Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Prison Case Tests Liability of Private Workers Doing Government Work
May 19 2011 // The Supreme Court this week agreed to hear a case on the liability of employees of private companies that operate state and federal prisons, a case defense lawyers worry could open the floodgates for suits against other...
Why Bragging May Create a Greater Legal Duty of Care
May 19 2011 // It has often been said that every attorney has a little larceny in his heart. In similar fashion, it could be said that every insurance agent has a little puffery in his heart regarding his book of business, background and...
Calif. Practices for Flooding as South is Inundated
May 18 2011 // Emergency workers in nearly half of California counties will be practicing for a catastrophic flood this week — a drill given added urgency by the once-in-a-generation flooding in the Mississippi River delta 2,300...
Calif. Workers’ Comp Premium Written Edges Up to $7.1B
May 18 2011 // California workers’ compensation insurers’ total direct written premium (DWP) rose 3.1 percent to $7.1 billion last year, according to data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) posted...
Calif. Surplus Line Premiums Down 4.34%
May 17 2011 // The Surplus Line Association of California Stamping Office announced premiums processed for the first quarter of 2011 of $953.7 million, a decrease of 4.34 percent from the total premiums processed in the same period in...
Gov. Jerry Brown Proposes Eliminating Standards Board, Insurance Advisor
May 17 2011 // In an effort to save the state about $500,000, California Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed eliminating the Office of the Insurance Advisor and the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, according to his proposed May...
Toyota Can Be Sued for Reduced Value of Cars, U.S. Judge Rules
May 17 2011 // Owners of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles that were recalled over unintended acceleration may pursue claims against the automaker that the problem caused the value of their cars to fall, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S....
Feliciano Named VP of California Insurer Association
May 17 2011 // The Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) has named Armand Feliciano vice president. He has 17 years of legal, regulatory and legislative advocacy experience in California. He will be responsible for...
‘Crash Tax’ Regs Still OK in California
May 16 2011 // A bill that would have prevented state and local governments from imposing accident response fees for emergency response in vehicle accidents has died in the Senate Public Safety Committee. Senate Bill 49 would have...
Calif. Assembly Bans Workers’ Comp Cuts Due to Race, Sex
May 16 2011 // California’s Assembly approved changes to the state’s safety net for injured workers that would prevent cuts to disability benefits based on race, sex or age. The 44-22 party-line vote on AB1155 came over the...
Calif. Blocks Bill to Boost Insurance Commissioner’s Penalty Powers
May 16 2011 // The California Senate Insurance Committee has blocked a restitution bill that would have given explicit authority to the state Insurance Commissioner to order restitution as part of an administrative enforcement action...
Ratings Recap: Keystone, Forestry Mutual, Residential Re, National Unity, Dakota
May 12 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from’ B++’ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings (ICRs) to “aa-” from “bbb” of Keystone...
California Group Offers Commercial Insurance Resources
May 11 2011 // The Insurance Information Network of California is now tailoring content to assist small businesses on their understanding of commercial insurance. Information available on its Web site will cover basics of business...
Calif. Workers’ Comp Information Filing Being Reviewed
May 11 2011 // At its April 6, 2011 meeting, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California’s Governing Committee directed the WCIRB to submit to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) an informational...
Top 10 States for Dog Bite Claims
May 11 2011 // State Farm Insurance Co. has released its top 10 states for claims involving dog bites, with California on top in number of claims and Florida recording the highest cost per claim. The Bloomington-based State Farm reported...
California Leads Nation in Dog Bite Claims, State Farm Says
May 10 2011 // California leads the nation in the number of claims made and paid out by State Farm Insurance for dog bites, according to the Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer. The insurer recorded 369 claims were made, and $11.3 million...
Best Affirms No. Am. Casualty Financial Ratings; Upgrades Debt
May 10 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “a” of North American Casualty Group (NAC) and its members, California Insurance Company, and Continental Indemnity Company,...
Hub International Acquires Two Agencies
May 9 2011 // Hub International Limited has acquired the assets of Lawson-Hawks Insurance Agency Inc. (LHI), a Mountain View, Calif.-based insurance brokerage firm, and Mark Tauber Insurance Brokerage Inc., a Brooklyn, New York-based...
Insuring the Children Grant Provides Funding for Southern California Day Camp
May 9 2011 // Insuring the Children (ITC), a program of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), has awarded a special grant to the Children’s Bureau, meeting funding needs for Oak View Summer Day Camp, held at the Oak...
Calif. Blocks Bill to Boost Insurance Commissioner’s Penalty Powers
May 9 2011 // The California Senate Insurance Committee has blocked a restitution bill that would have given explicit authority to the state Insurance Commissioner to order restitution as part of an administrative enforcement action...
