Latest Louisiana Headlines

Louisiana, Texas Gain Jobs in June; Arkansas, Oklahoma Post Losses

Jul 21 2010 // The South Central states of Louisiana and Texas posted job gains for the month of June, but Arkansas and Oklahoma saw slight losses in employment. The Louisiana Workforce Commission reported Louisiana’s seasonally...

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner: Legislative Session Successful

Jul 20 2010 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon reports that the recent state legislative session was successful for insurance bills, as far as the Louisiana Department of Insurance is concerned. A large number of bills in...

Analysis: Perfect Storm Brewing for Louisiana Economy

Jul 20 2010 // In the blink of an eye, the economic focus in Louisiana has shifted from recession recovery to avoiding actual and potential job losses piling up at a staggering rate. And there’s very little that the state can do:...

Louisiana Officials ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About BP Well Cap

Jul 19 2010 // Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and U.S. Congressman Charlie Melancon, whose district has been severely affected by the BP oil well spill, are “cautiously optimistic” about reports...

Alabama Insurance Regulator Rejects Offer to Run Louisiana Citizens

Jul 15 2010 // An Alabama insurance regulator has turned aside an offer to become head of Louisiana’s property insurer of last resort. The Louisiana Department of Insurance says Charles Angell has decided to stay in Alabama. He had...

Louisiana Governor Signs Ban on Chinese Drywall Cancellations

Jul 12 2010 // Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has agreed to ban insurance companies from dropping coverage of homeowners who have found corrosive Chinese drywall in their homes. Jindal’s office announced that the governor has signed...

Louisiana Agent Accused of Misappropriating Premium

Jul 8 2010 // A West Monroe, La., agent has been served by Department of Insurance Fraud Section Investigators with a cease and desist order, a summary suspension order and fine notice for alleged misappropriation and...

Wortman Retiring as CEO of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

Jul 6 2010 // John Wortman, CEO of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. (Citizens), the state’s property insurance of last resort, has announced plans to retire. “John Wortman has been a tremendous asset to Louisiana...

Louisiana AG to Feinberg: Keep State in the Loop

Jul 5 2010 // While the claims process related to the BP oil spill may be improving, Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell still wants to keep tabs on it. A Louisiana district court judge in June approved Caldwell’s request to...

Jul 5 2010 // 77.2% In most hurricane-prone states, homeowners have few choices for insurance coverage, with just eight property and casualty insurers in each state controlling up to 77.2 percent of the market share, according to Weiss...

Bad Weather Hinders BP Oil Cleanup; Oil Invades More Wetlands

Jul 2 2010 // Tropical storm Alex slowed oil spill clean-up and containment work in the Gulf of Mexico and drove more petroleum into fragile Gulf wetlands and beaches Thursday, with any permanent fix to BP Plc’s ruptured deep-sea...

FARA Insurance Services Adds Pinac to Senior Management Team

Jul 1 2010 // FARA Insurance Services, a Mandeville, La.-based provider of claims administration and risk management solutions, has added Cherie Arceneaux Pinac to its senior management team. Pinac will serve as vice president for...

BancorpSouth Insurance Exec Re-Elected to Louisiana Guaranty Board

Jun 30 2010 // BancorpSouth Insurance Services president Markham McKnight has been re-elected as treasurer of the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association (LIGA) board. McKnight brings 28 years of experience to his position. In addition...

Hurricane Alex to Hamper BP’s Gulf Oil Disaster Containment Effort

Jun 29 2010 // Tropical Storm Alex is expected to reach hurricane strength on Tuesday, with high winds and vast waves set to hamper BP Plc’s latest efforts to contain the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Shares in London-based...

Louisiana Hurricane Recovery Board Disbanding

Jun 29 2010 // The Louisiana Recovery Authority’s board ended its multibillion dollar rebuilding work on June 24, nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore. The LRA board of directors – a volunteer board largely...

Homeowners Offered Few Insurance Choices in Hurricane States

Jun 28 2010 // In most hurricane-prone states, homeowners have few choices of insurance coverage, with just eight property and casualty insurers in each state controlling up to 77.2 percent of the market share, according to Weiss...

Attorney Contingency Fee Bill Dies in Final Hours of Louisiana Session

Jun 25 2010 // As time ran out on the Louisiana legislative session, lawmakers were unable to complete a deal on a Senate Bill 731, which would have allowed the attorney general to hire outside attorneys on a contingency fee basis,...

Louisiana Gov. Adds to Attorney General’s Coffers for BP Investigation

Jun 24 2010 // Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has designated another $5 million – for a total of $10 million – of the $25 million block grant provided by BP to Attorney General Buddy Caldwell’s office to support...

Judge Tells Louisiana to Reconsider Health Insurance Contract

Jun 23 2010 // A judge on June 21 ordered the state of Louisiana to reconsider its award of a contract to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana to administer the HMO health plan for state workers, retirees and their dependents. Humana...

Louisiana Legislature: No Malpractice Coverage for Elective Abortions

Jun 22 2010 // Doctors shouldn’t be covered under medical malpractice laws when they are providing elective abortions, the Louisiana Legislature has decided. The Senate gave final passage with a 31-2 vote to the bill by Rep. Robert...