Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mercury Announces 2Q Results
Aug 1 2005 // Mercury General Corporation reported net income of $73.6 million ($1.35 per share-diluted) in the second quarter 2005 compared with $78.1 million ($1.43 per share-diluted) for the same period in 2004. For the first six...
California Auto Repair Dealers Bill Temporarily Stalled
Jul 29 2005 // A California bill allowing vehicle owners to authorize their insurer to act on their behalf to arrange automobile repairs to their insured vehicle is, for all practical purposes, in the repair shop until 2006. After a...
WCIRB Proposes 5.2 Percent Decrease in Pure Premium Rates
Jul 29 2005 // On July 28, the WCIRB submitted a Regulatory Filing to the California Department of Insurance recommending an average 5.2 percent decrease in advisory pure premium rates to be effective on policies incepting on or after...
Marrero Joins SAIS’ Irvine, Calif. Office
Jul 28 2005 // Adriana Marrero is the newest marketing representative in the Irvine, California office, according to Mike Mayo, president of Superior Access Insurance Services Inc. “Adriana is a bright, energetic professional who...
Calif. Trial Judge Rules Prop. 64 Is Not Retroactive In Case Against State Fund
Jul 27 2005 // A San Francisco trial court judge recently ruled in the case Palm Medical v. State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) that Prop. 64 is not retroactive, allowing the plaintiff to pursue injunctive relief on behalf the...
Bay Area Agent/Broker Pleads Guilty
Jul 27 2005 // A former California insurance broker/agent faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in New York to conspiracy charges related to insurance fraud. The case stems from the findings of a joint investigation by the...
Acordia Calif. to Cease Workers’ Comp Programs, Operations
Jul 26 2005 // Acordia of California Insurance Services Inc.’s Wholesale P&C Division has announced it has decided to cease their workers’ compensation programs and wholesale operations. Effective Sept. 1, 2005, Acordia...
Alliance Opposed to Proposed CDI “Agent Appointment” Regs
Jul 26 2005 // The American Agents Alliance has issued its official objections to the proposed regulations (file number RH 04037941), which were submitted on June 3, 2005. The Alliance believes the regs “do not meet the standards...
Calif. Ordinance Requires Contractors to Reveal 19th Cent. Slave Trade Ties
Jul 25 2005 // Contractors doing business with Oakland have until Oct. 1 to disclose whether they participated in the 19th-century slave trade, under an ordinance adopted by the City Council. Companies who provide insurance, financial...
Allstate Promotes Telgenhoff, Romero and Nyunt
Jul 22 2005 // Rancho Cordova, Calif.-based Allstate Insurance Company announced several promotions. Phil Telgenhoff was promoted to the position of regional distribution leader. He will have complete accountability for more than 1,300...
‘Adverse Surprise’ Workers Comp Cases Consume 40% of Medical Costs
Jul 21 2005 // Workers’ compensation cases with significant unanticipated medical care and costs are most common in California and Texas, and can represent as much as 30 to 40 percent of medical costs in most states, according to a...
Calif. Releases Impact of 2004-2005 Increase in State Average Weekly Wage On Workers’ Comp
Jul 21 2005 // The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that California’s State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) rose from $806.11 to $838.42 for the 12 months ending March 31, 2005 – remaining just below the threshold level of...
Russo Promoted at Keenan
Jul 19 2005 // Torrance, Calif.-based Keenan & Associates announced that Tom Russo has been promoted to the position of Northern California Practice Leader for Schools–Property & Casualty. Keenan serves 800-plus...
News Currents
Jul 18 2005 // Two Industry Opposed Bills Die in California Legislature California’s SB 46 and SB 603 both died in the Legislature in late June, allowing insurers to breathe a little easy-for now. SB 46, authored by Sen. Richard...
Opinion: Rare Calif. Policy Success Tries to Survive
Jul 18 2005 // This month new workers’ compensation insurance rates went into effect in California. And thanks to reforms championed early on by State Sen. Charles Poochigian and Assemblyman Abel Maldonado, and later pushed by Gov....
Alliance Files Court Briefs On Behalf of Agents, Brokers in E&OCase
Jul 18 2005 // The American Agents Alliance has filed two briefs with the California Supreme Court in an attempt to protect insurance producers from fallout resulting from a recent Appellate Court ruling. On June 30 the state Supreme...
People & Places
Jul 18 2005 // David Porter Majestic Insurance Companyannounced the appointment of David Porter to the new position of marketing manager for Southern California. Porter has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Prior to...
Two Industry Opposed Bills Die in California Legislature
Jul 18 2005 // California’s SB 46 and SB 603 both died in the Legislature in late June, allowing insurers to breathe a little easy–for now. SB 46, authored by Sen. Richard Alarcon (D — San Fernando Valley), would have...
San Jose Chain Store Owners Plead Guilty in Workers’ Comp Scam
Jul 18 2005 // A San Jose, California husband and wife pled guilty to charges of workers’ compensation premium fraud and will serve 14-month jail sentences and pay $2 million in restitution following a multi agency investigation...
Former Calif. Insurance Agent Sentenced
Jul 18 2005 // Cordell Bunton, of Stockton, California, has been sentenced to six months in the San Joaquin County jail after pleading guilty to 10 felony and two misdemeanor counts that included grand theft, insurance fraud, forgery,...
