Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Brown & Riding in California Merges with Travis-Pedersen
Dec 28 2012 // Los Angeles, Calif.-based Brown & Riding and Chicago, Ill.-based Travis-Pedersen have inked a deal that creates a large property/casualty wholesaler. The companies began discussions about combining their complementary...
R-T to Acquire Workers’ Comp Wholesaler IFIS in California
Dec 28 2012 // R-T Specialty LLC entered into a definitive agreement to acquire West Coast workers’ compensation specialist International Facilities Insurance Services. Chicago, Ill.-based R-T is the brokerage arm of Ryan Specialty...
Toyota Claimants Not Part of $1.1 Billion Settlement Face Uphill Climb
Dec 28 2012 // Toyota Motor Corp. eliminated a huge obstacle with a U.S. settlement over unintended acceleration in its cars and trucks, leaving it to fight smaller cases that will be harder for plaintiffs to prove and less likely to...
Thousands of Drivers Caught In Northern California Cell Phone Crackdown
Dec 26 2012 // Nearly 3,000 drivers were caught breaking cell phone rules during a crackdown in Sacramento County in Northern California. California was one of two states to receive grants for high-visibility law enforcement pilot...
Toyota to Settle Acceleration Cases for More Than $1 Billion
Dec 26 2012 // Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to spend $1.1 billion to settle sweeping U.S. class-action litigation over claims that millions of its vehicles accelerate unintentionally, as the Japanese automaker seeks to move past the...
Southern California Jury Awards $4.5 Million to Filipino Teachers
Dec 20 2012 // A federal jury awarded $4.5 million to Southern California Filipino teachers who paid large fees to obtain U.S. jobs through a placement agency. Jurors on Monday found that Los Angeles-based Universal Placement...
Carriers ‘Uncertain’ About California Workers’ Comp Reform
Dec 19 2012 // Editor’s Note: This is the fourth in a series of articles to look at California’s workers’ compensation reform law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2013. Insurance carriers, along with the many stakeholders...
U.S. Slaps Japanese Company on California Nuclear Power Plant Work
Dec 19 2012 // A Japanese company that manufactured the troubled steam generators at a key nuclear power plant in southern California might be looking for fixes with the wrong test equipment, U.S. federal regulators have disclosed. A...
PartnerRe to Acquire Calif.-based Presidio Re Group
Dec 19 2012 // Bermuda-based PartnerRe Ltd. announced a definitive agreement to acquire California-based Presidio Reinsurance Group, a U.S. specialty accident and health reinsurance and insurance writer. PartnerRe said it would...
Willis Named Operations Chief of Leavitt In Central California
Dec 18 2012 // Salinas, Calif.-based Leavitt Central Coast Insurance named Ted Willis chief of operations. Willis will oversee Leavitt’s production and service teams, and will work on the firm’s risk management solutions...
PG&E: Workers Fired For Lying About Northern California Inspections
Dec 18 2012 // Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it has fired or suspended nearly 20 workers after discovering legally required inspections may not have been performed. The situation prompted PG&E to check more than 1,500 pieces of...
Integro Acquires Southern California’s The Rule Group
Dec 17 2012 // New York-based insurance brokerage and risk management firm Integro has acquired The Rule Group of Pasadena, Calif. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Rule Group consists of three divisions: The Rule Co., a provider...
Brees California Lawsuit Claims His Charity Was Cheated
Dec 14 2012 // Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his foundation are suing one of the former organizers of his celebrity golf tournament in southern California, saying the organizer cheated benefactors of the foundation out of thousands...
Heffernan Taps Smith as Assistant VP in Southern California
Dec 12 2012 // Heffernan Insurance Brokers named Christian Smith to its Santa Ana, Calif. office as assistant vice president. Smith will specialize in tailoring comprehensive insurance programs for large commercial lines. Smith was...
Lucasfilm Pregnancy Verdict Overturned in California
Dec 12 2012 // A California appeals court has overturned a Lucasfilm pregnancy case verdict, saying jurors should have been told the entertainment company was entitled to withdraw its job offer. A Marin County jury had awarded $114,000...
Peasley Joins Alliant As First Vice President In Southern California
Dec 12 2012 // Alliant Insurance Services Inc. named James C. Peasley as first vice president in its Newport Beach, Calif. headquarters. Peasley has 20 years of experience that includes underwriting, insurance brokerage, and account...
Assessments Announced for California Workers’ Comp Funds
Dec 6 2012 // California regulators have issued assessment rates that employers will pay in 2013 for the Workers’ Compensation Administration Revolving Fund. The fund covers the Division of Workers’ Compensation budget, the...
Hull & Co. Opens Marine Department, Names Schmit Marine Broker In California
Dec 5 2012 // Hull & Company has now opened a new marine department at its Stockton, Calif. office and named marine risk specialist Quincy M. Schmit as commercial lines marine broker. The department will offer a variety of...
$370M Settlement Reached Over Southern California Wildfires
Dec 5 2012 // An electrical contractor and tree-trimming company have agreed to pay $370 million to settle lawsuits over Southern California wildfires that swept San Diego County in 2007. U-T San Diego says PAR Electric and Davey Tree...
Golden Bear Names Brown Property Manager, Takamoto Chief Risk Officer in California
Dec 4 2012 // Stockton, Calif.-based Golden Bear Insurance Co. has promoted Michael Brown to the position of property manager. Brown has been with Golden Bear since 2002 as an executive underwriter. Brown’s promotion follows the...
