Latest Auto Headlines

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

N.Y. Auto Plan Clarifies New Application Process

Sep 16 2002 // The New York Automobile Insurance Plan (NYAIP) has sent a clarification to the Professional Insurance Agents of New York (PIANY) regarding its new declination procedure for agents in that state. As stated by the Plan, the...

Husband, Wife Charged with Auto Fraud

Sep 16 2002 // Hugo Tapia Lopez, 42, and his wife, Angelica Rivera, AKA Angelica Rivera Munoz, 45, of Arbuckle, Calif., were arrested and booked into the Colusa County Jail as the result of an investigation by the CDI’s Criminal...

Use of Credit a Hot Topic at Senate Hearing

Sep 16 2002 // The insurance industry took a few hits at a recent Senate committee hearing on the use of consumer credit histories in rating and underwriting insurance policies. In addition to criticisms from consumer groups, the...

La. Okays State Farm Auto Rate Increases

Sep 13 2002 // The Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission approved automobile insurance rate increases for State Farm Group that were less than those originally requested by the insurer. According to A.M. Best regulators approved a 14...

Privacy, Auto Repair Shop Bills Fail in Calif. 2002 Legislative Session

Sep 10 2002 // California’s 2002 legislative session came to a close recently without passage of bills aiming to restrict insurers’ use of personal financial information and investments in auto repair shops. Both measures...

Palisades Acquires N.J. Auto Lines from American Financial, The Hartford

Sep 10 2002 // Subsidiaries of American Financial Group Inc. and The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. announced transfers of their New Jersey personal auto businesses to units of Palisades. American Financial subsidiary Great...

InsWeb Introduces Auto Index

Sep 6 2002 // California-based InsWeb Corp. a producer of automobile insurance in the U.S., has introduced the InsWeb Auto Insurance Index. The InsWeb Auto Insurance Index is designed to identify and track general pricing trends of...

German Insurers Set Up Terror Risk Vehicle

Sep 4 2002 // 16 leading insurance companies, including Munich Re, Swiss Re and Allianz, announced the foundation of “Extremus,” a jointly owned insurance vehicle which will provide excess coverage for losses caused by...

Fraud Fighters Tackle Individuals Looking to Exploit Disaster

Sep 2 2002 // Among those combating this problem has been the New York Department of Insurance. New York Insurance Commissioner Gregory Serio said his department has actively coordinated with other law enforcement agencies to...

Friends Arrested on Auto Fraud Charges

Sep 2 2002 // Emmanuel Benavides Torres, 25, and Oscar Gomez Martinez, 26, were arrested on insurance fraud and arson charges. According to the CDI Criminal Investigations Branch’s Fraud Division, a Suspected Fraudulent Claim...

Fraud Fighters Tackle Individuals Looking to Exploit Disaster

Sep 2 2002 // The events of Sept. 11, 2002 are no doubt unique, but as with all disaster, there are some that are likely to take advantage of the situation. Needless to say, insurance fraud has reared its ugly head over the last year as...

Vesta Affirmed

Sep 2 2002 // Fitch Ratings affirmed “BBB-” insurer financial strength ratings of Vesta Insurance Group’s insurance subsidiaries. A “BBB-” rating was assigned to Florida Select Insurance Company (Florida...

New La. Auto, Homeowners Rate Comparison Guides Available

Aug 20 2002 // Louisiana Acting Commissioner of Insurance J. Robert Wooley announced the compilation of new rate comparison guides for auto and homeowners insurance, which are available free of charge. “Both the auto and the...

State Auto Financial Announces Dividend Increase

Aug 19 2002 // The board of directors of Ohio-based State Auto Financial Corporation voted to increase the quarterly cash dividend to $0.035 per share, payable Sept. 30, 2002, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Sept....

Calif. Woman Arrested for Auto Fraud

Aug 19 2002 // Monique E. Henriquez, 37, of Elk Grove, Calif., surrendered to authorities in Sacramento County on four counts of insurance fraud. According to an investigation by the CDI, Henriquez’s State Farm automobile policy...

Friends Caught in Auto Fraud Scheme

Aug 19 2002 // A Sacramento man was arrested by the CDI’s Organized Auto Fraud Interdiction Task Force on charges of auto insurance fraud. An Oregon man who allegedly acted as an accomplice is expected to surrender to authorities...

Mo. Ranks 32nd in Costs for Insuring Passenger Cars, Trucks

Aug 16 2002 // Residents of 30 states and the District of Columbia on average paid more in 2000 to insure their autos than Missourians, according to a new national study. With about 4 million passenger cars and trucks on the road in the...

Ala. Dept. to Hold Auto Rate Hearing Sept. 17

Aug 16 2002 // The Alabama Commissioner of Insurance will hold a hearing Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. at the offices of the Alabama Department of Insurance, 201 Monroe Street, Suite 1700, Montgomery. The hearing will be used to discuss a revision...

Kemper Expands Web Training for Agents

Aug 14 2002 // Kemper Auto and Home, formerly Individual Family and Group (IFG) are adding a pair of training seminars to its roster. To date, more than 3,000 new and existing agents have participated in the program since it was first...

Vesta Declares Cash Dividend, Receives Negative Outlook from Fitch

Aug 9 2002 // Alabama-based Vesta Insurance Group, a holding company for various insurance and financial service firms, announced its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share for the period ending...