Latest Dealerships Headlines

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

Restrictive Illinois Auto Body Shop Bill Would Hit Consumers Hard

Feb 28 2005 // An Illinois bill that would require auto insurers to pay whatever any given body shop demanded for repairs would result in skyrocketing loss costs for insurers and higher premiums for drivers. H.B. 2330 is...

Texas AG Reaches Final Settlement with Insurers for Auto Repair Overcharges

Feb 4 2005 // Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced the last two in a five-year series of settlements with various insurance companies to give refunds to Texas policyholders who paid more out of pocket on claims for auto repairs...

Fla. Refund Plan Nets $1.7 Million

Nov 2 2004 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher announced that more than 1,200 Central Florida residents have received a total of $1.7 million under a refund plan for consumers who paid for various insurance products...

Farmers Sues L.A. Body Shop for Alleged Fraud

Oct 11 2004 // Farmers Insurance Exchange has begun serving civil summons and complaints upon a Los Angeles body shop and its director, accusing them of taking part in a scheme designed to defraud Farmers and its policyholders. The civil...

Mich. Insurer Group Taps Former Auto Industry Lobbyist as New Executive Director

Sep 28 2004 // The Lansing, Mich.-based Insurance Institute of Michigan has named a former lobbyist for the auto industry as its new executive director. Peter Kuhnmuench will start Oct. 11, 2004 and previously served as legislative...

MICHAEL E. JAMES OFFERING FREE CABO TRIPS FOR AGENTS:

Sep 6 2004 // Mike James, president of Michael E. James Insurance Agency, plans to send agents out of the country to Mexico next year by implementing a reward program that enables qualifying agents and brokers to win an all expense paid...

Automobile Repair & Service Operations

Sep 6 2004 // Nuts & Bolts: Lemac General Agency in Orange, Calif., has added a new market for Automobile Repair & Service Operations. Eligible classes include but are not limited to: detailers, body shops, quick lubes, heavy...

Farmers Sues L.A. Body Shop for Alleged Fraud

Sep 2 2004 // Farmers Insurance Exchange has begun serving civil summons and complaints upon a Los Angeles body shop and its director, accusing them of taking part in a scheme designed to defraud Farmers and its policyholders. The civil...

Lemac Offers New Market for Auto Repair & Service Ops

Aug 13 2004 // David Gorin, president of Lemac General Agency in Orange, California has recently added a new market for Automobile Repair & Service Operations. The market is rated “A” by A.M. Best. Eligible classes...

Michael E. James Offering Free Cabo Trips for Agents

Aug 12 2004 // Mike James, president of Michael E. James Insurance Agency plans to send agents out of the country to Mexico next year by implementing a reward program that enables qualifying agents and brokers to win an all expense paid...

Former Fla. Car Dealer to Pay Restitution

Aug 10 2004 // The former owner of a Milton, Florida automotive dealership has entered a plea of no contest to racketeering and organized fraud and has been ordered to begin making deposits of $5,000 a month into an escrow account that...

N.Y.’s Vicarious Liability Costly for Consumers and Auto Dealers

Jul 19 2004 // New York’s so-called vicarious liability law affecting car leasing firms costs consumers more than $130 million a year and has led to a 36 percent decline in the number of vehicles leased in New York each year,...

Mich. DOI Report Details Auto Repair Rights

Jul 19 2004 // A new report released by the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services aims to give consumers a better understanding of their rights with regard to auto repair under the state’s no-fault policy. The report,...

Akzo’s Nobilas to Acquire Aon’s UK Auto Repair Unit

Jun 1 2004 // The Netherlands’ Akzo Nobel announced that its Nobilas Claims & Fleet solutions business has agreed to acquire the UK-based Aon Motor Accident Management company (AMAM), which it described as “the number...

HAWAII NOT TO PURSUE STUDY ON AUTO REPAIR SHOP OWNERSHIP RESTRICTIONS:

Apr 19 2004 // A resolution that calls for a study of the need to prohibit insurance companies from owning auto repair facilities was deferred indefinitely following a hearing on the issue in Honolulu recently. Senate Concurrent...

Hawaii Not to Pursue Study on Auto Repair Shop Ownership Restrictions

Apr 7 2004 // A resolution that calls for a study of the need to prohibit insurance companies from owning auto repair facilities was deferred indefinitely following a hearing on the issue in Honolulu recently. Senate Concurrent...

Buttafuoco Among 11 Charged with Auto Repair Fraud

Jan 26 2004 // Nine owners or employees of California auto repair shops were arrested and charged recently with auto insurance fraud following a lengthy investigation by a multi-agency task force headed by the District Attorney’s...

Buttafuoco Among 11 Charged With Auto Repair Fraud

Dec 19 2003 // Nine owners or employees of area auto repair shops were arrested and charged today with auto insurance fraud following a lengthy investigation by a multi-agency task force headed by the District Attorney’s Bureau of...

N.Y. Officials Announce Indictments of Auto Body Shop Insurance Fraud Ring

Aug 14 2003 // Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, joined by Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and New York State Insurance Department Superintendent Gregory V. Serio, announced that the owner, manager and employees of a Far...

Florida Auto Dealer Charged with Fraud

Jul 31 2003 // The Florida Department of Financial Services announced that Michael Bander, of Pensacola, former owner of Everyone Rides Car, Truck and SUV Center, is facing charges of organized fraud, theft, retail installment sales...