Latest California Headlines

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

Fire Surcharge Omitted From California Budget

Oct 13 2010 // Insurers are thanking their lucky stars, that for the third year in a row, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to impose a 4.8 percent statewide surcharge on all residential and commercial property...

Integro Buys California Reinsurance Broker ReSource Intermediaries

Oct 12 2010 // Insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro has acquired ReSource Intermediaries, Inc., a reinsurance advisory and brokerage firm based in San Francisco. The move paves the way for New York-based Integro to become...

Calif. Iranian Investment Regs Ruled Improper

Oct 12 2010 // The California Office of Administrative Law has ruled that state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner’s Iranian investment regulations were improper. Earlier this year, the California Department of Insurance...

Schwarzenegger Vetoes Workers’ Comp Bill

Oct 8 2010 // Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a workers’ compensation insurance measure that would have required an employer and insurer to resolve disputes that arise in California to be resolved in the state, and...

California Legislature Passes New Budget

Oct 8 2010 // The California Legislature has approved a new budget for its 2010-2011 fiscal year, passing it a record 100 days after its deadline. The budget includes major reforms in the state’s pension systemand projects to save...

Consumer Group Criticizes Calif. Insurance Commissioner Candidate Villines

Oct 7 2010 // A consumer group is criticizing Calif. insurance commissioner candidate Mike Villines for supposedly taking $ 66,950 from insurance sources despite a pledge not to take money from the industry. Consumer Watchcdog says...

Polls Finds Opposition to Billing Auto Insurance Carriers for Accident Fees

Oct 6 2010 // Californians disagree with the idea that communities should levy fees on out-of-town motorists who cause accidents that require city-funded emergency response services, according to poll results recently released by a...

Calif. Insurers Encouraged to ‘Go Green’

Oct 6 2010 // Insurers have new incentives to go green, thanks to a new law signed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. AB 1011, authored by Assembly Dave Jones, who is running for Insurance Commissioner, requires the state...

Auto Insurance Provider Confie Seguros Acquires Cost-U-Less

Oct 5 2010 // Confie Seguros, a provider of auto insurance with an emphasis on serving Hispanic consumers, has acquired Cost-U-Less Insurance, a California provider of non-standard auto insurance with offices located primarily in the...

CA Council of NAIW Names 2011-2012 Officers

Oct 4 2010 // The California Council of the National Association of Insurance Women has elected officers for its 2011-2012 terms, which begins on July 1, 2011. New officers are: CA Council Director Mitula Patel of Momentous Insurance...

Calif. Insurers Must Disclose Cancellation Fees

Oct 4 2010 // Insurers in California will now be required to disclose cancellation penalties —prior to or concurrent with an application for insurance — thanks to legislation recently signed by Gov. Arnold...

California Modifies Privacy Regulations, Makes Insurance Shopping Easier

Oct 4 2010 // In what’s being called “a major victory for insurance agents and brokers,” the California Department of Insurance has notified the California Office of Administrative Law of its intention to repeal...

People

Oct 4 2010 // Salt Lake City-based The Buckner Co. named Mark A. Oligschlaeger executive vice president/chief operations officer. He joins the insurance firm after having spent the past 12 years working for Leucadia National Corp.,...

Agents to Calif. State Fund: Please Pay Commissions

Oct 4 2010 // Insurance agents and brokers want the California State Compensation Insurance Fund to change its broker of service policy and instead recognize broker of record (BOR) letters. While the policy not to recognize BOR letters...

Declarations

Oct 4 2010 // A Continuing Objective “Our objective remains the same at AIG, which is to repay taxpayers and position AIG over time as a strong, independent company worthy of investor confidence.” —An anonymous source from...

CEA Aims to Improve Value, Affordability of Calif. Earthquake Insurance

Oct 4 2010 // Californians might have more reason to retrofit their homes to better withstand a major earthquake, thanks to a recently adopted building code for retrofitting existing structures. The standard, approved in August by the...

Safeco Names Alexander Regional General Manager in California

Oct 1 2010 // Safeco Insurance has appointed Chris Alexander to regional general manager for its California region personal lines operation. Alexander will be based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., and comes to this position from New York, where...

Schwarzenegger Signs Homeowners Insurance Disclosure Law

Oct 1 2010 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law new rules designed to make it easier for understand their choices when purchasing homeowners insurance. AB2022 will, on July 1, 2011, revise the mandatory language...

Calif. May Stop Paying Some Workers’ Comp Benefits

Oct 1 2010 // About 2,700 injured workers in California may not receive the workers’ compensation benefits they are entitled to because the state has not yet passed its budget. According to Susan Gard, chief of legislation and...

Calif. Governor Vetoes Workers’ Comp Measure

Sep 30 2010 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a workers’ compensation measure that would have required a physician who conducts a utilization review of workers’ comp medical treatment to be licensed in...