Latest Louisiana Headlines

Louisiana: 1 in 5 Companies May Be Breaking Workers’ Comp Law

Feb 9 2009 // As many as one in five businesses in Louisiana may be breaking the law requiring them to insure their workers against accidents, so the state is stepping up enforcement, officials say. The Louisiana Workforce Commission...

Feb 8 2009 // 1 in 4 About one in four Oklahoma drivers is uninsured, the fourth-worst rate in the nation, according to the Insurance Research Council, which studied data from 2007. The study found 24 percent of drivers in Oklahoma were...

People

Feb 8 2009 // Linda Timmons has been promoted to director of communications for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT). In this position, Timmons will manage the organization’s internal and external communications,...

Louisiana Agents Accused of Fraud, Theft, Pocketing Premiums

Feb 6 2009 // In two separate instances, Louisiana insurance agents recently have been accused of fraud and misappropriating premiums. In one case, the Louisiana Department of Insurance Fraud Section Investigators served Tamara Celeste...

Ex-Louisiana Insurance CEO Pleads Not Guilty to Theft

Feb 4 2009 // The former chief of Louisiana’s state-backed insurance company has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case that accuses him of fraudulently spending the firm’s money for personal travel and entertainment. Terry...

<em>AP</em> Analysis: Florida Insurance Bind Overshadows Louisiana

Feb 3 2009 // Louisiana homeowners stunned by their rising insurance rates should remember that it could be worse. They could live in Florida. State Farm announced recently that it will stop doing business in Florida, the first big firm...

Recession, Credit Crisis Stall Louisiana’s Hurricane Recovery Bonds

Feb 2 2009 // The U.S. recession and credit crisis have stalled a financing program created to help Louisiana recover from 2005’s devastating hurricanes, the southern state’s secretary for economic development told...

Insurers Seek Dismissal of Louisiana Road Home Suit

Feb 2 2009 // Lawyers for major insurance companies are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses insurers of trying to profit from a grant program for homeowners devastated by Hurricane Katrina. U.S. District Judge...

Merrill Lynch Sued Over Costly New Orleans Stadium Bond Issue

Jan 30 2009 // The Louisiana Superdome authority in New Orleans has filed suit against Merrill Lynch over a $238 million stadium bond issue that exploded in interest costs after the market for government securities dried up last...

Louisiana Only State to Add Nonfarm Jobs in December 2008

Jan 29 2009 // Louisiana was the only state in the country with an increase in nonfarm jobs from November to December 2008, the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) announced. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana...

Judge Says Louisiana Insurance Department Can Keep Operating

Jan 28 2009 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon won a small victory in state court Jan. 27 in a dispute with the state Legislature’s auditing office. Although he did not rule on the primary issue in the case, 19th...

Lawmakers May Intervene in La. Insurance Department Audit Dispute

Jan 26 2009 // An ongoing dispute between the Louisiana’s legislative auditor and insurance commissioner is marring Louisiana’s ability to certify its year-end financial statements. Lawmakers on the joint House and Senate...

Louisiana Ranks Highly in Highway Safety Report

Jan 25 2009 // A report recently released by the Washington, D.C.-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety included Louisiana in list of 15 states to have made progress in enacting key highway safety laws. Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas...

They’re Baaaaack!

Jan 25 2009 // The lawmakers are back, at least in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Louisiana has to wait until April for the pleasure. For now, though, bars and restaurants in Little Rock, Oklahoma City and Austin will rejoice in the...

It Figures

Jan 25 2009 // 7% Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. board has approved a 7 percent increase in statewide average homeowners rates. The company initially wanted a 14 percent increase, but the insurance department rejected that...

Agents Speak Out on ‘Putting Back the Pieces’ After Brooke

Jan 25 2009 // Brooke Group Declares Bankruptcy, Faces Rico Charges, More Lawsuits Technically, Brooke Franchise owes me $7 million, but who knows if I will ever see it,” said Roger Cunningham, former Brooke franchisee and agent/...

Hale Awarded Scholarship from Louisiana Workers’ Comp Insurer

Jan 23 2009 // The Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) announced that Kevin Paul Hale of Baton Rouge, La., has been selected as the 2008 recipient of the Stephen W. Cavanaugh Scholarship. LWCC established the Stephen...

State Audit Raises Questions About Louisiana Road Home Data

Jan 22 2009 // Errors in the loading of tax data resulted in a need to re-examine the eligibility of more than 12,500 Road Home applicants, according to a state legislative auditor’s report that also raised other questions about...

Louisiana Agent Who Pocketed Premiums Gains Fine, Loses License

Jan 22 2009 // A Gretna, La., insurance agent has been issued a cease and desist order, notice of license revocation and fine for misappropriation of premiums and felony theft, the Louisiana Department of Insurance reported. Nancy Marie...

Boudreaux Appointed to Head Louisiana Insurance Fraud Unit

Jan 16 2009 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon has named Paul Boudreaux Jr. as the new director of the Insurance Fraud Section at the Louisiana Department of Insurance. Boudreaux replaces Trent Beach who recently took the...