Latest Auto Headlines
All the headlines from our Auto Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Two Arrested in Calif. for Staging Auto Accidents
Mar 7 2007 // Two suspects in California have been arrested in connection with staging automobile accidents and filing insurance claims for medical treatment they falsely claimed to have received in other countries, according to the...
Calif. Man Caught for Arranging “Theft” of Truck
Mar 6 2007 // Investigators with the California Department of Insurance (CDI) Fraud Division have arrested a Newhall, Calif., man for allegedly staging the theft of his high-end pickup truck in a scheme to defraud his auto insurance...
Casper Named President/COO of Van Gilder
Mar 6 2007 // John A. Casper has been named president and chief operating officer of Van Gilder Insurance Corp., a privately owned insurance brokerage firm based in Denver. Casper comes to Van Gilder after 11 years at St. Paul...
Zurich’s Farmers Group to Buy U.S. Auto Insurer Bristol West
Mar 5 2007 // Swiss insurer Zurich Financial Services AG said Friday that an American subsidiary intends to buy Bristol West Holdings Inc. for around $712 million, helping to beef up the Swiss insurer’s U.S. operations. Bristol...
Study: Midsize Car Bumpers Do Little to Prevent Costly Damage
Mar 5 2007 // Those minor fender benders might cost more than you think, according to new crash tests released by the insurance industry. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that most bumpers on midsize cars do little to...
Fraudulent Auto Crash Claims Result in Arrest in La.
Mar 5 2007 // The Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud Unit announced it arrested Becky Roberts, of West Monroe, in Ouachita Parish on Feb. 23, 2007, for insurance fraud (2 counts) and forgery. State Police said an investigation...
Pomona Woman Arrested After Tracking Device Leads to Stolen Car
Mar 5 2007 // A Pomona, Calif., woman has been arrested after authorities followed a signal from an electronic tracking device installed in a car she reported stolen, officials said. Elva Padilla surrendered to authorities after...
Colo. House Passes Motorcycle Helmet Bill for Minors
Mar 5 2007 // The Colorado House has passed a bill that would require children under age 18 to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Passing on a 39-26 vote, House Bill 1117 would create penalities of $100 if the operator is under 18...
Arrowhead General Expands Motorcycle Program in Pennsylvania
Mar 2 2007 // Arrowhead General Insurance Agency Inc.’s Personal Lines Division has expanded its motorcycle program to Pennsylvania. Coverage is being provided by a carrier rated “A-” by A.M. Best. Coverages range from...
Advocates Push for Vehicle Safety Gear to Reduce Backover Accidents
Mar 1 2007 // Lawmakers and safety advocates on Capitol Hill called for new auto safety upgrades this week that would require rearview cameras for drivers and power windows that automatically reverse, both as a way to protect children...
State Farm to Distribute $195 Million Calif. Auto Policyholder Dividend
Mar 1 2007 // State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. announced that auto insurance policyholders in California will receive a dividend 15 percent of their semi-annual premium. The total amount to be distributed is estimated to total...
Mass. auto assigned risk plan could be history before it even begins
Feb 26 2007 // Massachusetts insurance agents have urged the administration of Gov. Deval Patrick to scrap a proposed auto insurance assigned risk plan that the previous administration championed for four years. Former Insurance...
Ohio auto and homeowners rates decrease in 2006
Feb 26 2007 // The Ohio Department of Insurance recently announced that the average rates for the state’s top 10 auto and homeowners insurers — which represent 72 percent of both markets — decreased 1.2 percent and 0.8...
Car airbags can cause permanent hearing loss, study says
Feb 26 2007 // A researcher at a national hearing conference will present data that predicts 17 percent of people exposed to deployed airbags in American cars will suffer from permanent hearing loss. His data also shows, contrary to what...
Identity theft: A ‘catch phrase for the new millennium’
Feb 26 2007 // Contrary to popular opinion and despite well-publicized security breaches at governmental entities and major corporations, the primary methods of confiscating the information necessary to commit identity theft turn out to...
Insurers defend use of education, job criteria in rating in Florida
Feb 26 2007 // Insurers are defending the factors they use in pricing auto insurance, including the occupation and education levels of insureds, arguing that the criteria have been actuarially tested for their ability to predict...
CaseLaw Watch
Feb 26 2007 // Attorneys Fees State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Lestenkof (Alaska, Sept. 29, 2006) Ruling: In this case, the court considered whether an auto insurer must pay unlimited (Alaska Civil Rule 82) attorney’s...
Ohio auto and homeowners rates decrease in 2006
Feb 25 2007 // The Ohio Department of Insurance recently an-nounced that the average rates for the state’s top 10 auto and homeowners insurers — which represent 72 percent of both markets — decreased 1.2 percent and 0.8...
Car airbags can cause permanent hearing loss, study says
Feb 25 2007 // A researcher at a national hearing conference will present data that predicts 17 percent of people exposed to deployed airbags in American cars will suffer from permanent hearing loss. His data also shows, contrary to what...
