Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Mass. Antifraud Campaign Moves into Chelsea, the 8th Town Targeted
Dec 29 2005 // State and local public and insurance industry officials brought their united antifraud effort to Chelsea this week, hoping to reduce insurance claims and staged accidents. The Chelsea task force is the eighth that is...
Mass. Bus Driver Pulled Over for Alleged Workers’ Comp Fraud
Dec 28 2005 // An public transit MBTA bus driver has been indicted on charges that he fraudulently collected workers’ compensation benefits and submitted falsified documents to support his claims, Attorney General Tom Reilly...
Why Mass. Should Keep Its Current Auto System with State-Set Rates
Dec 19 2005 // The State’s Independent Agents Explain Why They Oppose a Switch to Competitive Rating I agree with Gov. Romney that improving road designs, dangerous intersections and combating fraud will go a long way to lowering...
News Briefs
Dec 18 2005 // Massachusetts Auto Producer Reassignments Delayed: Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler has asked that a plan for reassignment of auto insurance producers doing business with the state’s residual...
Why Mass. Should Keep Its Current Auto System with State-Set Rates
Dec 18 2005 // I agree with Gov. Romney that improving road designs, dangerous intersections and combating fraud will go a long way to lowering automobile insurance rates in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. But I disagree with his...
Feds Probing Western Mass. Transit Agency Insurance Contracts
Dec 16 2005 // Federal authorities are investigating contracts and insurance policies of the agency that oversees public transportation services for 24 western Massachusetts communities. The government’s probe is also focused on...
Mass. Drivers Get Early Christmas Gift: An 8.7% Rate Cut
Dec 15 2005 // Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Julianne M. Bowler announced that 2006 private passenger auto insurance rates will be cut an average 8.7% staewide next year. The new rate takes effect January 1 and translates to an...
Dorr Joins Mass. Office of HCC Specialty Underwriters
Dec 13 2005 // HCC Specialty Underwriters, Inc., a specialty underwriting agency subsidiary of HCC Insurance Holdings, Inc., announced that Glenn B. Dorr III has joined its Wakefield, Mass. office. Dorr has been in the insurance industry...
Mass. AG Makes Final Argument for 18% Cut in Auto Insurance; Proposes Anti-Fraud Program
Nov 23 2005 // Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly on Wednesday made his case for an 18 percent reduction in auto insurance rates for 2006 and also proposed an anti-fraud initiative based on the ongoing efforts in the city of...
Gov. Romney, AG Reilly and Industry Differ Over Mass. Auto Reform Plan
Nov 16 2005 // Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly sparred over auto insurance this week, with Reilly saying the governor’s reform plan would create chaos for drivers and Romney accusing Reilly of failing...
Mass. Lawmakers to Hear Romney Auto Insurance Reform Package Today
Nov 15 2005 // After weeks of television ads by warring factions of insurance companies and public forums on the road by some legislators, the Massachusetts Financial Services Committee today will hold the first public hearing at the...
Missouri Radio Host in Mass. Trial Accused of Killing Wife for BMW
Nov 13 2005 // A radio journalist accused of poisoning his wife by spiking her Gatorade with antifreeze told a friend he planned to spend his life insurance money on a house and a BMW convertible, according to prosecutors. He also said...
Study Blames Bad Regulatory System, Not Bad Drivers, for Mass. Auto Woes
Nov 9 2005 // A new study suggests that the high cost of auto insurance in Massachusetts should be blamed on bad government, not bad drivers. The state’s rate setting system encourages drivers to file too many minor accident...
Mass. Lt. Gov. Healey to Address Agents at The Big Event
Nov 4 2005 // Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey has agreed to address members of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents at the group’s upcoming annual convention, known as The Big Event. Republican Healey,...
Mass. City Honors OneBeacon Employee for Fraud Fight
Nov 4 2005 // Theresa Flaherty, head of the New England Special Investigations Unit of OneBeacon Insurance Co. in Boston, has been recognized by the city of Lawrence, Mass., and Mayor Michael Sullivan for her work and that of OneBeacon...
Gov. Romney, Insurers Wage TV Ad War Over Mass. Auto Reforms
Nov 2 2005 // Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s legal office asked television stations this week not to air advertisements attacking his auto insurance reform proposal, sparking criticism that he is trying to squelch debate about...
Admitted Drunk, Underage Driver Can Sue Bars, Mass. Court Rules
Nov 1 2005 // A Suffolk Superior Court in Boston has ruled that an admittedly drunk underage drinker in Massachusetts can sue two bars that served him alcohol before he was involved in a vehicle crash. According to Judge Ralph Gants,...
Berkshire Bank Acquires 2 Western Mass. Agencies
Oct 27 2005 // Berkshire Insurance Group, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. in Pittsfield, Mass., has acquired the business and assets of each of MacDonald & Johnson, Inc., a full-service property and...
Failing Taunton, Mass. Dam Replaced with New Structure
Oct 23 2005 // Crews on Saturday began dismantling a decrepit wooden dam that nearly collapsed and swamped Taunton, Mass. last week. Workers used heavy machinery to grab chunks of the Whittenton Pond Dam, which was replaced overnight by...
N.Y. Gov. Hopeful Weld ‘s Insurance Chief in Massachusetts Stirred Controversy
Oct 19 2005 // As governor of Massachusetts, William Weld, a Republican who has said he wants to be governor of New York, helped turn around the state’s workers’ compensation system and introduce some competition into the...
