Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Eye on Insurance Industry Regulation
Jan 11 2009 // In Financial Turmoil, Agents and the Industry Must Work Together It has been said that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” That also raises the question, what happens to the boat when the tide goes down? The...
New Employment Laws, Power Shift in Washington May Increase the Risk of Workplace Charges
Jan 11 2009 // What Insurance Professionals Need to Know to Protect Their Commercial Clients As the economy continues to falter and a new Administration takes over in Washington, the workplace is being seeded with new legal hazards for...
Corporate Fraud Scandals Can Detonate Anywhere
Jan 9 2009 // When it comes to corporate fraud scandals, nowhere is safe. Revelations of a $1 billion fraud at Indian IT firm Satyam Computer Services do not point to a higher systemic risk of accounting scandals in India, or even in...
Galveston Officials Paint Bleak Picture of Ike Recovery for Lawmakers
Jan 9 2009 // Galveston officials pleaded with state lawmakers Jan. 7 for help in rescuing their island city from the dire financial straits it finds itself in nearly four months after the devastation of Hurricane...
Florida Workers’ Compensation Market in Good Shape, Says State
Jan 8 2009 // Availability and affordability in Florida’s voluntary workers’ compensation market overall is good, although small firms, new firms and construction firms might face affordability issues due to unique...
Iowa Judge Certifies Retirees’ Class Action in Deere & Co. Lawsuit
Jan 8 2009 // A federal lawsuit against Deere & Co. filed by a group of retirees is scheduled to go to trial in September, and a judge has ordered class action certification in part of the case. The retirees of the Moline,...
Iowa Lawmakers to Focus on Flood Recovery Despite Economic Concerns
Jan 7 2009 // Despite a state budget crisis and a crumbling national economy, Iowa legislators will nonetheless take on one of the most expensive problems in state history–flood recovery. No one is sure of the price tag, but all...
U.S. House Panel Postpones Hearing into Use of Bailout Funds
Jan 6 2009 // A U.S. congressional panel postponed a Wednesday hearing on the Treasury Department’s use of a $700 billion financial bailout fund and priorities of president-elect Obama’s administration, the House Financial...
North Carolina Commissioner’s in Select Company
Jan 6 2009 // It’s a select community. Only 11 state insurance commissioners across the country are elected rather than appointed. Wayne Goodwin is now one of the 11. He won the Nov. 4 election to succeed Jim Long, who first won...
North Dakota Lawmakers Support Tougher Restrictions for Teen Drivers
Jan 5 2009 // North Dakota lawmakers strongly support toughening state laws that govern teenage drivers, and many favor raising the state’s 14-year-old minimum driving age, an Associated Press survey shows. Insurance Commissioner...
2008: Top Stories of the Year
Jan 5 2009 // 2008 can be described as a year like no other in the property/casualty insurance world. This year we saw the near death of the world’s largest and most successful insurance company, AIG. The soft market continued to...
After Stormy 2008, P/C Industry Facing Uncertainty in New Year
Jan 5 2009 // Ask agents and executives in the insurance industry about the new year and they’ll say they expect that the market will harden, at least slightly. In fact, 73 percent of agents predict prices will firm, according to...
Colorado Proposes Rate Filing Changes
Jan 5 2009 // Colorado’s Division of Insurance is proposing to amend regulation 5-1-10, Rate and Rule Filing Submission Requirements for Property and Casualty Insurance, “to ensure that property and casualty insurance rates...
North Carolina Auto Insurance Rate Hike In Escrow Until Court Rules
Dec 29 2008 // Auto insurers may increase premiums on North Carolina drivers by up to 9.4 percent starting Jan. 1, but a court ruling will determine whether they can keep the extra money. The North Carolina Rate Bureau, which represents...
Smoking Ban Deal Still Discussed by Michigan Lawmakers
Dec 22 2008 // Michigan lawmakers had not reached deals to ban smoking in restaurants and bars or change the rules for pricing individual health insurance policies as their 2007-08 session neared an end on Thursday, Dec. 18. Both issues...
Judge Upholds Legality of Transfer from Wisconsin Malpractice Insurance Fund
Dec 22 2008 // Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature legally used $200 million from Wisconsin’s medical malpractice fund to help balance the state budget, a judge has ruled. The decision, if it stands, spares the state from...
Allianz Launches Economic Research and Strategic Development Division
Dec 22 2008 // Allianz SE announced that it has launched a new division for Economic Research and Strategic Development. The new internal consulting division, which combines economic research and Allianz’ strategic corporate...
Critics Say Proposed Calif. Regulatory Changes Could Boost Rates
Dec 22 2008 // California State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is under fire from his predecessor and a consumer group for proposing regulation changes that they say would increase rates for automobile, homeowner and most other...
2008: A Year of Financial Storms
Dec 21 2008 // 2008 can be described as a year like no other in the property/casualty insurance world. This year, the industry witnessed the near death of the world’s largest and most successful insurance company, AIG. The soft...
After Stormy 2008, P/C Industry Facing Uncertainty in New Year
Dec 21 2008 // Agents Wish for Firmer Pricing, Higher Commissions, Solid Client Retention, Unity on Legislation Ask agents and executives in the insurance industry about the coming year and they’ll say they expect that the market...
