Latest Carriers Headlines
All the headlines from our Carriers Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Hartville Backs Off Insurance Company Acquisition
Apr 4 2005 // North Canton, Ohio-based pet insurer Hartville Group Inc. announced that its board of directors has decided that pursuing the acquisition of the property/casualty insurance company was no longer in the best interest of...
Md. Winds Down Urban Insurer American Skyline with St. Paul’s Help
Apr 4 2005 // Having decided last year to end its support after four years and $30 million, The St. Paul Travelers Cos. has now agreed to funnel funds one last time into a Maryland insurer it helped start as a model to serve urban...
An Underinsurance Lesson from the West Coast
Apr 4 2005 // In the aftermath of the devastating Southern California Wildfires of October 2003, claim adjusters went to work in an area where an estimated 3,631 structures were destroyed. In many cases the only remaining indication of...
How to Float to the Top and Other Words of Wisdom
Apr 4 2005 // Berkshire Hathaway’s Buffett on Insurance Economics, 2004 Results By Chairman Warren Buffett’s own admission, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. did not have one of its best years in 2004. Last year, Berkshire’s...
Create a Community with an Agency Newsletter and Web Site
Apr 4 2005 // There are two classic reasons why consumers change insurance providers: a lower premium and a profound lack of appreciation. Agency management can only do so many things about the premiums they proffer. But there is always...
Regulators Look for a Clue
Apr 4 2005 // Was it Colonel ChoicePoint in the Conservatory With a Knife? When ChoicePoint Asset Co. finally disclosed Feb. 15 that criminals had gained access to the personal information of as many as 145,000 people in all 50 states,...
State Opposition, Other Issues Bury Federal Charter Efforts
Apr 4 2005 // Although three major proposals to revamp insurance regulation are before legislators in some form, it appears that the industry’s ultimate goal of optional federal charters is nowhere close to fruition. Only the...
Michigan DOI Study Finds Competition Doesn’t Equal Affordability
Apr 4 2005 // Michigan’s Office of Financial and Insurance Services last month released the results of its long-awaited study of competitiveness in the state’s insurance market. While the report found competition under the...
TOP COURT RULES FOR INSURERS ON MEDICAL CHARGES:
Apr 4 2005 // The Supreme Court of Michigan recently ruled that the state’s No-Fault Insurance Act prohibits health care providers from charging more than a reasonable fee for services and left it up to lower courts to determine...
Spitzer’s Complaint Outlines Aon’s Personal Lines Deals with Insurers
Apr 4 2005 // The recent $190 million settlement between the world’s second largest insurance broker, Aon, and officials in three states sheds light on how, as New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and other public officials...
South Central Homeowners Market Update
Apr 4 2005 // Judging from the homeowners insurance rate changes reported by the Arkansas Insurance Department for 2004, the highest increases were effective before August. The largest hike, 28.3 percent, was filed by Federal Insurance...
TDI February Enforcement Actions = $1.3 M in Fines and Restitution
Apr 4 2005 // The Texas Department of Insurance recently announced enforcement actions taken by Commissioner José Montemayor that became final during February. The actions include four license revocations, one license denial, and fines...
Keeping Retention Rates High in a Softening Market
Apr 4 2005 // The success or failure of any organization can be traced to customer retention. Agents and carriers who retain the most customers have greater long-term success and profitability than those who consistently lose...
IBA West President Discusses Broker Disclosure, Work Comp Issues
Apr 4 2005 // Mark Wells, publisher of Insurance Journal, recently spoke to Stan Simpson, the newly elected president of the Insurance Agents and Brokers of the West and a principal at Buckman-Mitchell Inc., an independent agency in...
Court Upholds Industry Lawsuit: CDI’s Homeowners Regulations Illegal
Apr 4 2005 // Charges by the California Department of Insurance that the California homeowners insurance industry arbitrarily nonrenews or raises rates on homeowners who file one claim or make an inquiry about their coverage is little...
Homeowners Moving to the West Coast
Apr 4 2005 // Whether your client owns a multi-million dollar home overlooking the Pacific Ocean or a small bungalow tucked away a mile from the beach, it is your responsibility to find the right homeowners insurance coverage that will...
Some 200 Insurance-Related Bills Introduced in California Legislature
Apr 4 2005 // About 200 insurance-related bills have been introduced in the California Legislature this session, according to The Association of California Insurance Companies. “We expect during the upcoming months that the issues...
Adjusters can Detect the Problem of Underinsurance Before Disaster Strikes
Apr 4 2005 // In the aftermath of the devastating Southern California wildfires of October 2003, claim adjusters went to work in an area where an estimated 3,631 structures were destroyed. In many cases the only remaining indication of...
Insurers Warn of Scam Contractors in Wake of Central Texas Storms
Apr 1 2005 // People suffering damage to their homes and businesses a result of the storms that swept across Austin, Texas, over the Easter weekend were warned to be aware of unscrupulous contractors ready to take advantage of storm...
S&P Report Describes Increased Access to Capital Markets for Small, Mid-Sized Insurers
Apr 1 2005 // A study from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services examines recent changes in the U.S. capital markets, and concludes that they have “have sparked interest in the credit ratings on small and mid-size...
