Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Business Moves
Nov 16 2008 // Employers Holdings, AmCOMP Reno, Nev.-based Employers Holdings Inc., whose subsidiaries are specialty providers of workers’ compensation insurance specializing in small businesses, acquired AmCOMP Inc. in a...
How to Control Construction Claims in a Collapsing Homebuilders’ Market
Nov 16 2008 // Working with Experienced Homebuilders, Rigorous Inspections and Defect Remedies Reduces the Risk from Possible Shortcuts A significant increase in unsold assets represents a substantial hole in the balance sheet for...
Wanted: Agencies Focusing on Hispanic Market
Nov 16 2008 // Arizona, California, Nevada High on List of States for Agency Acquisitions by Consolidators Behind Confie Seguros The business model calls for growing agencies by expanding their product mix to include life products,...
Study: California Earthquake Could Cause $200 Billion in Losses
Nov 16 2008 // If a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred on California’s Hayward Fault, it would result in economic losses between $210 billion and $235 billion, with only up to $30 billion likely to be insured, according to a study...
Brooke Corp. Troubles Continue as Stock is Sold
Nov 16 2008 // Kansas Franchise Group Faces Lawsuits in Multiple States Amid the flurry of lawsuits leveled by franchisees, now an Illinois company connected to a bank involved in the lawsuit of the parent company of Brooke Corp. has...
What the 2008 Election Means for California’s Insurance Agents
Nov 16 2008 // For those of you who weren’t aware, the November 4th election brought some good news for insurance agents in California: another one of us was elected to the State Assembly. Jeff Miller, currently Mayor of the City...
California Arrests Husband and Wife in $10,000 Insurance Fraud Scheme
Nov 14 2008 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced the arrests of Robert and Lisa Franklin of Artesia, on five counts of felony grand theft, five counts of diversion of premiums. In addition, Mrs. Franklin was...
California Insurance Department Web Site Rated “Excellent”
Nov 13 2008 // The Consumer Federation of America has rated the California Department of Insurance Web site as “excellent” for providing consumers information about auto and homeowners insurance, according to a survey...
Millions in Southern California Take Part in Earthquake Drill
Nov 13 2008 // At 10 a.m. this morning, millions of Southern Californians are expected to millions of people in homes, schools, businesses, government offices, and public places are expected to drop, cover, and hold on, in what is...
California State Fund Files an 8.9 Percent Premium Increase for 2009
Nov 13 2008 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced it filed a Jan. 1, 2009 revision to its rating plan, which it anticipates will result in an average 8.9 percent increase in collectible premium. Premiums for...
California Doctor Accused of Negligence, Incompetence
Nov 10 2008 // California regulators have accused the former head of UC Irvine Medical Center’s anesthesiology department of gross negligence and incompetence for allegedly falsifying anesthesiology records and assigning a resident...
Agencies Announce Leavitt Benefits Insurance Services of Southern California
Nov 10 2008 // Barlocker Insurance Services-Laguna Hills, PrideMark-Everest and Valley Insurance Service are merging their benefits operations to create a new entity, Leavitt Benefits Services of Southern California. The property and...
California Warns Consumers of Brooke Policies
Nov 7 2008 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner encouraged consumers who have purchased insurance policies through Brooke franchises to verify their coverage, in light of recent closures at Brooke. It is unlikely that an...
California Increases Temporary Total Disability Rate
Nov 4 2008 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation announced that the maximum temporary total disability (TTD) rate will increase to $958.01 on Jan. 1, 2009. The increase to the maximum TTD rate marks the third year in...
Mercury General Reports Net Loss of $140.5 million in Q3
Nov 3 2008 // Los Angeles-based Mercury General Corp. has announced its results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2008. Net loss in the third quarter was $130.5 million, compared with net income of $63.3 million in the same period...
Public School Officials Can Be Liable for Not Responding to Harassment Claims
Nov 2 2008 // A California school district could be liable for damages for an inadequate response to peer sexual orientation harassment suffered by students, the California Court of Appeal ruled. According to Megan Donovan et al. v....
California Commissioner Announces 5% Workers’ Comp Rate Increase
Nov 2 2008 // Rejecting the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s (WCIRB) call for a 16 percent increase in the benchmark for determining workers’ compensation costs, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner...
Aon Selling Auto Insurance Broker in California to Mercury General
Nov 2 2008 // Mercury Casualty Co., the largest insurance subsidiary of Los Angeles-based Mercury General Corp., agreed to buy Auto Insurance Specialists Inc. from Aon Corp. AIS is an independent broker and producer of automobile...
Surplus Lines Association of California Increases Stamping Fee
Nov 2 2008 // The Surplus Lines Association of California Executive Committee and the Stamping Committee has approved an increase in the stamping fee from 0.125 percent to 0.225 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2009. All new policies, renewal...
Law Changes Defense in Construction Defect Claims
Nov 2 2008 // New California Law Affects Wraps’ Indemnity Contracts, Could Increase Litigation California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has approved legislation affecting indemnity for construction defect claims in contracts in...
