Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Berkshire Hathaway Names Gupta Head of Cat Engineering in California
Feb 4 2015 // Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has named Akshay Gupta senior vice president and head of catastrophe engineering and analytics. Gupta is based in the San Francisco Bay area. Gupta has more than 20 years of...
Protector Holdings Acquires Peartree Insurance in California
Feb 4 2015 // Protector Holdings has acquired Brea, Calif.-based Peartree Insurance Services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Peartree specializes in providing insurance services to Hispanic consumers. Protector Holdings in 2013...
California State Fund Files April 1 Rating Plan
Feb 3 2015 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund has filed for a 9 percent increase in collectible premium that will apply to new and renewal workers’ compensation policies effective on or after April 1. Although...
Former California Agent Pleads Guilty in $6M Fraud Case
Feb 3 2015 // An Upland, Calif. man has pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud and tax charges in relation to a loan scam that reportedly netted him more than $5.9 million. Derek Richard Brewart, 53, a former licensed insurance agent and...
Networked Names Hayes Vice President in Southern California
Jan 30 2015 // Grass Valley, Calif.-based Networked Insurance Agents has named Phyllis Hayes sales vice president. Hayes will be the key point of contact for independent agency members in the Los Angeles County, Ventura County, San...
Pelissier Named Partner at Woodruff-Sawyer in California
Jan 30 2015 // Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has named Jared Pelissier a partner and senior vice president in the Southern California office. Pelissier specializes in management liability and cyber liability risks for companies of all sizes...
California Judge Questions Lyft’s Refusal to Pay Drivers as Employees
Jan 30 2015 // Lyft Inc.’s practice of treating drivers as independent contractors was questioned by a federal judge who said that under California law they may be considered employees who would qualify for minimum wage and other...
5.7 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Northern California Coast
Jan 30 2015 // A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck off the coast of Northern California on Jan. 28. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake shook at 1:08 p.m. about 40 miles southwest of Eureka. Lt....
ISU Cormarc Tasman in California Formed with Merger
Jan 29 2015 // ISU Cormarc Tasman Insurance Agency was recently formed by combining ISU Cormarc Insurance Services headquartered in Murrieta, Calif. with ISU Insurance Services Tasman in Ladera Ranch. The headquarters for the new agency...
Organized Family Insurance Ring Busted in Southern California
Jan 29 2015 // Detectives from the California Department of Insurance’s insurance fraud enforcement division arrested 15 Los Angeles area residents Thursday morning for allegedly staging auto collisions and filing more than...
Super Bowl Spells 77% Rise in Alcohol-Related Vehicle Crashes in California
Jan 28 2015 // Super Bowl Sunday is among the most dangerous days to venture onto California roads as gatherings for the game at parties or restaurants prompt drivers to consume alcohol. More drinking-related crashes happen in California...
Metromile Insurance Option for Uber Drivers Approved by California Commissioner
Jan 28 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has approved a filing that will enable Uber drivers purchasing coverage through Metromile to add a new coverage endorsement to their personal auto policy. That endorsement will...
California Opens Fast Lane to Approve TNC Insurance Products
Jan 28 2015 // The California Department of Insurance has approved the state’s first private passenger auto policy endorsement specifically crafted to cover drivers for transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft. Coming...
Chevron: Report Wrong About California Refinery’s Safety Culture
Jan 27 2015 // Chevron says it agrees with several findings in a federal report about a 2012 fire at one of its refineries in California’s San Francisco Bay Area. But it adds the report by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board...
California Commission Fines PG&E $530K For Safety Violations
Jan 27 2015 // The California Public Utilities Commission has fined Pacific Gas & Electric $530,000 for safety violations it says it found during audits that began in 2012. The commission says in a Friday statement that the fines...
California Suit Against Boy Scouts Could Reveal Sex Abuse Claims
Jan 27 2015 // A sex abuse case claiming negligence against the Boy Scouts is getting underway in California and will include the use of previously undisclosed information from “perversion” files kept by the organization. The...
Worldwide Facilities in California Names Rowland Vice President
Jan 26 2015 // Worldwide Facilities Inc. has named Joe Rowland vice president and broker specializing in casualty products in its Irvine, Calif. office. Rowland will be responsible for new business development in the casualty...
NAIC Seeks Input on TNC White Paper
Jan 26 2015 // The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has begun a 30-day comment period on a draft white paper (available here) that no doubt will shape the development in states across the country of insurance requirements...
California Motor Vehicles Revokes Notice on Commercial Plates for Uber
Jan 26 2015 // California has retracted a notice that said private drivers for ridesharing companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. must have a commercial license plate or risk getting a citation. The California Department...
Mercury in California Ordered to Pay $27.5M for Unapproved Broker Fees
Jan 26 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones ordered Mercury Insurance to pay a fine of $27.5 million because Mercury auto insurance consumers were allegedly charged unapproved broker fees. Mercury did not obtain...
