Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
U.S. Shareholders Sue Toyota
Feb 9 2010 // Toyota faced its first U.S. class-action lawsuits stemming from complaints of faulty brakes in its top-selling Prius hybrid car and from investors claiming they were misled about problems with unintended acceleration in a...
Abram Interstate Offers HO-3 Program for Northern & Central California
Feb 9 2010 // Abram Interstate Insurance Services Inc. in Rocklin, Calif., is offering a market for difficult to place property risks with competitive pricing and flexibility. They will write: older homes with no age limit, seasonal/...
California Department of Insurance Recovers $112.1 Million for Consumers
Feb 8 2010 // The California Department of Insurance (CDI) announced it has has recovered $112.1 million for consumers through consumer complaint investigations and market conduct examinations of insurance companies. The $112 million is...
Business Moves
Feb 7 2010 // Fiesta Auto Huntington Beach, Calif.-based Fiesta Auto Insurance is combining its two business models — insurance and tax preparation — under one roof, quadrupling its presence to more than 80 locations....
2010 Will Challenge Calif. Insurance Agents, But Bright Spots Ahead
Feb 7 2010 // In 2009, independent insurance agents and brokers faced a “perfect storm” with the economic downturn, premiums at a fraction of what they used to be, and unemployment and home foreclosure rates up. But 2010 may...
Business Moves
Feb 7 2010 // Swiss Re, Berkshire Hathaway Swiss Re concluded an agreement with Berkshire Hathaway Life Insurance Company of Nebraska to cede, a “closed block of yearly renewable term individual life reinsurance business, written...
Only 20% of Oregonians Insured for Earthquake Risks
Feb 7 2010 // Although Oregon is among the states at highest risk for a major earthquake, only about 20 percent of Oregonians have earthquake insurance, according to a Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS)...
It Figures
Feb 7 2010 // $1.5 Billion Projected budget deficit Colorado lawmakers are grappling with, as they evaluate proposals to slash spending for public education, higher education, Medicaid and other programs. Among the proposals being...
Northern Calif. Earthquake Damage Predicted to Be Less Than $10M
Feb 5 2010 // Damage and loss from yesterday’s magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck offshore Northern California are expected to be less than $10 million, with insured losses a fraction of that, a risk modeling firm has reported....
Western Security Surplus Insurance Promotes 3 in Brokerage Unit
Feb 4 2010 // California-based Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers (WSS) has announced changes in the personnel for the WSS Brokerage Division. In the Pasadena, Calif., office, Philip Tiomico, who has been with WSS since 2008,...
Magnitude 5.9 Earthquake Strikes Northern California
Feb 4 2010 // A magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck offshore Northern California at 12:20 p.m. PST, about 35 miles from Petolia and 50 miles from Eureka, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. This is the second earthquake in the area in...
California Evaluates Continuous Coverage Discount
Feb 3 2010 // A California voter initiative that will appear on the June 8, 2010, ballot aimed at rewarding drivers who have had insurance for some time to be eligible for a “persistency discount,” even if they change...
C.V. Starr & Co. (California) Appoints Garrison as President and CEO
Feb 2 2010 // C.V. Starr & Co. (California) has appointed Michael Garrison president and CEO. The company is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of C. V. Starr & Co. Inc., and provides comprehensive casualty insurance solutions...
Union General Insurance Offers Vacant Market to California Producers
Feb 2 2010 // Union General Insurance Services Inc. of Concord, Calif., has a vacant market avaialble to California agents. An a “A+” rated carrier is offering package coverage, general liability and property for vacant...
Calif. Low Cost Auto Insurance Program Participation Up 19%
Feb 1 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced that the California Low Cost Automobile Insurance Program (CLCA) saw an 18.9 percent increase in use in 2009, compared with the year before. An aggressive outreach...
Surplus Lines Association of California Elects New Officers
Jan 29 2010 // The Surplus Lines Association of California elected new officers and directors at its annual meeting. The officers are: Chairman Les Ross of Crump Insurance Services Inc.; Vice Chairman Pat Hanley of Socius Insurance...
Calif. Insurance Commissionr Insurance Says His Post Should Be Appointed
Jan 29 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said that his position has become too politicized and should return to being one that’s appointed by the governor. Poizner, who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial...
Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West Names Officers, Award Winner
Jan 29 2010 // Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West), awarded the Ramsden/Sullivan Memorial Award to Robert B. Suhr and slated its officers and directors for 2010 at its annual meeting. Suhr is a Santa Clara, Calif.,...
2010 Will Challenge Calif. Insurance Agents, But Bright Spots Ahead
Jan 29 2010 // In 2009, independent insurance agents and brokers faced a “perfect storm” with the economic downturn, premiums at a fraction of what they used to be, and unemployment and home foreclosure rates up. But 2010 may...
Agricultural Injuries Account for 5.5% of Calif. Workers’ Comp Claims
Jan 27 2010 // Agricultural claims cost the California workers’ compensation system $1.46 billion in loss payments, according to a recent “Industry Scorecard. According to the Scorecard, which provides data on accident year...
