Latest California Headlines

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

Calif. Commissioner Asks Blue Shield to Delay Rate Increases

Jan 7 2011 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has called on Blue Shield of California to delay its implementation of a new round of substantial individual health insurance premium increases that would impact tens of...

Berte To Run AIA Western Region

Jan 6 2011 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) has announced that Marjorie Berte has joined the association as its new vice president for the Western Region. Berte’s career includes experience in both the public and...

California Wholesaler Appointing Wholesalers, Surplus Lines Brokers, MGA’s to Write E&O Insurance

Jan 5 2011 // Effective January 5 2011 – Laurel Fowler Insurance Broker, Inc – California based wholesaler is appointing Wholesalers, Surplus lines Brokers and MGA’s in Texas, California, Florida and most States, to...

Calif. Commissioner Jones to Enforce Medical Loss Ratio Rule

Jan 5 2011 // Almost immediately after being sworn into office on Tuesday, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones signed an emergency order to enforce the medical loss ratio. the MLR rules require insurers to annually disclose the...

Florida Workers’ Compensation Market Remains Competitive: Report

Jan 5 2011 // Florida’s workers’ compensation market remains competitive with more than 250 private insurers writing coverage and only a fraction of business being funneled to the residual market. Also, availability does not...

Year-End Storms Cloud P/C Insurers’ Profit Picture

Jan 5 2011 // U.S. property insurers like Travelers Cos. Inc. and Chubb Corp. were expecting a relatively mild fourth quarter for catastrophe losses, but a series of punishing storms across the country in December may have blown away...

Fortegra Financial Acquires California Motor Club

Jan 4 2011 // Insurance services company Fortegra Financial Corp. has acquired Auto Knight Motor Club Inc., a Palm Springs, Calif., company that provides motor club membership, vehicle service plans and tire and wheel...

Hub International Acquires Four Western Companies

Jan 4 2011 // Chicago-based Hub International Ltd. (Hub), an insurance brokerage firm, has announced several acquisitions. It has acquired the shares of Hall-Conway-Jackson Inc. and the assets of Cascade Insurance Group Inc., Bothell,...

Mulryan to Replace Cain as Chair of California State Fund Board

Jan 2 2011 // Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger has appointed Larry Mulryan chairman of the California State Compensation Insurance Fund board. Mulryan replaces Jeanne Cain, whose term expired. The governor also appointed Scott Reid to the...

California Approves Homeowners Underinsurance Regulations

Dec 31 2010 // California’s Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has approved regulations designed to combat underinsurance and may require insurance agents and brokers to complete additional training. The regulations will take...

Calif. Regulator Urges Gov.-Elect Brown to Preserve Workers’ Comp Reforms

Dec 31 2010 // Calif. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced he has sent a letter to Gov.-Elect Jerry Brown to urge him to preserve the workers’ compensation insurance reforms that have reduced the Workers’...

Test Your 2010 Insurance News IQ: 25 Questions

Dec 31 2010 // Are you an insurance news hound? Test your insurance news IQ and find out. The following questions and answers (at bottom of the page– don’t cheat!) were developed based on news stories published by...

Calif. Commissioner-Elect Jones Makes Executive Appointments

Dec 30 2010 // California Insurance Commissioner-Elect has appointed his executive team at the Department of Insurance. The team includes: Chief Deputy Commissioner Nettie Hoge; Deputy Commissioner, Health Policy Janice Rocco; Special...

Calif. Commissioner Poizner: Insurance Agent Advice Critical

Dec 30 2010 // As California’s third elected insurance commissioner, Steve Poizner has had a wealth of accomplishments. Among other things, he: reduced the Department of Insurance’s operating budget by 13 percent, which...

2010’s Top Insurance Stories in the West

Dec 23 2010 // In 2009, independent insurance agents and brokers faced a “perfect storm” with the economic downturn, premiums at a fraction of what they used to be, and unemployment and home foreclosure rates up, said Kevin...

Hundreds Victim to California Rainstorms

Dec 22 2010 // Following a series of powerful storms that brought heavy, record-setting rain, snow and high winds to California, insurers report their employees are on-hand to help victims. Meanwhile, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has...

California Rain Shatters Records; More Coming

Dec 21 2010 // A storm walloped parts of California with up to 7 inchesof rain and spawned minor flooding, mudslides and road closures Dec. 20, but forecasters warn the bad weather’s real impact may be yet to come. More than 3...

State Inaction Risks Loss of Surplus Lines Premium Tax Revenue

Dec 21 2010 // The States appear poised, through inaction, to leave untold millions of dollars in premium tax revenue “on the table” when the Nonadmitted Insurance and Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA) becomes the law of the land...

Washington Hearing Possible on Calif. Gas Pipe Explosion

Dec 21 2010 // Federal investigators may subpoena witnesses to testify in Washington about the deadly Pacific Gas & Electric Co. natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif. National Transportation Safety Board member Mark...

Fact or Fiction? Insurance Tidbits of Known and Little-Known Information

Dec 20 2010 // Have you ever wondered what big events helped shape regulation of the current U.S. insurance industry? Or if drivers of certain cars have more risk? What about the most attractive insurance job in the industry? These are...