Latest Claims Headlines
All the headlines from our Claims Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Timely Claims Reporting: A Serious Obligation for Agencies
Sep 21 2009 // In many insurance agencies, customer service representatives (CSRs) are responsible for handling claims submissions for clients. Larger agencies may have a separate claims department. Various problems can arise when the...
Employers Must Keep Company Picnics and Team-Building Activities Voluntary
Sep 21 2009 // When Fun ‘n Games at Work Take a Bad Turn Phyllis Young and her co-worker and friend, Sarah Bales, won the hula-hoop contest and the balloon toss, making them the favorites to also win the three-legged sack...
Study: Dog Bite Claims Up 8.7% in 2008
Sep 17 2009 // Man’s best friend is sinking its teeth into homeowners insurance costs. Dog bites account for one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claims, costing $387.20 million in 2008, up 8.70 percent from 2007,...
Ike Anniversary a Reminder That Ohio Is Not Immune to Natural Disasters
Sep 15 2009 // A year after Hurricane Ike swept across Ohio on Sept. 14, 2008, packing winds up to 74 mph, the state’s insured losses are now estimated at $1.255 billion, the Ohio Insurance Institute reports. Additionally, the Ohio...
P/C Insurers Report Surge in Suspicious Claims
Sep 9 2009 // Property/casualty insurance companies report that the number of claims suspected of possible fraud has jumped 13 percent for the first half of this year compared to last year’s first six months. A review of...
Colorado Officials Defend Pinnacol Actions
Sep 8 2009 // Executives from Colorado’s state-chartered workers’ compensation insurance company defended themselves against accusations of lavish spending and excess profits on Friday and they told lawmakers it would be...
Missouri: Medical Malpractice Insurers Profitable for 5th Year in a Row
Sep 8 2009 // Insurance companies providing medical malpractice coverage in Missouri returned a profit in 2008, marking the fifth consecutive year of positive earnings, Missouri Department of Insurance says. The department said its...
Idaho Agent Knows Job Safety Training and Employee Communication Pay Off
Sep 7 2009 // Nielsen Teaches Employers How to ‘Close the Window’ On Rising Comp Costs The best way insurance agents can teach employers about workers’ compensation is to get to know their business. Idaho insurance...
Farmers Gives California Fire Victims Assistance Number
Aug 31 2009 // Farmers Insurance Group of Companies asks its customers suffering damage or ordered to evacuate because of the widespread wildfires in Northern and Southern (Los Angeles County areas), to immediately contact Farmers’...
New Chrysler Agrees to Accept ‘Old’ Chrysler Product Liability Claims
Aug 28 2009 // In a letter sent members of Congress, the new Chrysler Group said it will accept product liability claims on vehicles it manufactured before it emerged from bankruptcy on June 10 with government assistance. The move is a...
Florida, Georgia Insurer First Commercial to Be Liquidated
Aug 26 2009 // Miami-based First Commercial Insurance Co. and its subsidiary have been declared insolvent and ordered liquidated about six weeks after being placed under state control. All policies written by FCIC and its subsidiary,...
P&I Clubs Must Overcome Investment Addiction Says Aon Report
Aug 25 2009 // In a new report Aon suggests that P&I [ Protection & Indemnity] clubs only “need to increase premiums by 0-7.5 percent despite the surge in high value claims in 2006 and 2007 and the steep decline in...
U.S. Courts Rejects California Law on Insurance Claims for Armenians
Aug 24 2009 // A federal appeals court invalidated a California law Thursday that allowed heirs of Armenians killed in the Turkish Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago to seek payment on the life insurance policies of dead relatives. The...
State Auto Appoints Hunckler Chief Claims Officer
Aug 19 2009 // Stephen P. Hunckler has joined Columbus, Ohio-based State Auto Insurance Companies as chief claims officer. He succeeds John Melvin, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Hunckler was most recently executive vice...
Florida Activates Claims Hotline for Tropical Storm Claudette Victims
Aug 17 2009 // Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today announced that the state storm line has been activated to assist Floridians whose homes, businesses or vehicles were damaged by Tropical Storm Claudette as it passed through...
Gainsco Reports Income Increase in Q2 2009 Results
Aug 14 2009 // Dallas-based Gainsco Inc. announced net income for the second quarter 2009 increased to $1.6 million, compared with a second quarter 2008 net income of $1 million. Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was $3.7...
Calif. Workers’ Comp Rating Bureau to Recommend 22.8% Increase in Rates
Aug 13 2009 // The WCIRB will submit a filing to the California Department of Insurance (CDI) recommending an approximate 22.8 percent increase in pure premium rates (or “claims cost benchmark”) effective Jan. 1, 2010. The...
Ohio High Court: Negligent Act Can Be ‘Occurrence’ in Some Cases
Aug 10 2009 // In a decision announced Aug. 4, 2009, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that when a liability insurance policy defines a covered “occurrence” as an “accident,” a negligent act committed by an insured...
Consumer Reports: 73% Happy with Their Home Insurance Company
Aug 4 2009 // A new Consumer Reports’ survey of homeowner insurance customers found some good news, especially for people with decent credit and claims history. Lots of consumers are finding lower prices. More than half (53...
Claims Firm Says West Virginia Owes It $1 Million That Was Lost in African Scam
Aug 3 2009 // A Memphis insurance claims firm wants the more than $1 million that it was supposed to receive from West Virginia, but that was instead diverted in an apparent Africa-based fraud scheme, state lawmakers learned...
