Latest Carriers Headlines

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

Southeast Agency, Carrier Plans Brighten Jobs Picture

May 7 2012 // Those interested in new or better positions in insurance might want to grab their suntan lotion and head to the Southeast. They might also want to brush up on their Spanish. The unemployment rate remains higher in key...

Southeast Agencies, Carriers Now Hiring

May 7 2012 // Here is some of the positive insurance employment news for the Southeast: Allstate In February, Allstate Insurance announced it was looking to appoint 124 new agency owners in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South...

Florida Governor Signs Long-Awaited Auto Insurance Anti-Fraud Bill

May 4 2012 // Florida’s decade long attempt to reform the state’s automobile no-fault insurance law has finally paid off. Gov. Rick Scott, flanked by rows of law enforcement officials and state officials, signed into law...

Best Affirms Fairfax Financial and Most Subs Ratings

May 4 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” and the unsecured debt and preferred equity ratings of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited. Best also affirmed the financial strength rating...

C.M. Meiers Legal Battle Goes On, Allegations Heat Up

May 3 2012 // With a quote from former president Ronald Reagan, an emergency motion from a sex toy business and increasingly acerbic accusations, the legal battle between the new and old owners of bankrupt agency C.M. Meiers continues...

Willis Re Reports on Mutual Insurers’ Diversification Challenges, Opportunities

May 3 2012 // Willis Re, the reinsurance arm of Willis Group Holdings, has released a report discussing the challenges and opportunities offered to mutual insurers through diversification, subtitled “Navigating the Pitfalls in...

Oklahoma Shopping Center Sues Insurer, Metal Plant, Others

May 2 2012 // The owner of a Muskogee, Okla. shopping center damaged during a deadly explosion seven years ago has sued a scrap metal plant. An insurance company, an engineering company and a claims and appraisal firm also are named as...

New York Proposes New Rule to Crack Down on No-Fault Insurance Fraud

May 2 2012 // New York State regulators are expanding their effort to stop no-fault auto insurance fraud. The New York Department of Financial Services announced on Tuesday a new draft regulation, Regulation 68, that would make it...

Survey: Agencies Seek Carrier Help to Expand into New Niches

May 2 2012 // The challenges of today’s economy appear to be driving some independent agents into new niche insurance markets and product lines. Almost 60 percent of independent agents say they have begun to or plan to expand into...

Geneva Association Reminds Federal Reserve Insurers Aren’t Banks

May 2 2012 // The Swiss-based insurance think tank Geneva Association has followed up on its recent report as to whether or not some insurers should be considered as G-SIFI’s (globally systemic important financial...

Court Reverses Mississippi Award Over ‘Negligent’ Flood Policy Advice

May 1 2012 // An insurance company selling federal flood insurance has won a case against a Mississippi homeowner who claimed the insurer was negligent in not informing him that he was eligible to buy a preferred risk policy with more...

Fewer Auto Insurance Buyers Shopping But More Switching Carriers: J.D. Powers

May 1 2012 // The auto insurance shopping rate has reached the lowest point in the past five years, with only 25 percent of insurance customers indicating they shopped for a new insurer in the past 12 months, down eight percentage...

Shipping Exec: India’s State Insurers to Provide $50 Million Cover for Iran Oil Buy

May 1 2012 // Indian state-run insurers have agreed to give limited cover to local ships for carrying Iranian oil, helping the energy-hungry country import reduced volumes from sanctions-hit Tehran from July, a Shipping Corp of India...

Judge: Montana City Must Pay $3M Judgment To Insurance Company In Lawsuit

Apr 30 2012 // A state judge has ruled the city of Bozeman in Montana must repay its insurance company the $3 million it paid after the city lost a lawsuit filed by a developer. Developer Mike Delaney sued the city in 2003 alleging the...

Insurer Says It’s Not Liable for Drug-Related Fire in Michigan

Apr 30 2012 // An insurance company claims it should be reimbursed after a fire linked to drugs badly damaged a house in Bay City, Mich. Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance of Columbus, Ohio, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to recover...

Insurance Company Balks at Claims in Fatal Conn. Fire

Apr 30 2012 // An insurance company said it should not have to pay claims or lawsuits stemming from a Christmas morning fire that killed five people because a contractor renovating the house misrepresented the type and scope of work his...

Consumer Rebates Under Medical Loss Ratio Estimated to Be $1.3 Billion

Apr 30 2012 // More than 3 million health insurance policyholders and thousands of employers will share $1.3 billion in rebates this year, thanks to President Barack Obama’s health care law, according to a nonpartisan research...

North Dakota Fines 2 Insurance Companies

Apr 27 2012 // North Dakota insurance regulators have fined two mutual insurance companies $10,000 each for operating outside their authorized territories. State Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm says his office fined West McLean Farmers...

Rate Hike Proposal Sent to Board of Texas Windstorm Insurer

Apr 27 2012 // In advance of the start of hurricane season, the actuarial underwriting committee of Texas’ property insurer of last resort for coastal counties is recommending a rate increase. The committee on April 20 voted for a...

Best Affirms Horace Mann Educators and Subs ‘A-‘ Ratings

Apr 27 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “a-” of the property/casualty group, Horace Mann Insurance Group and its...