Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study: Calif. Workers’ Comp Medical Payments Back to Pre-Reform Levels
May 28 2010 // California workers’ compensation medical payments are increasing and have moved back above pre-reform levels, according to a new study by the Califonria Workers’ Compensation Insitute. CWCI research that...
California’s 40 State Court Cases Against Toyota Consolidated
May 27 2010 // A judge has ordered the pretrial merger of at least 40 California state court lawsuits filed against Toyota over cars that have raced out of control, including a case stemming from the fatal crash that sparked the...
California Nonprofit Execs Accused of Exposing Teens to Health Risks
May 24 2010 // Three executives of a now-defunct California nonprofit that provided job training for young people knowingly placed dozens of teenagers in jobs that exposed them to asbestos, prosecutors say. The nonprofit Firm Build sent...
California City Seeks Liability Limit in Death of Young Lifeguard
May 21 2010 // An insurance company has asked a federal court to limit liability by the city of Huntington Beach in the death of an 11-year-old girl who was killed during a junior lifeguard drill. Attorneys with Navigator’s...
Calif. Bill Would Allow Video Monitors in Vehicles
May 19 2010 // The California Assembly has passed a bill that would allow video recorders to be installed on vehicles’ dashboards. State law currently prohibits dashboard devices that may obstruct a driver’s view. The bill is...
California Workers’ Compensation Insurance Market More Lucrative
May 18 2010 // Prices are improving in the California workers’ compensation insurance market — at least according to one specialty workers’ compensation carrier in the Golden State. According to PacificComp President...
Allstate Adding Agents in California
May 18 2010 // Allstate Insurance Co. announced it is seeking dozens of agents in California. “We see a significant opportunity in the current economy to attract mid-career, mid-level managers to own and operate their own business...
Malasig Joins Suhr Risk Services of California Sales Force
May 18 2010 // Albert Malasig has joined the property/casualty arm of Suhr Risk Services of California. With more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, and an emphasis in risk management for middle market businesses,...
S&P Lowers Mercury’s Ratings
May 17 2010 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its counterparty credit and senior unsecured debt ratings on Los Angeles-based Mercury General Corp. to ‘BBB+’ from ‘A-‘. S&P also...
Two Calif. Workers’ Comp Defense Firms Merge
May 17 2010 // Heggeness, Sweet, Simington & Patrico, a San Diego-based workers’ compensation defense firm and Mentz, Finn & McDowell, a San Francisco-based workers’ comp defense firm, have announced an agreement to...
Calif. Agent, Insurer Groups Discuss Homeowners Replacement Cost Regs
May 17 2010 // To alleviate concerns about homeowner under-insurance, the California Department of Insurance has proposed regulations governing standards and training for estimating replacement value on homeowners’ insurance. CDI...
People
May 17 2010 // Irvine, Calif.-based Superior Access Insurance Services Inc. named Tom Crawford chairman of the board of directors. Before joining Superior Access, Crawford served as chairman, president and CEO of Crawford & Co. With...
CRC Loses 100 Employees; Possible Legal Action to Follow
May 17 2010 // When 10 percent of an organization’s entire workforce resigns in one day, the fallout can be devastating. That’s exactly what happened to CRC Insurance Services Inc. (CRC) – one of the largest wholesale...
Calif. Insurers Agree to Voluntary Sanctions Against Iranian Government
May 14 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that 1,010 insurance companies — more than 75 percent of insurers licensed to do business in California — have agreed to forgo future investments in 50...
Lawmakers See Expanded Role for Calif. Insurance Commissioner
May 14 2010 // Two state lawmakers are the leading candidates for the Democratic nomination for California insurance commissioner, the statewide office responsible for regulating insurers at a time of great change and heightened scrutiny...
Calif. Commissioner Poizner Gains Ground in Race for Governor
May 13 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is gaining ground on his Republican opponent Meg Whitman in the primary race for state governor. With one month until votes are counted, SurveyUSA’s latest tracking...
Study: Calif. Workers’ Comp Claimants Getting Care They Want
May 12 2010 // Division of Workers’ Compensation releases latest study on access to medical care in California’s workers’ compensation system Injured workers are getting the care they need, according to a recent study...
Network Physician Use Increases in California Workers’ Comp Claims
May 11 2010 // Tthe percentage of medical services to injured workers delivered by network physicians jumped sharply immediately after Medical Provider Networks (MPNs) were introduced into the workers’ compensation system in 2005,...
Calif. Insurance Guarantee Association Could Issue Bonds to 2013
May 10 2010 // The California Senate has passed a bill to extend extend from Jan. 1, 2011, to Jan. 1, 2013, the sunset date on the authority of the California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) to issue revenue bonds to pay...
Calif. To Examine Validity of Anthem’s Claims-Related Data
May 7 2010 // The California Department of Insurance (CDI) had begun an effort to assess the validity of the claims data used by Anthem Blue Cross to justify future rate filings. “As Anthem readies its new rate filing, I have...
