Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Suit Says USAA Unfairly Denied Car Crash Claims
May 18 2011 // A Salem, Ore., attorney has filed a lawsuit accusing USAA Insurance Co, which represents military members and their families, of fraudulently denying claims after car crashes. The Salem Statesman Journal reports the suit,...
Reik Named Vice President at State Auto
May 18 2011 // State Auto Financial Corp., based in Columbus, Ohio, has elected Timothy (Tim) G. Reik a vice president following his appointment as director of Risk Evaluation and Design (RED) Operations. Reik was also elected vice...
State Auto Estimates April Storm Losses of $75M to $85M
May 17 2011 // State Auto Financial Corp., based in Columbus, Ohio, has estimated its second quarter 2011 earnings will include between $75 million and $85 million in pre-tax catastrophe losses related to April storm activity, net of...
Three Convicted in Massachusetts Auto Fraud Ring Case
May 17 2011 // A Massachusetts jury has returned guilty verdicts against three men — including a lawyer and a chiropractor — accused of staging several fraudulent motor vehicle accidents, according to the attorney general’s...
Florida Nabs 53 Suspects in Staged Car Crash Scheme
May 16 2011 // Authorities say a five-month investigation into staged car accidents and insurance fraud culminated in arrest warrants for 53 people in the Tampa area. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said that search...
Progressive’s Mileage-Based ‘Snapshot’ Car Insurance Goes National
May 16 2011 // Progressive has launched national advertising for its “Pay-As-You-Drive” program, Snapshot, which offers drivers discounts of as much as 30 percent based on real-time analysis of their driving habits. Over the...
How the Young Salesperson Beat the Veteran
May 16 2011 // The Sales Story of How I Bought My Cool New Car I just acquired a shiny new car. I bought it from a relatively young salesperson instead of from the veteran who sold me my last one. This column points out seven basic sales...
Cost of Fatal Car Crashes by State
May 13 2011 // More than 30,000 people are killed in car crashes each year in the United States. In addition to the toll on victims’ families and friends, crash deaths result in some $41 billion in medical and work loss costs,...
Safety Advocates, Industry Spar Over Bus, Truck Safety Rules
May 13 2011 // On a clear June afternoon, a tractor-trailer truck crested a small rise on a stretch of interstate highway in Oklahoma. Plainly visible in the distance were more than a dozen cars and trucks that had stopped while a...
FEMA Asking for Return of Disaster Aid
May 12 2011 // After Iowa’s raging Cedar River filled his home with 13 feet of water and ruined most of his possessions, Justin Van Fleet pleaded for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get back on his feet. Dead...
Goose Crashes Through Car Windshield on Michigan Driver
May 11 2011 // A 12-pound Canada goose crashed through the windshield of a sport utility vehicle as a woman drove on the highway in Bay County. Williams Township assistant fire chief Craig Pickelman said the unnamed 35-year-old woman...
Van Gieson Promoted in State Auto’s Western Regional Office
May 5 2011 // State Auto Insurance announced that Erin Van Gieson has been promoted to Personal Lines sales manager in the company’s Western Regional office, located in Austin, Texas. Van Gieson has served as a personal insurance...
Cat Losses Rise but State Auto Q1 Income Nearly Even with Last Year
May 4 2011 // State Auto Financial Corp., based in Columbus, Ohio, has reported first quarter 2011 net income of $12.7 million versus net income of $12.9 million for the first quarter of 2010. STFC’s GAAP combined ratio for the...
What Agents Need to Know About Recreational Insurance
May 2 2011 // Vehicles used for recreational purposes such as RVs or boats carry distinct risks that require unique claims, coverage and concessions that automobile insurance does not. Before your client puts his boat in the water or...
Florida Court Rejects Vicarious Liability
May 2 2011 // The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that motor vehicle leasing companies in the state cannot be held liable for accidents with their rented vehicles they did not cause. The state’s high court agreed with lower state...
North Carolina In Auto Rate Deregulation Battle
May 2 2011 // Auto insurers are looking to change the way rates are set in North Carolina but that’s not going to happen if Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has his way. There are several bills pending in the state Legislature...
American Collectors Enhances Collector Vehicle Coverage
Apr 29 2011 // American Collectors Insurance has broadened the availability of specialty collector vehicle insurance to vehicles of any year, make, and model, and also introduced several enhancements for collector vehicle insurance. The...
Dragging Death Prompts Colo. Tow-Truck Bill
Apr 28 2011 // Tow-truck drivers and the widow of a Colorado Springs tow-truck driver dragged to his death earlier this year have passed the first hurdle to enacting safety changes. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that...
Study: High Gas Prices Lead to Fewer Auto Accidents
Apr 28 2011 // As gasoline prices reach $4 a gallon throughout the nation, pain at the pump seems to have at least one silver lining for drivers and insurers. The rising cost of gas also drives a decline in all traffic accidents,...
Nevada Assembly Approves Low-Cost Auto Insurance Program
Apr 27 2011 // The Nevada Assembly has passed a bill to implement a low-cost auto insurance pilot program, with an assessment on motor vehicle liability policies funding the operation of and publicity for the pilot program. Currently...
