has decided to...
A Fresh Look at Rating Territories for Auto and Homeowners Insurance
Sep 20 2004 // Inaccurate Territories and Assignments Hurt Consumers, Agents and Companies Territories offer tremendous opportunities for insurance companies to better segment their book of business, but private passenger auto and...
Federated National, American Vehicle
Sep 20 2004 // A.M. Best Co. placed the financial strength rating of “B” (fair) of Federated National Ins. Co. and the rating of “B+” (very good) of American Vehicle Ins. Co., both of Plantation, Fla., under...
Mass. Insurers’ Rate and Agents’ Commission Bids Add Up to 9.3%
Sep 20 2004 // A request by Massachusetts agents for a 32 percent boost in commissions brings the overall private passenger auto insurance rate hike sought by the industry for 2005 to 9.3 percent, up from the original 5.8 percent figure,...
PA. LOOKS AT MOTORCYCLE INJURIES:
Sep 20 2004 // Nearly a year after Pennsylvania’s motorcycle helmet law was repealed, experts say it is too soon to tell definitively whether the repeal has caused a spike in motorcycle injuries and deaths. In the first four months...
RESIDUAL MARKET CHANGES UNCLEAR:
Sep 20 2004 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler has asked Commonwealth Auto Reinsurers (CAR) to revise its proposed residual market plan but CAR governing committee members have questions they need answered before...
STATE FARM TO LOWER CALIFORNIA AUTO INSURANCE RATES:
Sep 20 2004 // State Farm will lower auto rates for its California auto insurance customers an average of 7.6 percent effective October 1. The California Department of Insurance-approved rate reduction will save the company’s 3...
A Fresh Look at Rating Territories for Auto and Homeowners Insurance
Sep 20 2004 // Inaccurate Territories and Assignments Hurt Consumers, Agents and Companies Territories offer tremendous opportunities for insurance companies to better segment their book of business, but private passenger auto and...
