Latest Louisiana Headlines
All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana House Panel OKs Hike in Car Insurance Minimum
May 9 2008 // In a move that insurers say could lead to Louisiana having the highest auto insurance liability rates in the nation, a House of Representatives committee has approved HB 1312, which would raise the minimum insurance...
Louisiana House Committee OKs Repeal of Motorcycle Helmet Law
May 8 2008 // The Louisiana House Transportation committee has voted to approve a bill under which the state would stop forcing adult motorcyclists to wear helmets. Instead bikers would be required to undergo safety training before...
Ratings Recap: Calif. Auto/Mercury, Arrowhead, Louisiana Farm, Chubb, Triad
May 8 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on California Automobile Insurance Co. (California Auto) to ‘A+’ from ‘A’. S&P...
House Panel Approves Changes to Louisiana Building Codes
May 7 2008 // A Louisiana House committee has approved changes to the statewide building code, including a provision aimed at easing the construction inspection process in north Louisiana. North Louisiana lawmakers in particular have...
Louisiana Citizens Insurance Begins Transferring Homeowners Policies
May 7 2008 // The Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-sponsored insurer of last resort, will be nearly its pre-Hurricane Katrina size after responsibility for 30,000 homeowner policies is transferred to private...
Sloan Mason Opens Louisiana Office with Focus on Marine, Energy
May 6 2008 // San Diego, Calif.-based MGA and wholesale insurance broker Sloan Mason Insurance Services opened a new office in New Orleans, La. Sloan Mason specializes in the marine and energy business and will introduce specialty...
La. Suspends License, Fines Agent Accused of Pocketing Premiums
May 5 2008 // Jennifer Mason Hudspeth, a Lacombe, La., area insurance agent facing charges that she misappropriated insurance premiums has been served with a cease and desist order, summary suspension and a $5,000 fine notice for...
La. Senate OKs Regional Deductibles for Homeowners Policies
May 2 2008 // The Louisiana Senate voted to allow insurance companies to set different, “named storm” deductibles on homeowner policies depending on how far a property is from the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana is...
Coast Strongly Influences Louisiana, Texas Property Markets
May 1 2008 // Louisiana and Texas share a lot. Besides sharing a common border, they share the Gulf of Mexico — both its bounty and its battering, in the form of tropical storms and hurricanes. The latter greatly influences the rates...
Louisiana Parish President Still Facing Katrina Lawsuits
Apr 30 2008 // On the eve of Hurricane Katrina, massive pumps that keep water out of the New Orleans suburb of Metairie went silent when the roughly 100 workers who run them were allowed to flee under a “doomsday” evacuation...
Louisiana Keeps Pressure on Road Home Contractor
Apr 28 2008 // Even as it met a deadline to avoid a $3.3 million performance penalty, the private company that runs Louisiana’s Road Home program faced a new $1.65 million fine if it did not meet additional benchmarks designed to...
La. Senator Pleads Not Guilty in Illegal Insurance Business Case
Apr 25 2008 // A Louisiana state senator pleaded not guilty to charges of helping a convicted felon launder money to conceal her operation of an illegal insurance business. Sen. Derrick Shepherd, 38, a lawyer from a New Orleans suburb,...
Louisiana Citizens Remains on Rating Watch Negative
Apr 24 2008 // Fitch Ratings said recently that the ‘BBB’ Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and the ‘BBB’ underlying ratings on Citizens’ $978.2 million...
Louisiana Senate Approves Bill to Extend Insurance Incentive Program
Apr 24 2008 // The Louisiana Senate has voted to allow the state to continue offering millions in taxpayer dollars to private insurance firms that agree to begin writing homeowners policies along the hurricane-vulnerable coast. Senators...
Corps Plans to Complete South La. Levee System Upgrade in 2011
Apr 22 2008 // The Corps of Engineers told Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon, staff from the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities and insurance company representatives that upgrades to the Hurricane Protection...
Recession? In South Central States It Depends On Location
Apr 22 2008 // With some notable exceptions – southern Louisiana for one – the economies of the South Central states seem to be holding steady against the looming prospect of a nationwide recession. Populations are growing in...
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Exxon Appeal of Louisiana Damages Award
Apr 21 2008 // The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an Exxon Mobil Corp appeal over $112 million in punitive damages awarded for radioactive contamination of a 33-acre tract of industrial property in Harvey, Louisiana. Without...
Coast Has Big Influence on Louisiana and Texas Property Markets
Apr 21 2008 // After two mild catastrophe years, states hope to share better coverage options Louisiana and Texas share a lot. Besides sharing a common border, they share the Gulf of Mexico — both its bounty and its battering, in the...
La. State Senator Indicted in Relation to Insurance Fraud Case
Apr 21 2008 // A federal grand jury on April 10 indicted a Louisiana state senator on charges he conspired to launder money for a convicted felon accused of operating an illegal insurance business. Derrick Shepherd, a lawyer from the New...
Professional Services: Do You Know Them When You See Them?
Apr 21 2008 // The complex medical field with its often personalized treatments can be more difficult to define than other professions “Professional services” can have many different connotations, ranging from racy...
