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Sep 19 2005 // UTAH UTAH SUPREME COURT RULES WCF ASSETS NOT OWNED BY STATE: The Utah Supreme Court has declared that Workers Com-pensation Fund’s assets are owned by policyholders, not the state. The ruling in favor of WCF settles...

Writing Wineries Requires More Than Just a Tasting

Sep 19 2005 // To be successful, you must thoroughly drink in all the details. Insuring wineries may sound like a lucrative and growing business. All 50 states now produce wine, and the business has a total economic impact of $33...

Sep 19 2005 // Saylor & Hill has announced that three senior associates of the firm have been promoted to principal. Tim Sweeney, Kevin Mirsky and Chris Williams, each of whom has worked for the firm for more than a decade, will...

Lawyers Plead Guilty in Fraud Ring

Sep 19 2005 // Two attorneys pleaded guilty in connection with a Southern California insurance fraud ring that allegedly staged vehicle collisions and filed false insurance company claims, according to state officials. Curtis Mitchell...

Associations educate agents

Sep 19 2005 // As the Hispanic population surpasses 40 million with a combined purchasing power of more than $700 million, the insurance industry is keeping its eye on this ever-growing market segment. Hispanic agents and Latin agent...

Insurance Companies Pushing Colorado Mountain Residents to Firescape

Sep 19 2005 // Colorado’s average fire season has been a double-edged sword for Brett Gibson, a volunteer fire department chief in the tree-covered hills west of Boulder. He appreciates the lower threat of fires. But he is having...

HURRICANE KATRINA: The Legal Saga Begins

Sep 19 2005 // The New Orleans tragedy may spawn a wave of litigation related to flood protection and levee failures. Public statements, which may serve as a foundation for massive public safety legal claims, began Sept. 1. Based on the...

AIA Says Workers’ Comp Rate Reduction Recommendation Demonstrates Reforms are Working

Sep 16 2005 // The following statement is in response to the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau Governing Board’s decision to recommend that Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi (D) decrease workers’...

AIA Pleased with Results of 2005 Calif. Legislative Session

Sep 14 2005 // The California legislature adjourned sine die on Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005, and the American Insurance Association is pleased with the overall results. “When the session began in January, insurers faced numerous...

IBA West Urges CDI To Change Producer Name Regulations

Sep 14 2005 // IBA West has urged the California Department of Insurance (CDI) to make changes to potential regulations that would specify the criteria used by CDI for approving or rejecting insurance producers’ business...

AIA Urges Calif. Gov. to Veto Legislation Unraveling 2004 Comp Reforms

Sep 14 2005 // The American Insurance Association is urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to veto SB 1023, authored by Senator Joe Dunn (D). This measure rolls the clock back by reinstating redundant penalties that were eliminated in...

IICF, Insurance Journal Partner to Help Katrina Victims

Sep 14 2005 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation is partnering with the Insurance Journal to reach out to the insurance community for support and help for the victims and families of Hurricane Katrina. Beginning early last...

WCIRB to Propose 5.2% Decrease In Pure Premium Rates Effective Jan. 1

Sep 9 2005 // On July 28, 2005, the WCIRB submitted a filing to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) recommending, among other things, a 5.2 percent reduction in pure premium rates effective Jan. 1, 2006. Earlier today, the...

New Report Warns of Rising Threat to Industry from Climate Change

Sep 8 2005 // Hurricane Katrina is a reminder to the U.S. insurance industry, companies, governments and the general public that all are at risk from escalating losses from hurricanes and other weather-related events due to climate...

Insurex Announces Additional 15% Decrease in Workers’ Comp Rates

Sep 8 2005 // Insurex, a San Diego-based insurance brokerage, announces an additional 15.0 percent rate reduction on California workers’ compensation insurance effective Oct. 1, 2005 for affiliate agencies. The rate reductions are...

California Workers’ Comp Bill Tabled

Sep 7 2005 // A bill aimed at closing a loophole in California’s workers’ compensation laws that allows doctors to profit from big markups on prescription drugs they sell to their patients appears has died in the current...

Insurance Cos. Pushing Colo. Mountain Residents to Firescape

Sep 6 2005 // Colorado’s average fire season has been a double-edged sword for Brett Gibson, a volunteer fire department chief in the tree-covered hills west of Boulder. He appreciates the lower threat of fires. But he is having...

Case Law Watch

Sep 5 2005 // Boghos v. Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London (California, July 18, 2005) Ruling: This case considered the effect and enforceability of an arbitration clause in a contract for disability insurance. The Supreme...

Zenith National Affirmed

Sep 5 2005 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services affirmed its “BB+” counterparty credit rating and “B+”‘ preferred stock rating on Zenith National Insurance Corp. S&P also affirmed its...

Disasters: Have They Become a Year-Round Phenomenon in California?

Sep 5 2005 // Are disasters in California happening more frequently or are communication technological advances today making us more aware of impending and hard hitting disasters? To really comprehend, we must examine how our state has...