Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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Sep 20 2004 // Nearly a year after Pennsylvania’s motorcycle helmet law was repealed, experts say it is too soon to tell definitively whether the repeal has caused a spike in motorcycle injuries and deaths.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...
OHIO CAR THEFTS DROPPED 2%:
Sep 20 2004 // Ohio’s auto thefts decreased about 2 percent from 2002, according to estimates released by the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII), a property/casualty trade group. Based on auto theft survey results of 17 major Ohio city...
Mass. Approves Commercial Auto Market Reforms
Sep 20 2004 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler has approved plans to implement a limited servicing carrier program for the state’s commercial auto residual market as proposed by Commonwealth Auto Reinsurers...
Progressive Weighs Rebranding for Independent Agency Force
Sep 20 2004 // Mayfield Village, Ohio-based leading vehicle insurer Progressive Corp. has called its top-selling independent agents to a meeting in Las Vegas this week to unveil what is described by a company spokeswoman as an...
N.J. Eyes Reducing Urban Auto Rate Subsidies
Sep 17 2004 // New Jersey urban residents may see their car insurance premiums rise under a state proposal that would give insurance companies more freedom to hike rates. The state Department of Banking and Insurance is considering a...
Insurers Report ‘Encouraging’ Progress in Crackdown on Auto Claim Fraud in N.Y.
Sep 16 2004 // The fight against insurance fraud in New York is producing encouraging results as the cost of the average auto injury claim under the state’s no-fault insurance system declined by 20 percent between 2002 and 2003,...
Texas AG Reaches Refund Settlements with Progressive, Old American County Mutual
Sep 16 2004 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced court-approved settlements with two major auto insurers that he says will result in refund more than $3.4 million to Texas policyholders who paid more out of pocket on claims...
38 People Arrested in California Insurance Scam
Sep 16 2004 // On Sept. 15, authorities completed arresting 38 people for alleged auto insurance fraud at more than 30 auto body shops in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The suspects were arrested over the past five days and...
Kan. Home and Auto Insurance Guides Available From Insurance Department
Sep 15 2004 // Two new handbooks and shoppers’ guides designed to assist consumers with questions about homeowners and auto insurance are now available from the Kansas Insurance Department. The handbooks outline coverage...
Conn. Releases Auto, A&H Complaint Rankings
Sep 15 2004 // The Connecticut Insurance Department released today the annual rankings of accident & health and automobile insurance companies. The rankings contain complaint figures from 2003. The rankings include insurance...
Ind. ‘Diminished Value’ Class-Action Case Could Set Dangerous Precedent, Insurers Argue
Sep 14 2004 // Indiana Supreme Court justices should carefully consider the impact that a class-action case regarding compensation for the diminished value of a vehicle could have on numerous insurance policies and premiums—and...
Industry Seeks Clarification of Mass. Residual Market Changes; Commerce Touts Own Transition Plan
Sep 12 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...
