Latest Auto Headlines

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

Auto Insurance Key to Michigan State Senator’s Gubernatorial Bid

Jan 7 2010 // State Sen. Hansen Clarke has jumped into the Michigan governor’s race now that Lt. Gov. John Cherry has decided not to run. Auto insurance reform will likely figure prominently in Clarke’s bid for the...

Richardson Named State Auto Middle Markets Western Region VP

Jan 6 2010 // Todd Richardson has been promoted to regional vice president – State Auto Middle Markets Insurance (SAMMI) for the company’s Western region, which includes Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma and...

Michigan’s H.E.A.T. Recovers $51M in Stolen Property in 25 Years

Jan 5 2010 // Since its inception in 1985, tips to Michigan’s Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (H.E.A.T.) program have led to recovery of more than $51 million in stolen property and arrests of more than 3,300 suspects involved in auto...

Car Insurance Premiums to Rise for Many Louisiana Drivers

Dec 31 2009 // A law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010, increasing the required minimum liability auto insurance coverage is expected to increase insurance rates for more than 1 million Louisiana motorists. Though the change was...

Vehicle Safety Inspections Fade into D.C. History

Dec 31 2009 // The District of Columbia has done away with vehicle safety checks, but car owners still must pay $35 and wait in long lines for federally mandated emissions tests. The inspection charge is the same as it was before Oct. 1,...

Pennsylvania Sting Nets 24 Arrests for Auto Insurance Fraud

Dec 30 2009 // Twenty-four people, including 17 New York residents, six from New Jersey and one Pennsylvania resident, have been charged with insurance fraud and other related offenses after falsely claiming to be Pennsylvania residents...

Report: Deregulation Made Massachusetts Auto Insurance Market Worse

Dec 28 2009 // The deregulation of the Massachusetts auto insurance market has driven up prices, boosted insurer profits, reduced consumer protections and generally created confusion in the marketplace, according to a new report by the...

Michigan Auto Insurance Bills Stall As Senate Adjourns Without Acting

Dec 28 2009 // The Michigan Senate adjourned before Christmas without taking action on a property/casualty insurance bill package already passed by the House of Representatives. The package would, among other things, give the insurance...

Auto Warranty Firms Shut Down in Florida

Dec 22 2009 // Florida insurance officials have shut down four firms selling motor vehicle service warranties for being unlicensed. Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced that the Office of Insurance Regulation has...

Study: Homeowner Insurance Claimants Less Satisfied Than Auto Claimants

Dec 22 2009 // Homeowners insurance customers who file a property claim are much less satisfied with their claims experience than auto claimants, according to a new study. The satisfaction level of homeowners claimants is significantly...

Washington Keeps Auto Rate Down $26 Million

Dec 22 2009 // Rate reviews by the Washington State Insurance Commissioner’s office reduced proposed automobile insurance rates by $26 million over the first 10 months of this year, a reduction of about 1 percent. In 2008, the rate...

Georgia Father, Son Agents Charged with Defrauding Goodwill, Insurer

Dec 21 2009 // Georgia Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine said two Macon insurance agents — a father and son– have been arrested after being charged with keeping premiums paid to them for auto and business liability...

Washington Auto Glass Installer Pleads to Insurance Fraud

Dec 21 2009 // A Battle Ground, Washington, auto glass installer who overbilled an insurance company for years has pleaded guilty to first-degree theft. Robert T. Wooster, 51, doing business as Dr. Bob’s Auto Glass and DRB...

2009 P/C Insurance Mergers, Acquisitions Large and Small

Dec 20 2009 // Large insurers AIG, Farmers and The Hartford made moves in 2009, as did large brokers Marsh, Aon, Willis, Gallagher, Brown & Brown, Hub and Wells Fargo. So, too, did, many regional insurers and Main Street agencies....

Insurance Does Not Cover Shootings by Drunk Pennsylvania Doctor

Dec 18 2009 // The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a man’s drunkenness did not render his attempted shootings of a woman accidental and therefore did not trigger coverage under either his homeowners policy or his...

Michigan House Passes Auto Insurance Reform Legislation

Dec 17 2009 // An insurance trade group says a bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives threatens to increase auto insurance costs and harm the state’s job market and economy. The Property Casualty Insurers Association...

Fireman’s Fund Offers Allianz Brand Personal Auto Insurance in 11 States

Dec 17 2009 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund is launching an Allianz Personal Auto Policy in 11 states, with plans to offer the coverage in more states by the end of 2010. The policy initially will be available in Arizona,...

Illinois Department of Insurance Warns of Possible Auto Insurance Scam

Dec 17 2009 // The Illinois Department of Insurance reports that some Illinois residents have received letters, printed on fake insurance department letterhead, advising recipients that their “automobile insurance policy is...

Allstate to Auction Recovered 1965 Volkswagen Van

Dec 16 2009 // Allstate announced today that it will sell a recovered 1965 Volkswagen bus at auction and donate the proceeds to Lydia Place, a nonprofit organization in Washington state serving homeless women and children impacted by...

Kansas Regulators: State’s Auto Insurance Rates Among Lowest in U.S.

Dec 15 2009 // The Kansas Insurance Department reports that Kansas ranks sixth lowest in the nation for average auto insurance expenditures, according to figures released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)....