Latest Massachusetts Headlines

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

NAII Calls Mass. AG’s Auto Rate Decision Appeal “Politics as Usual”

Jan 8 2004 // Even if the National Association of Independent Insurers is busy merging with the Alliance of American Insurers (See related national article), its general counsel, Gerald L. Zimmerman, has been keeping an eye on events....

Mass. AG Appeals Auto Rate Increase Decision

Jan 6 2004 // Massachusetts’ Attorney General Tom Reilly is appealing the Division of Insurance’s December 15 ruling, arguing that a 2.5 percent increase in the cost of auto insurance is unwarranted and will result in close...

Mass. Approves Newbury/Dorchester Merger

Dec 31 2003 // Massachusetts’ officials have approved the merger of West Newbury Mutual Fire Insurance Co., a Massachusetts domiciled company, into Dorchester Mutual Insurance Co., also a Massachusetts company. The purpose of the...

Mass. Bikers Challenge Rate Decision; Seek Return of $100 Million

Dec 31 2003 // The Massachusetts Division of Insurance and the Automobile Insurers Bureau are in a legal fight with the Massachusetts Motorcycle Association, which has filed suit in the state’s highest court, claiming the...

Wm. Kramer & Assoc. New Mass. Turnpike Loss Adjuster

Dec 29 2003 // Underwriters at Lloyd’s of London have appointed Connecticut-based William Kramer & Associates (WKA) as the sole claim loss insurance adjuster for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA). WKA has extensive...

NAII Letter to Mass. Editor Again Stresses Need for Auto Insurance Reform

Dec 24 2003 // Gerald L. Zimmerman, Senior Counsel for the National Association of Independent Insurers, followed up yesterday’s letter to a Wall Street Journal editor (See IJ Website Dec.23), with a letter to Steve Smith,...

NAII Letter to WSJ Calls for Mass. Auto Insurance Reform

Dec 23 2003 // In an open letter to Paul A. Gigot, Editor of the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Page, the National Association of Independent Insurers expressed its strong support for reforming Massachusetts’ auto insurance...

AIGT Launches MassXpress to Streamline Mass. Automobile Insurance Processing

Dec 16 2003 // American International Technology Enterprises, Inc. a member company of American International Group, doing business as AIG Technologies, or AIGT, announced the launch of MassXpress(TM). It described the new technology as...

S&P Rates Commerce Group and Proposed Senior Notes ‘BBB’

Dec 3 2003 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its ‘BBB’ counterparty credit rating to The Commerce Group, Inc. and its ‘BBB’ senior debt rating to CGI’s proposed...

Liberty Mutual, MetLife A&H Recoup $2 Million in Fraud Suit against Mass. Lawyers, Medical Clinic

Dec 3 2003 // Score one for the industry! Liberty Mutual Group and MetLife Auto & Home announced settlements of around $2 million – in their favor- in a multi-million dollar insurance fraud suit against attorneys and medical...

‘Runner’ Bill on the Move in Mass. Legislature

Nov 19 2003 // The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Criminal Justice has favorably reported out a bill designed to fight insurance fraud by cracking down on “runners” who promote auto insurance fraud. “The first step in...

Alliance Also Supports Mass. “Runner” Bill

Nov 19 2003 // The Alliance of American Insurers joined the NAII (see previous article) in urging quick approval of the proposed Massachusetts law that would prevent so-called “runners” from recruiting clients for...

‘A’ FSR to Commerce Group Mass. Subs

Nov 3 2003 // Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services assigned its “A” counterparty credit and financial strength ratings with a “stable” outlook to Commerce Insurance Co. (CIC) and Citation...

NAII Supports Mass. House Bills on Auto Rates

Oct 15 2003 // The National Association of Independent Insurers has issued a bulletin noting that two redrafted bills in the Massachusetts Lower House, would change the effective date of the state’s Insurance Commissioner’s...

S&P Assigns ‘A’ Rating to Commerce Group Mass. Subs

Oct 15 2003 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that it has assigned its ‘A’ counterparty credit and financial strength ratings with a “stable” outlook to Commerce Insurance Co. (CIC) and...

Hub Acquires Mass. Agency

Oct 3 2003 // Chicago-based brokerage Hub International Ltd. announced the acquisition of the assets of Commonwealth Insurance Agency Inc., headquartered in Lowell, Mass. The firm, with approximately $300,000 in annual revenue, was...

Hub International Acquires N.J.’s Sondheim & Laughlin, Mass. Commonwealth Insurance Agency

Oct 2 2003 // Chicago-based Hub International announced two new acquisitions to its growing network of regional brokerages. It has acquired the stock of Sondheim & Laughlin, Inc. of Iselin, New Jersey and the assets of Commonwealth...

Mass. Agencies Adopt Banknorth Name

Oct 2 2003 // Three Massachusetts insurance agencies have changed their names to better reflect their affiliation to their parent company, Banknorth Group, Inc. Effective immediately, Palmer-Goodell Insurance Agency in Springfield,...

Mass. Retailers Association Endorses OneBeacon

Sep 23 2003 // Boston-based OneBeacon Insurance Group LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. announced that it has received the endorsement of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM) and its...

Mass. Workers’ Comp Bureau ‘Regrets’ Commissioner’s Decision to Cut Rates

Sep 2 2003 // The Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau (WCRIB) of Massachusetts is reportedly not in agreement with the decision by the State’s Insurance Commissioner, Julianne Bowler, to decrease the average...