Latest Legislation Headlines

Michigan Supreme Court Lifts Ban on Use of Credit Scores by Insurers

Jul 9 2010 // The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that the Granholm Administration exceeded its authority when it banned the use of credit scoring by insurance companies in the state. The decision means insurers in Michigan can...

How P&C Agents Can Benefit from Upcoming Health Insurance Boom

Jul 7 2010 // For independent insurance agents, upcoming healthcare reform could be an opportunity to gain a bigger share of the health insurance and benefits market, provided they can properly advise their customers about their...

Actuarially Sound Property Rates Remain Elusive Along Texas Coast

Jul 7 2010 // Insurance company interests have long complained that the state-backed Texas Windstorm Insurance Association charges rates that are not actuarially sound for the risks it insures, making it impossible for private insurers...

Indiana Man Seeks Tougher Rules for Mo-Ped Drivers

Jul 7 2010 // An Indiana man whose son was seriously hurt in a mo-ped accident is urging state lawmakers to crack down on use of the vehicles. Arthur Jewell said his son had lost his driver’s license for driving while intoxicated...

Some Question Campaign Run by Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Judge

Jul 7 2010 // The presiding judge of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court has created a furor by choosing to retain his post while running for a job as an Oklahoma County district judge. Some attorneys say Judge Kent Eldridge...

Judge Approves $712.5M Settlement Deal for 9/11 Responders

Jul 5 2010 // Some recounted their days at the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center. Some fought back tears. Some complained that no amount of money would make them whole. Despite the mixed emotions, most of the responders on...

Declarations

Jul 5 2010 // Don’t Text, Just Drive “Txt Back L8R” —Billboards going up around Michigan are reminding drivers to hold off on text messaging. The Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning said that the billboards in...

Michigan Court Rules Liability Waivers for Kids Do Not Bar Lawsuits

Jul 5 2010 // A parent’s signature doesn’t waive the legal rights of a child who is hurt at play, the Michigan Supreme Court said in a decision that has consequences for businesses, schools and other groups offering...

Jul 5 2010 // Congress’s inability to act leaves many in flood prone areas vulnerable – for the second time this year and the fourth in 12 months’ time. When it rains it pours, as the saying goes. By extension, one...

Court Rules in Favor of Calif. State Compensation Workers

Jul 5 2010 // About 7,900 employees of California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund are entitled to back pay after a state appeals court ruled in their favor over furloughs. The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco...

Rough Road for Trucking in the New Economy

Jul 5 2010 // Rising Taxes, Inflation Will Force Insurance Market to a ‘Déjà vu All Over Again’ The insurance industry has a long history for cyclical price adjusting, featuring long periods of marginal to inadequate...

How to Manage the Growing Risks of Social Media

Jul 5 2010 // Advertising, Defamation, Privacy and Security Laws All at Issue Asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” Something similar can be said to explain why...

Webinar to Help P&C Agents Benefit from Health Insurance Boom Under Reform Law

Jul 1 2010 // For independent insurance agents, upcoming healthcare reform could be an opportunity to gain a bigger share of the health insurance and benefits market, provided they can properly advise their customers about their...

More Oil Spills to Come, Says Professor

Jun 30 2010 // The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not simply a random accident. There will be more of these spills to come, as the days of easy oil are over, says an anthropologist at Washington University in St....

Catlin to Establish Swiss Reinsurer

Jun 29 2010 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited has announced that it intends to form a reinsurance company in Switzerland to “significantly expand the European-based reinsurance business underwritten by the...

Michigan Police Face Challenge of Enforcing Text-Driving Ban

Jun 28 2010 // When Michigan’s ban on texting while driving takes effect Thursday, July 1, police will be able to pull over motorists solely for using their cell phones to send or look at text messages or e-mails. Some in law...

As Alex Looms, Texans Wait for Decision on Flood Insurance

Jun 28 2010 // With Tropical Storm Alex skirting the east coast of Mexico and heading north, if residents along the Texas Gulf Coast are thinking it’s a good time to purchase flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance...

Supreme Court Partially Strikes Down SOX Accounting Board

Jun 28 2010 // The Supreme Court Monday struck down part of a law to prevent fraud committed by companies like Enron and WorldCom, saying a board to police public companies’ auditors violated the Constitution. But the ruling left...

New Lawsuit Filed Over 2007 Utah Mine Disaster

Jun 28 2010 // Six U.S. insurance companies and Lloyd’s of London are suing for reimbursement of millions of dollars for equipment abandoned inside a Utah mine that collapsed in 2007, killing six miners and three rescuers. The suit...

Lawmakers Agree on Historic Financial Industry Reforms

Jun 25 2010 // U.S. lawmakers hammered out a historic overhaul of financial regulations as dawn broke over the nation’s capital Friday, handing President Barack Obama a major domestic victory on the eve of a global summit devoted...