Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Drivers with Serious Driving Violations Allowed on Roads, Mass. Auditor Finds
Jul 10 2008 // Delays in the processing of criminal traffic violations have allowed a large number of serious violators to remain on the road in Massachusetts for lengthy periods after their licenses should have been suspended or...
Mass. Allows Liquor Liability JUA to Expand as Hospitality Mutual
Jul 8 2008 // Massachusetts lawmakers have approved legislation converting the state’s liquor liability insurer of last resort into a competitive mutual insurance company offering liquor liability insurance to the entire...
Starr Foundation Grants Massachusetts Art Institute $5 Million
Jul 8 2008 // The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass. has landed a $5 million grant from the Starr Foundation. The money will be used to fund the directorship of Clark’s research and academic program. Director Michael Ann...
No Pay for Mass. Docs’ Mistakes
Jul 7 2008 // The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its largest private health insurer have decided to prohibit hospitals and doctors from billing for costs relating to fixing medical errors. Health policy analysts say the directives...
Business Moves
Jul 7 2008 // Hudson Insurance, Hooghuis Hudson Insurance Group, the U.S. insurance division of Odyssey Re Holdings Corp.has acquired Hooghuis Group LLC, an underwriting agency specializing in U.S. directors and officers liability...
Mass. State Police Report 70% More Drunk Driving Arrests
Jun 30 2008 // State police are crediting an increased number of sobriety checkpoints for a 70 percent rise in drunk driving arrests since 2005. Last year, state police arrested 4,879 people for operating under the influence, compared to...
Progressive Now Offering Boat Insurance Online in Mass.
Jun 27 2008 // Progressive announced that it is now offering boat insurance in Massachusetts for customers who shop online. Progressive began writing car insurance for online shoppers in Massachusetts in May of this year, and has been...
Massachusetts Won’t Pay Docs to Fix Medical Mistakes
Jun 20 2008 // The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its largest private health insurer have announced policies that prohibit hospitals and doctors from billing for costs relating to fixing medical errors. Health policy analysts say the...
After 20-Year Hiatus, Peerless Sells First Massachusetts Auto Policy
Jun 19 2008 // Keene, N.H.-based Peerless Insurance said it has issued its first Massachusetts personal auto insurance policy in more than 20 years. The company, part of Liberty Mutual Group, first announced in November it would re-enter...
Business Moves
Jun 16 2008 // Mapfre, Commerce Spain’s largest insurer, Mapfre S.A., said it has completed its acquisition of The Commerce Group Inc., the 20th largest auto insurer in the country. Mapfre paid $36.70 per share of Commerce’s...
Mass. Agents, Arbella Challenge Managed Competition Rules
Jun 6 2008 // Massachusetts insurance agents and one of the state’s biggest auto insurers are going to court seeking to overturn rules that they say give new carriers an unfair advantage under the state’s new managed...
Arbella Insurance Partners with Mass. in Designated Driver Program
Jun 5 2008 // Massachusetts businesses, pubs and state officials, including Lt. Governor Timothy Murray, are launching a new campaign to discourage drink driving and encourage the use of designated drivers. The Arbella Insurance Group...
Mass. High Court Bars Recovery of Workers’ Comp Costs in Tort
Jun 4 2008 // A Massachusetts employer is not entitled to recover any increased workers’ compensation costs from a third party responsible for injuring its employee. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the...
Spain’s Mapfre Completes Acquisition of Commerce Group
Jun 4 2008 // Spain’s largest insurer, Mapfre S.A., said it has completed its acquisition of The Commerce Group Inc., the 20th largest auto insurer in the country. Mapfre paid $36.70 in cash per share of Commerce’s publicly...
Study Says Mass. Health Reforms Cut Uninsured Rate by 50%
Jun 3 2008 // In the first year after Massachusetts implemented its landmark coverage expansion and health reforms, the uninsurance rate among adults in the state dropped by almost half, from 13 percent to 7.1 percent. A new Urban...
Mass. FAIR Plan Home Insurer Won’t Appeal Rate Denial
May 29 2008 // Massachusetts’ insurer of last resort won’t immediately seek a steep premium increase, saving money for 150,000 customers. The decision by the FAIR Plan comes after Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes rejected...
Mass. Urges Coastal Communities to Elevate Structures Above Floodwaters
May 27 2008 // Coastal communities in Massachusetts should encourage property owners to elevate their buildings to avoid future flooding and storm surge damage, according to officials advising on storm mitigation efforts. In addition to...
Eastern Insurance of Mass. to Buy Marshfield’s Anderson Agency
May 27 2008 // Eastern Insurance Group reported that it plans to acquire Marshfield, Mass.-based Anderson Insurance Services, Inc., an independent agency specializing in musical instrument insurance along with auto, life, home, boat,...
Mass. Doctors Sue Over State Agency’s Quality, Cost Rankings
May 23 2008 // A physicians group is suing a Massachusetts agency, arguing that the agency’s system for ranking doctors based on quality and cost is unfair to patients and physicians alike. The Massachusetts Medical Society said...
Mass. Approves Mapfre Acquisition of Commerce Insurance
May 22 2008 // Massachusetts Commissioner of Insurance Nonnie S. Burnes has approved the acquisition of Commerce Insurance Co., principal subsidiary of The Commerce Group of Webster, Mass., by the Spanish insurance company Mapfre,...
