Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Consumer Watchdog Failure Could Help Auto Discount Initiative
Jun 29 2012 // Santa Monica, Calif.-based Consumer Watchdog’s proposed ballot measure to require health insurance companies to get approval before raising their rates narrowly missed qualifying for November’s ballot by...
Stockton, California’s Insured Debt Proves Alluring
Jun 29 2012 // About half of the $700 million of debt issued by bankrupt Stockton, California, is insured and a few traders have carried on some speculative purchases of its bonds, investors said on Thursday. Stockton, a city of nearly...
Jones Praises Supreme Court, Calls for Health Rate Reviews
Jun 28 2012 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to uphold the Affordable Care Act – and he took the opportunity to state his support for health rate hike reviews...
Western Security Surplus Launches Admitted Bar, Restaurant Program in Calif.
Jun 26 2012 // Western Security Surplus Insurance Brokers has launched a bar, tavern and restaurant program in California. This is a brand new program in the California market, offering businesses products with access to an A- X rated,...
Customer Satisfaction with Auto Insurers at New High: J.D. Powers
Jun 26 2012 // Overall customer satisfaction with auto insurance companies has reached an all-time high, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Auto Insurance Study. The satisfaction rate was driven primarily by increases...
State Fund Files First Tiered Rating Plan
Jun 21 2012 // State Compensation Insurance Fund has filed its first tiered rating plan with the California Department of Insurance. The plan, which would apply to policies renewing or incepting on or after Sept. 1, is a move to expand...
CDI Gives $32 Million to Fight Workers’ Comp Fraud
Jun 21 2012 // The California Department of Insurance will distribute $32 million in grants to district attorneys in California to support efforts to investigate and prosecute workers’ compensation insurance fraud. Every year, the...
Assembly Insurance Committee Gives Thumbs Up To Spinal Implant Bill
Jun 20 2012 // The Assembly Insurance Committee unanimously approved closing a loophole in the law that allows double billing for surgical implants in California workers’ compensation cases. Senate Bill 959, authored by Ted Lieu,...
Report: Vehicle Theft Falls, California Still Dominates Top 10 List
Jun 20 2012 // The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported 2011 is on track for another consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts, but California still dominates the top 10 list for areas highest auto theft rates. Seven of the top 10...
Southern California Jurors Award $4.5M After Teacher Molest
Jun 20 2012 // San Diego County, Calif. jurors have awarded two girls $4.5 million because they were molested by their Carlsbad elementary school teacher. The North County Times says jurors also ruled unanimously Monday that the Carlsbad...
Nuclear Plant Problems Continue at Socal Facility
Jun 19 2012 // After months of investigation, federal regulators have determined that design flaws appear to be the cause of excessive wear in tubing that carries radioactive water through California’s troubled San Onofre nuclear...
Study: Spinal Implant Loophole Costs Calif. Workers’ Comp $67M
Jun 18 2012 // Workers’ compensation medical costs in California were boosted by nearly $67.5 million in 2010 due to loophole in the law that allows double billing for surgical implants, according to a study released earlier this...
Outlook Is Cautious As Some States See Major Construction Projects
Jun 18 2012 // Apartment Communities May Be Key to Revival The overall construction industry appears to be making a recovery, albeit, a very slow one. Industry watchers say the outlook is better for big utility and public works...
Alliant Gets Favorable California Rulings in Aon Litigation
Jun 15 2012 // Newport Beach, Calif.-based Alliant Insurance Services got favorable rulings from a U.S. District Court in California in its litigation against Aon Corp. and its subsidiaries. In June 2011, Alliant joined with former Aon...
Second Member of Alleged Auto Theft Crime Family Nabbed
Jun 14 2012 // Louis Miller, 55, has been arrested on felony charges related to an organized automobile theft ring that was operating in Northern California’s Bay Area. Miller’s bail has been set at $1 million. If convicted...
Calif. Temporary Total Disability Rates For 2013 Announced
Jun 14 2012 // The minimum and maximum temporary total disability rates for 2013 will increase on Jan. 1, 2013, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations said on Thursday. The minimum TTD rate will increase to $160 and the maximum...
West Drought Conditions Make For ‘Tragically Historic’ Wildfire Season
Jun 13 2012 // In what could be shaping up to be one of the worst wildfire seasons in recent memory, insurers are scrambling to deal with the aftermath of several massive wildfires in the region – and they’re preparing people for...
Collateral Reform Passes Conn.; Calif. Up Next
Jun 13 2012 // Connecticut is the latest state to liberalize collateral requirements for foreign-based reinsurers, and California could be next on the list, after a similar bill passed that state’s Senate. Connecticut Gov. Dannel...
Climate Change Will Alter Risks of Wildfire Worldwide: Study
Jun 12 2012 // Climate change is widely expected to disrupt future fire patterns around the world, with some regions, such as the western United States, seeing more frequent fires within the next 30 years, according to climate scientists...
Beecher Carlson Appoints Stevens as Senior VP in California
Jun 12 2012 // Atlanta-based insurance broker Beecher Carlson has named Stacy Stevens as senior vice president. In this role, she will be responsible for leading the account management of national, complex commercial property/casualty...
