Latest California Headlines

All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Calif. Assembly Bans Workers’ Comp Cuts Due to Race, Sex

May 16 2011 // California’s Assembly approved changes to the state’s safety net for injured workers that would prevent cuts to disability benefits based on race, sex or age. The 44-22 party-line vote on AB1155 came over the...

Calif. Blocks Bill to Boost Insurance Commissioner’s Penalty Powers

May 16 2011 // The California Senate Insurance Committee has blocked a restitution bill that would have given explicit authority to the state Insurance Commissioner to order restitution as part of an administrative enforcement action...

Ratings Recap: Keystone, Forestry Mutual, Residential Re, National Unity, Dakota

May 12 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to ‘A+’ (Superior) from’ B++’ (Good) and the issuer credit ratings (ICRs) to “aa-” from “bbb” of Keystone...

California Group Offers Commercial Insurance Resources

May 11 2011 // The Insurance Information Network of California is now tailoring content to assist small businesses on their understanding of commercial insurance. Information available on its Web site will cover basics of business...

Calif. Workers’ Comp Information Filing Being Reviewed

May 11 2011 // At its April 6, 2011 meeting, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California’s Governing Committee directed the WCIRB to submit to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) an informational...

Top 10 States for Dog Bite Claims

May 11 2011 // State Farm Insurance Co. has released its top 10 states for claims involving dog bites, with California on top in number of claims and Florida recording the highest cost per claim. The Bloomington-based State Farm reported...

California Leads Nation in Dog Bite Claims, State Farm Says

May 10 2011 // California leads the nation in the number of claims made and paid out by State Farm Insurance for dog bites, according to the Bloomington, Ill.-based insurer. The insurer recorded 369 claims were made, and $11.3 million...

Best Affirms No. Am. Casualty Financial Ratings; Upgrades Debt

May 10 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “a+” from “a” of North American Casualty Group (NAC) and its members, California Insurance Company, and Continental Indemnity Company,...

Hub International Acquires Two Agencies

May 9 2011 // Hub International Limited has acquired the assets of Lawson-Hawks Insurance Agency Inc. (LHI), a Mountain View, Calif.-based insurance brokerage firm, and Mark Tauber Insurance Brokerage Inc., a Brooklyn, New York-based...

Insuring the Children Grant Provides Funding for Southern California Day Camp

May 9 2011 // Insuring the Children (ITC), a program of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF), has awarded a special grant to the Children’s Bureau, meeting funding needs for Oak View Summer Day Camp, held at the Oak...

Calif. Blocks Bill to Boost Insurance Commissioner’s Penalty Powers

May 9 2011 // The California Senate Insurance Committee has blocked a restitution bill that would have given explicit authority to the state Insurance Commissioner to order restitution as part of an administrative enforcement action...

Calif. Bill Targets State Workers’ Comp Insurer’s Commission Policy

May 6 2011 // California Assembly Member Anthony Portantino, 44th District, has proposed a bill aimed to level the playing field for brokers who help to secure workers’ compensation insurance from the State Compensation Insurance...

Insurer Association Urges Calif. Legislators to Ban ‘Crash Taxes’

May 4 2011 // California’s Senate Public Safety Committee held a hearing yesterday, evaluating the need to ban local governments from charging accident response fees or “crash taxes” for emergency responses to vehicle...

$11M in Calif. Insurer Investments Go to Underserved Communities

May 4 2011 // Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and Speaker John A. Pérez announced that $11 million in new insurance company investments will benefit underserved communities across California. In February, the commissioner sent a...

Calif. Agents: Tread Carefully When Providing Workplace Safety Advice

May 4 2011 // Woe to the employer who is not attentive and actively engaged in health and safety.” That’s the warning the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is giving employers in the Golden...

Calif. Attempts to Rein in Workers’ Comp Compound Drug Costs

May 3 2011 // California legislators are considering a bill aimed at reigning in the use of compound drugs in workers’ compensation claims. According to Assembly Bill 378, existing law provides that it is unlawful for a physician...

California Legislators Consider Underinsured Motorist Bill

May 2 2011 // A California Assembly committee is considering a bill that would eliminate the authority of the insurer to deduct the amount paid to the insured by or for any person or organization that may be held legally liable for the...

Turner Joins California Women’s Insurance Association

May 2 2011 // J.D. Turner, a partner at the law firm of Lorber, Greenfield & Polito LLP, in Poway, Calif., has joined the Insurance Women of North San Diego County, an affiliation of the National Association of Insurance Women,...

Pending State Legislation to Implement NRRA Is Fly in the Ointment

May 2 2011 // Pending state legislative proposals, such as California’s AB 315, that would implement the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010 (NRRA) are akin to the fly in the ointment. The NRRA becomes effective on July...

How to Find Cyber Insurance for the Uninsurable

May 2 2011 // The University of California (UC) has redefined the rules of cyber liability insurance, using an approach that the university’s Chief Risk Officer Grace Crickette calls “reverse underwriting.”...