Latest Claims Headlines

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

Pa. Sees Slower Growth in Workers’ Compensation Claim Costs, According to WCRI Study

Mar 15 2005 // Costs per workers’ compensation claim in Pennsylvania rose 6 percent between 2001 and 2002, according to a new report by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI). This contrasts with...

Warren Named Beecher Carlson Holdings Senior Vice President in Atlanta

Mar 14 2005 // Janet Warren has been appointed senior vice president and claims practice leader of Beecher Carlson Holdings Inc. in Atlanta. Warren will be responsible for establishing and managing Beecher Carlson’s claims practice...

500 Consumers Attend Punta Gorda, Fla. Town Hall Meetings; Gallagher, Insurance Reps Hear Complaints

Mar 14 2005 // More than 100 consumers spent five-and-a-half hours March 12 voicing their concerns about unpaid insurance claims in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley at a town hall meeting in Punta Gorda, Fla. attended by Chief...

Four More Banks Settle Worldcom Claims

Mar 11 2005 // Four investment banks this week agreed to pay a total of $428.4 million to settle claims stemming from a class-action lawsuit brought by former shareholders of WorldCom Inc. New York state Comptroller Alan Hevesi said in a...

Key Items Still Need to be Resolved in NCOIL Claims History Info Use Model

Mar 8 2005 // Model legislation that would restrict how insurers could use claims history information when underwriting property-casualty insurance coverage moved several steps closer to a vote when the National Conference of Insurance...

Heads Up! Employees at Large

Mar 7 2005 // Wal-Mart, Morgan Stanley, Boeing, Texaco, State Farm and Farmers have all been the targets of recent employment practices lawsuits. Wal-Mart was hit with sexual harassment charges. Farmers was sued for wrongful...

FRAUD CRACKDOWN LOWERS CLAIMS:

Mar 7 2005 // Auto accident claims are down significantly in Lawrence, Mass., and several other Merrimack Valley communities after a 16-month crackdown on auto insurance fraud, according to an industry report. The Insurance Fraud Bureau...

14 South Floridians Indicted in Dade County for Filing False FEMA Claims

Mar 4 2005 // Fourteen South Floridaians were indicted this week for filing false claims to obtain Federal Emergency Management Authority grants and charged with federal wire and mail fraud. Federal legislators meeting in Washington...

NCOIL Resolution Supports OSHA Ergonomics Guidelines; Hopes for Reduction in Workers’ Compensation Claims

Mar 3 2005 // A resolution supporting ergonomics guidelines for nursing homes and encouraging such facilities to use alternative mechanical lifting methods was unanimously approved on Thursday by the Workers’ Compensation...

Washington Dept. of Labor Fines Contractor over Workers’ Comp Violations

Mar 3 2005 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries has put Skanska USA Building Inc. on notice that it will lose its certificate to self-insure if it doesn’t improve the way it manages workers’ compensation...

Vanguard Fire & Casualty to Meet with Fla. CFO Regarding Hurricane Claims

Mar 3 2005 // On Thursday morning, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher held a news conference and expressed his desire to meet “eyeball-to-eyeball” with the heads of insurance companies to discuss open...

Ala. Commission Sets March 25 Deadline to Settle Hurricane Ivan Damage Claims

Feb 24 2005 // Insurance companies with unsettled claims from Hurricane Ivan have been given until March 25 to pay policyholders, or explain to Insurance Commissioner Walter Bell why the claims have not been paid. Once claims are...

Claims Mitigation Network Hires Gibboney to Head Member Services

Feb 23 2005 // Gary Gibboney has joined the Independent Mitigation and Cleaning/Conservation (IMACC) network at its Indianapolis office. In his new position, Gibboney will be responsible for expanding IMACC membership, while he works...

Citizens Lost First Round; Stalling Payments Until After Another Court Decision

Feb 21 2005 // Citizens Property Insurance Co. is in the limelight again, this time because it is refusing to pay property losses, even after losing a South Florida appeals court decision. Hurricane Irene brought both wind and water when...

Insurance Agents’ E&O: Are You Properly Covered’

Feb 21 2005 // Have you heard the story of the shoemaker’s children? Although their father was a shoemaker, they always had the most worn shoes. The reason is their father spent so much time and effort taking care of his customers,...

Ohio’s Common Sense Legal Reform

Feb 21 2005 // 2004 was a landmark year for common sense legal reform in Ohio. The state enacted significant asbestos reform, silica and mixed dust reform, and comprehensive tort reform legislation. The many benefits of these historic...

N.Y. Workers Comp Insolvency Fund Could Survive Until End of March; Quick Action in Albany Sought

Feb 18 2005 // The New York State Workers Compensation Security Fund, which officials last month predicted would run out of money by the end of this month, could go on paying claims until the end of March, thanks to early access to funds...

Mass. Fraud Crackdown Lowers Claims Substantially

Feb 16 2005 // Auto accident claims are down significantly in Lawrence, Mass. and several other Merrimack Valley communities after a 16-month crackdown on auto insurance fraud, according to an industry report. The Insurance Fraud Bureau...

PCI: New York’s Guaranty Funds Need Both Short and Long-Term Reform

Feb 16 2005 // Shifting funds from one New York guaranty fund to prop up the state’s floundering Workers’ Compensation Security Fund will reportedly only jeopardize the solvency of the Property/Casualty Security Fund and...

Customers Polled: Foremost Receives High Marks for Processing Hurricane Claims

Feb 11 2005 // Foremost Insurance Group of companies received high marks in a survey done on 3,000 customers who suffered losses from hurricanes in late 2004. The survey had a response rate of 39 percent. Those who responded rated...