Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
ACIC Supports Mediation Bill For Fire Victims
Jul 15 2004 // The Association of California Insurance Companies (ACIC) has announced its support of mediation legislation that would be available to help victims of last years’ Southern California wildfires. “This is a...
California Brothers and Employee Arrested in Alleged Felony Fraud Case
Jul 14 2004 // Brothers Sam Saeid Afghani, of Agoura Hills, Calif., and Siamac A. Afghani, of Calabasas, Calif., as well as employee Renee Laws, of Encino, Calif., were to be arraigned July14 for their suspected roles in a fraud case at...
S&P: Mercury Casualty Co., Affiliates Ratings Affirmed
Jul 13 2004 // Standard & Poor’s has affirmed its ‘AA’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on Mercury Casualty Co. and Mercury Insurance Co. as well as its ‘AA’ financial strength rating...
Study: MICRA Cuts Malpractice Awards by 30%
Jul 13 2004 // A landmark California law that caps non-economic awards in medical malpractice lawsuits has cut defendants’ payments by 30 percent to plaintiffs who win such lawsuits at trials, according to a RAND Corporation study...
Garamendi Announces Downward Trend in California Workers’ Comp Rates
Jul 13 2004 // Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced that received workers’ compensation rate filings illustrate a downward trend, but still fall short of his pure premium rate advisory of -20.9 percent issued on May 28,...
Calif. Building, Reconstruction Costs at All Time High
Jul 13 2004 // Salt Lake City-based Castle Data Services, a nationwide provider of residential replacement cost data, announced the results of a comprehensive statewide review of California building costs. The results showed that while...
Tangram Program Managers Opens Chicagoland Office
Jul 13 2004 // Tangram Program Managers & Insurance Services, a managing general underwriter and alternative risk program manager based in Northern California, announced it has opened a Chicago area office. Led by Al Janes, the new...
California State Fund’s Fraud Program Nets $5 Million from Fraud Convictions
Jul 12 2004 // State Compensation Insurance Fund’s anti-fraud program has enabled statewide district attorneys to win more than $5 million in restitution orders. The restitution judgments are a direct result of 155 premium fraud...
Wildfire Victims Question Industry’s Cost Calculator
Jul 12 2004 // Don Robinson says his Residence Mutual insurance policy pegged the cost of replacing his San Diego home at $233,000. After Southern California’s wildfires destroyed the 40-year-old biologist’s four-bedroom...
Calif. Holocaust Survivors Seek Class Action Status of Lawsuit
Jul 9 2004 // Roman Rakover, an 86-year-old Holocaust survivor, believes he is the sole beneficiary of two life insurance policies taken out by his father around 1930 in the amount of $20,000 each. He has a vivid memory of his father...
Calif. Commissioner Identifies Steps for State Fund to Reduce Workers’ Comp Rates
Jul 9 2004 // Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi released a statutorily mandated report on the State Compensation Insurance Fund’s (SCIF’s) potential to reduce workers’ comp rates based on his review of its...
Alliance Mourns Passing of Member Cheryl Epple
Jul 8 2004 // The American Agents Alliance is saddened to announce the passing of 17-year Alliance member Cheryl Ann Epple. Cheryl passed away on July 5, 2004 due to a heart attack. Along with her sisters, Nelda Rueter and Terri...
AIA: California Work Comp Reforms Produce Average 26 Percent Rate Shift
Jul 7 2004 // The American Insurance Association announced that recently enacted reform legislation passed in 2003 and this past spring has prompted a 26 percent swing in average workers’ compensation rates. Conducted by AIA, a...
SB 899 Workers’ Comp Classes Scheduled in California
Jul 7 2004 // To help agents gain insight and clear understanding of SB 899’s many changes, Insurance Skills Center will be running SB 899 workshops in July. The class will be offered on the following dates and will take place at...
Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints Three Members to State Fund Board
Jul 6 2004 // Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the appointments of Jeanne Cain, Kent Dagg and Vincent Mudd to the State Compensation Insurance Fund Board. Cain was also named chairwoman by the governor. “Reinvigorating the...
Association Awards Golden Torch to Insurance Journal Publisher Wells
Jul 5 2004 // Mark Wells Mark Wells, editor and publisher of Insurance Journal and Insurance Journal.com and chief executive officer of Wells Publishing Inc., has been awarded the Insurance Marketing Communications Association’s...
Association Awards Golden Torch to Insurance Journal’s Publisher
Jul 5 2004 // Mark Wells Mark Wells, editor and publisher of Insurance Journal and InsuranceJournal.com and CEO of Wells Publishing Inc., has been awarded the Insurance Marketing Communications Association’s (IMCA) 2004 Golden...
Calif. Lawmakers Continue to Debate Merits of Workers’ Comp Rate Regulation
Jul 5 2004 // Despite reductions in workers’ comp insurance premiums, California lawmakers will continue to debate the merits of rate regulation. A rate regulation bill, ABX4 No. 16, after passage in the Assembly on a party-line...
Association Awards Golden Torch to Insurance Journal’s Publisher
Jul 5 2004 // Mark Wells Mark Wells, editor and publisher of Insurance Journal and Insurance Journal Online and CEO of Wells Publishing Inc., has been awarded the Insurance Marketing Communications Association’s (IMCA) 2004 Golden...
People and Places
Jul 5 2004 // David Molchan David Molchan has been appointed as regional advertising manager for Insurance Journal East. Molchan has extensive experience in business-to-business advertising sales and ad sales management at several trade...
