Latest Claims Headlines
All the headlines from our Claims Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insureds Must Know What’s In Their Flood Policies
Feb 22 2009 // In this litigious day and age, lawsuits alleging breach of the insurance policies, bad faith, unfair claims handling, unfair settlement practices or negligence by an insurance agent are so common that they are not...
People
Feb 22 2009 // American International Group (AIG) named Peter Eastwood president and CEO of Lexington Insurance Co., a unit of AIG Commercial Insurance. Eastwood assumes management responsibility for Lexington from Kevin H. Kelley, who...
Markel Appoints Nilsson Claims Manager for Sweden
Feb 13 2009 // Markel International Limited, the specialty property and casualty insurer, has appointed Tomas Nilsson as claims manager for Markel International Sweden. He will be based in Markel’s Stockholm office. Ove Staaf,...
Swiss Re Claims Exec Huff Named Missouri Insurance Commissioner
Feb 9 2009 // Gov. Jay Nixon has picked a Swiss Re insurance claims executive to lead the Missouri insurance department. John Huff, a Missouri native, has worked since July 2008 at the Zurich headquarters of Swiss Re, one of the...
The Hartford Sues Virginia Firm to Limit Salmonella Claims
Feb 9 2009 // The Hartford has filed a lawsuit to determine whether it must pay claims filed by victims of a nationwide salmonella outbreak traced to the Virginia peanut butter maker it insures. Hartford, Conn.-based Hartford Casualty...
Study Unveils Target Areas for Flood Policy Sales
Feb 8 2009 // But Selling More at Subsidized Premiums Could Sink Flood Program There are a number of communities across the country where more flood insurance policies should be sold given their populations and flood risk. They include...
How to Avoid Agency Errors and Omissions Claims
Feb 8 2009 // Advising Clients on Specific Dollar Values of Coverages They Need to Consider May Create Unnecessary Exposures There have been an increasing number of lawsuits brought against agents in situations where the...
Maryland Suit Claims Restaurant Drink was Cleaning Chemical
Feb 6 2009 // A Baltimore woman says when she ordered an iced tea at a local McDonald’s restaurant last year, employees gave her a cup containing a cleaning chemical. Caryl Jones has filed a $100,000 lawsuit in Baltimore City...
Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis
Jan 28 2009 // The current financial crisis affects almost every aspect of our business life. That includes insurance. Businesses need to be wise consumers and aware of the legal issues covered by their coverages. Let’s take a look...
Latest Pennsylvania Fire Claims 15 Houses; Arson Suspected
Jan 27 2009 // The latest in a string of suspicious fires in this suburban Philadelphia city tore through a block of row houses, heavily damaging 15 homes, displacing dozens of people and prompting local officials to declare a state of...
Insurance in Times of Financial Crisis
Jan 25 2009 // Fiduciary liability typically involves an employee suing an employer for not offering employee options for investing in a 401K plan, and the law weighs heavily in favor of the employee in these cases. The current financial...
Insurance Claims for 2008 U.S. Catastrophes to Top $25 Billion
Jan 25 2009 // U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and businesses $25.2 billion for 2008 property losses from 37 catastrophes — the fourth highest cost in a decade and the highest frequency in a decade,...
Georgia Collected $22 Million in Claims Disputes in 2008
Jan 23 2009 // Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine said his office helped thousands of Georgia consumers settle disputes with their insurance companies in 2008, returning $22 million in insurance claims to policyholders “Many...
Record $2.4 Billion in Inter-Company Claims Resolved By Arbitration Firm
Jan 22 2009 // A leading arbitration company says it resolved nearly 500,000 inter-company claims disputes valued at more than $2.4 billion in 2008, setting a new record. Arbitration Forums, Inc. (AF), the nation’s largest provider...
Int’l. Underwriting Association Pledges Electronic Claims Payment Progress
Jan 21 2009 // An article on the Lloyd’s web site (www.lloyds.com) discusses plans by the International Underwriting Association for making claims payment a top priority for 2009. The IUA aims to double the number of new claims...
Iowa Landlord Faked Insurance Claims to Cheat Tenants Out of Deposits
Jan 21 2009 // Iowa authorities said that Robert K. Miell was tried and convicted on Jan. 9 on income tax fraud in United States District Court in Des Moines. Last week, Miell had pled guilty to 18 counts of mail fraud relating to an...
Insurance Claims for 2008 U.S. Catastrophes to Top $25 Billion
Jan 20 2009 // U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and businesses $25.2 billion for 2008 property losses from 37 catastrophes — the fourth highest cost in a decade and the highest frequency in a decade,...
Lawyers Hope to Fix Catastrophe- Related Insurance Problems
Jan 14 2009 // The nation’s lawyers who deal with insurance issues are developing policy recommendations designed to improve access to insurance coverage, reduce litigation over coverage and mitigate future losses involving natural...
California Wildfires May Take Longer to Settle
Jan 11 2009 // Industry analysts are predicting insured losses from the Freeway Complex, Sayre and Tea Fires that burned Southern California in mid-November will range from $600 million to $800 million, as of estimates gathered in early...
States Rate Poorly on Consumer Insurance Information on Web
Jan 11 2009 // A national consumer group says state insurance departments vary in the quality of the information they provide consumers online, with differences in the usefulness of information such as the rates and practices of...
