Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Orders Unlicensed Van Rental Company to Stop Selling Insurance Products
Jun 4 2020 // The California Department of Insurance issued a cease and desist order against unlicensed van rental company, Airport Van Rental Inc. and its owners, Yazdan Irani, 57, of Encino, and his wife, Kimberly, 61, for operating a...
Louisiana Legislature Passes Auto Accident ‘Tort Reform’ Bill
Jun 2 2020 // Wrapping up a regular session shortened by the coronavirus pandemic, Louisiana’s Legislature gave the state’s business lobby a long-desired goal and one that Republicans made their signature push for the...
Michigan Orders Auto Insurers to Issue COVID-19 Refunds or Waivers
Jun 2 2020 // Auto insurers in Michigan have been ordered to issue refunds or premium waivers to policyholders due to reduced driving and resulting decrease in risk to insurers brought on by the stay at home orders related to the...
Just Because It’s Not Covered Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Covered…The Entirety of Contract Doctrine – Part 2
Jun 1 2020 // Last month, I shared a claim I had consulted on involving mobile equipment. The adjuster had incorrectly denied the claim because he failed to read both the definition of “mobile equipment” and the exclusion...
Coronavirus and Auto Insurance Shopping
Jun 1 2020 // This year began with auto insurance buyers shopping around more than ever, but by mid-March, shopping began to slow down before returning to normal a few weeks later. According to the data firm LexisNexis, shopping has...
Thieves Find Unattended Autos Easy Targets During Coronavirus Sheltering-at-Home
May 28 2020 // The coronavirus hasn’t been kind to car owners. With more people than ever staying home to lessen the spread of COVID-19, their sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs are parked unattended on the streets, making them easy...
Driving Hasn’t Found Its New Normal Yet: Opinion
May 28 2020 // Memorial Day weekend, the typical start of the U.S. summer driving season, has come and gone. Data on just how much driving Americans did is trickling in, and it’s a bit noisy. Apple mobility trends show searches for...
Texas Insurer Germania Extending Auto Premium Paybacks Through June
May 22 2020 // Texas-based farm mutual insurance company, Germania Insurance, is extending its Reduced Driving Payback through June, raising its total reimbursement to policyholders to nearly $9 million in credits. Germania announced its...
Roads Are Emptier But Riskier During Coronavirus Quarantine. Fatality Rate Up 14%.
May 21 2020 // As Americans have been driving less and covering fewer miles, the emptier roads have become more lethal. Preliminary data from the National Safety Council indicate a year-over-year 14% jump in fatality rates per miles...
For Third Point Re, COVID-19 Crisis Hurts, but It Celebrates 1st Underwriting Profit
May 20 2020 // Third Point Re reported a net loss of $183.6 million for the first quarter of 2020 due to COVID-19-related investment volatility – but the company still had big reasons to celebrate. For the first time since its...
Louisiana Senate OKs Bill Aimed at Curbing Car Accident Lawsuits
May 19 2020 // The Louisiana Senate has agreed to change the rules for lawsuits over car wrecks, aiming to limit damage claims against insurance companies and other businesses. The Senate voted 29-8 for the bill by Republican Sen. Kirk...
Bluefire Insurance Announces 10% Temporary Auto Rate Drop in Louisiana
May 19 2020 // Irving, Texas-based managing general agent specializing in low cost auto insurance, Bluefire Insurance, said it will provide approximately $2.7 million dollars in rate relief to assist policyholders with financial...
How Coronavirus Has Affected Auto Insurance Shopping
May 19 2020 // This year began with auto insurance buyers shopping around more than ever but by mid-March shopping began to slow down before returning to normal a few weeks later. According to the data firm LexisNexis, shopping has...
Car Crashes into Closed Pennsylvania Convenience Store
May 19 2020 // A car slammed into a convenience store in western Pennsylvania, killing one woman and injuring two others, authorities said. The car was traveling down Dwellington Drive in Middlesex Township when it crashed into a closed...
The Facts About Supposed ‘Illegal Acts’ Exclusions
May 18 2020 // Is the Insurance Policy Affected if the Business Opens Against a Governor’s Orders: The Facts About Supposed “Illegal Acts” Exclusions States have gone to war against some municipalities over COVID-19....
Central Insurance COO Hurless Elected to Company’s Board
May 18 2020 // Cindy M. Hurless, chief operating officer of Van Wert, Ohio–based Central Insurance Companies has been elected to the company’s board of directors. Hurless is responsible for oversight of the company’s...
Declarations
May 18 2020 // Michigan Auto Rates “Michigan drivers have been paying some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the country and this independent report shows the bipartisan legislation is beginning to work.” —...
California Issues Cease and Desist over Illegal Extended Warranties
May 18 2020 // The California Department of Insurance issued a cease and desist order on Omega Vehicle Services LLC, doing business as Delta Auto Protect, and its controlling manager, Charles Seruya, in May for allegedly selling illegal...
Legislation to Limit Car Accident Claims Advances in Louisiana
May 14 2020 // Louisiana’s Republican lawmakers have advanced proposals to limit damage claims against businesses in car wreck lawsuits, pushing ahead with the pre-coronavirus priority as Democrats argued the debate was...
Redmer Reflects on Time as Maryland Insurance Commissioner, Talks Future Plans
May 14 2020 // Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer Jr. will leave his regulatory role and step into his new position as executive director of Maryland Auto Insurance on Monday, bringing with him a legacy as Maryland’s longest...
