Latest Illinois Headlines
All the headlines from our Illinois Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Credit Ratings of Illinois’ Governmental Interinsurance Exchange
Nov 8 2018 // A.M. Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating to A- (Excellent) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “a-” from “a” of Governmental Interinsurance Exchange (GIE) in...
Illinois Launches Autonomous Vehicle Testing Program
Oct 30 2018 // The Illinois Department of Transportation has begun a statewide initiative among multiple government agencies to develop a testing program for connected and autonomous vehicles. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed an executive order...
Illinois’ Cook County Board OKs $4M Medical Malpractice Settlement
Oct 19 2018 // Cook County’s board of commissioners have voted for a nearly $4 million settlement of a malpractice lawsuit filed after an alleged botched heart surgery at Chicago’s Stroger Hospital. Lawyers for Jaime Flores...
Illinois County Pay $3M to Settle Case Over Missing Stop Sign in Fatal Crash
Oct 17 2018 // A northern Illinois county has agreed to a $3 million settlement with the family of a pregnant woman who was killed in a crash at a rural intersection where a stop sign was missing. The May 2013 crash near the Stephenson...
Chicago Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty to Federal, State Tax Evasion
Oct 15 2018 // A Chicago insurance agent has pleaded guilty to failing to pay federal and state taxes on more than $4.7 million in income earned over a decade, according to federal prosecutors. The office of the United States Attorney...
People
Oct 15 2018 // COUNTRY Financial, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, has named Jim Jacobs as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective early next year. He succeeds Kurt Bock, who is retiring Jan. 31, 2019, after serving as...
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Adds Sullivan in Illinois
Oct 10 2018 // Swiss Re Corporate Solutions has named Chris Sullivan head sales in the central region. Sullivan will be based in Chicago, Ill., and responsible generating new business, managing relationships with brokers and driving...
Muldowney Named President of Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois
Oct 8 2018 // Patrick Muldowney has been elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois. The Chicago-based Muldowney will be responsible for the general leadership functions of the organization. He will also serve as...
Tower Hill Specialty Enters Illinois Property Insurance Market
Oct 5 2018 // Ohio-based Tower Hill Specialty is now offering property insurance in Illinois. Currently available in seven states, Tower Hill Specialty provides homeowners, dwelling fire, manufactured housing and condominium products....
OptOn Offering On-Demand Insurance for Illinois Rideshare Drivers
Oct 4 2018 // OptOn has launched its mobile, on-demand, commercial insurance product for rideshare drivers in Illinois. The company said the mobile app provides short-term primary insurance coverage for rideshare drivers across all...
Alliant Acquires Zande Group in Illinois
Oct 3 2018 // Alliant Insurance Services has acquired the property/casualty insurance services firm, Zande Group, based in Des Plaines, Illinois. Zande Group delivers premium, tailored commercial and personal insurance products and...
People
Oct 1 2018 // Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan appointed Matt Taylor as vice president of Marketing. Taylor joined Farm Bureau Insurance in 2009 as an agent. He later joined marketing management as a managing partner in the Southeast...
Business Moves
Oct 1 2018 // Marsh & McLennan, JLT Marsh & McLennan Inc. agreed to buy Jardine Lloyd Thompson for about $5.7 billion to expand its global offering of reinsurance and consulting services. New York-based Marsh said the purchase...
Chicago Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty to Federal, State Tax Evasion
Sep 28 2018 // A Chicago insurance agent has pleaded guilty to failing to pay federal and state taxes on more than $4.7 million in income earned over a decade, according to federal prosecutors. The office of the United States Attorney...
Illinois’ Venhaus Insurance Joins Valley Insurance Agency Alliance
Sep 26 2018 // Venhaus Insurance Agency, in Columbia, Illinois, has joined Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a network of over 100 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois. Venhaus Insurance Agency owner Doug...
Residents Call for Changes to Prevent Flooding North Chicago Suburbs
Sep 24 2018 // Residents are pushing for Illinois officials to change how they run a dam to prevent flooding in several lakes that flow into the Fox River in Chicago’s northern suburbs. Property owners are petitioning the U.S. Army...
Jacobs Named Next CEO at Illinois’ COUNTRY Financial
Sep 20 2018 // Insurer COUNTRY Financial, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, has named Jim Jacobs as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective early next year. He succeeds Kurt Bock, who is retiring Jan. 31, 2019, after...
Kistler Joins Illinois’ Alera Group as Director of Business Development
Sep 19 2018 // Alera Group, a national employee benefits, property/casualty, risk management and wealth management firm headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, has appointed Matt Kistler as director of Business Development. Kistler will...
State Farm Settles, Avoids Racketeering Trial
Sep 17 2018 // Insurance giant State Farm on Sept.4 reached a $250 million preliminary settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit claiming the company funneled money to the campaign of an Illinois Supreme Court candidate. The lawsuit...
Exclusive Remedy: The Scope of Protection in Illinois Workers’ Comp
Sep 13 2018 // Section 5(a) of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides the damages an employer must pay for work-related injuries. It specifies a worker injured in the line of duty cannot sue her employer or its other...
