Latest Massachusetts Headlines

All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Some Massachusetts Drivers Eligible for Refund from State Farm Over Salvaged Autos

Oct 3 2005 // Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly announced that more than 100 Massachusetts car owners are eligible to receive between $600 and $9,000 in restitution from State Farm Insurance. Reilly said those consumers will be...

Mass. Auto Rates Certain to Go Down in 2006 as Bureau Calls for 5.4% Cut

Sep 30 2005 // One thing is known: auto insurance rates in Massachusetts will be going down in 2006. How much remains a matter for Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler to decide by the end of the year. Bowler today received her third...

Mass. AG Recommends 18% Rate Cut for Auto Insurance

Sep 29 2005 // Massachusetts drivers should see an 18 percent decrease in the cost of auto insurance, said Attorney General Tom Reilly. The recommendation, being filed today with the state Department of Insurance (DOI), would reduce the...

Auto Reform Advocates in Mass. Take to TV, Radio to Drive Message

Sep 23 2005 // An insurance industry-backed group that calls itself Fairness for Good Drivers is going on television to advance its program for changes in the auto insurance system in Massachustetts. The group has bought advertising time...

Mass. Fair Plan Softens Rate Blow; Seeks12.5% Statewide, 25% on Cape Cod

Sep 15 2005 // Despite indications that a 28.4 percent statewide rate hike is called for, the Massachusetts Fair Plan is requesting a 12.5 percent hike across all homeowners policies. The residual market insurer’s overall request...

Mass. and Boston Vow to Revise Disaster Response Plans

Sep 14 2005 // Massachusetts officials say they are revising their disaster response plans after watching the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina and the problems with relief efforts. Boston is redrawing its plan to evacuate and...

CAR’s Iannaco to be Honored as Mass. Insurance Professional of Year

Sep 7 2005 // Ralph “Buddy” Iannaco, president of Commonwealth Automobile Reinsurers, will be honored as the Insurance Professional of the Year 2005 by the Insurance Library Association of Boston. The award will be presented...

Mass. Agents Answer the Call, Contribute $20K to Big ‘I’ Katrina Relief

Sep 6 2005 // Massachusetts insurance agents are taking the call to aid victims of hurricane Katrina seriously. The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents is sending a $20,000 check to the Big ‘I’ Katrina Relief Fund...

News Briefs

Sep 5 2005 // MASSACHUSETTS Fed Probe Firing of MassMutual CEO: Federal prosecutors are investigating the conduct that led to the firing of former MassMutual Insurance Comany chief executive Robert J. O’Connell, the company...

Mass. Auto Insurance Rates: How Low Will They Go for Next Year?

Sep 5 2005 // As the wheel that sets 2006 auto insurance rates in Massachusetts begins spinning, there is no doubt it will be pointing at a negative number when it comes to rest in about two months. The real mystery is just how negative...

Mass. Auto Insurance Rates: How Low Will They Go for Next Year?

Sep 5 2005 // As the wheel that sets 2006 auto insurance rates in Massachusetts begins spinning, there is no doubt it will be pointing at a negative number when it comes to rest in about two months. The real mystery is just how negative...

Mass. Commissioner Appeals Court Ruling That Blocked Auto Changes

Aug 24 2005 // The Romney Administration has decided to appeal a June court ruling that found that the state’s insurance commissioner exceeded her authority when she tried to change the state’s auto insurance residual...

Mass. AG Calls for 10% Auto Rate Cut

Aug 23 2005 // Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly will seek at least a 10 percent cut in the state’s auto insurance rate when he makes a formal recommendation later this month. Reilly said auto insurers enjoyed hefty...

Allmerica Notes Sale of Life Biz; Focus Now on P/C Sales

Aug 22 2005 // Massachusetts-based Allmerica Financial Corporation announced Monday that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its run-off variable life insurance and variable annuity business to The Goldman Sachs Group...

ProMutual Expands Program to Prevent Shoulder Related Birth Injuries

Aug 18 2005 // ProMutual Group, the laregst writer of medical malpractice insurance in the Northeast, is expanding its successful patient safety program aimed at reducing the incidence of shoulder dystocia. Shoulder dystocia is a birth...

Mass. Agents Seek 18% Auto Commission Boost

Aug 16 2005 // Massachusetts insurance agents are asking for an 18 percent boost in private passenger auto insurance commissions for 2006. If approved, the request would raise the average commission from $119.50 to $141.23. The...

Citing Anti-Fraud Success, Mass. Auto Insurers Seek Small Rate Cut

Aug 12 2005 // Citing a drop in claims, the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts filed its proposal for 2006 personal auto insurance rates with the Commissioner of Insurance Julianne Bowler on behalf of insurance companies. The...

Feds Investigating Conduct Behind Firing of MassMutual CEO

Aug 11 2005 // Federal prosecutors are investigating the conduct that led to the firing of former MassMutual chief executive Robert J. O’Connell, the company disclosed in court documents. The company acknowledged the federal probe...

Fore! Golf Course Owners: Watch Out for Errant Shots

Aug 8 2005 // Massachusetts Court Favors Homeowners in Trespass by Golf Balls To drive home her point, Joyce Amaral lugged six plastic buckets containing a total of 1,800 golf balls into court. The balls were just some of those she...

Fore! Golf Course Owners: Watch Out for Errant Shots

Aug 8 2005 // To drive home her point, Joyce Amaral lugged six plastic buckets containing a total of 1,800 golf balls into court. The balls were just some of those she claimed to have retrieved from her yard in the five years she and...