Latest Michigan Headlines
All the headlines from our Michigan Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Rules Banning Credit Scoring Sent to Mich. State Panel
Jan 14 2005 // Insurance payers in Michigan soon may be paying less. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Office of Financial and Insurance Services Commissioner Linda A. Watters said last Wednesday they sent a legislative panel a set of proposed...
Toilet Brush Warning Tops Mich. Tort Reform Group’s ‘Wacky’ List
Jan 10 2005 // A flushable toilet brush that warns users, “Do not use for personal hygiene” has been identified as the nation’s wackiest warning label in an annual contest sponsored by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch. The...
Former Mich. Commissioner Fitzgerald Dies at 49
Dec 22 2004 // Former Michigan insurance regulator Frank Fitzgerald died this month at the age of 49. He was appointed commissioner of what would become the state’s Office of Financial and Insurance Services in 1999 before...
Mich. DOI Secures Half-Million Dollar Penalty From UnumProvident for Not Paying Disability Claims
Dec 22 2004 // Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services Commissioner Linda A. Watters signed a settlement agreement with the three principal insurers of the UnumProvident Group, which are Unum Life Insurance Company of...
Mich. Gov. Granholm Says Business Climate to Benefit From Reduction in Workers’ Comp Rates
Dec 17 2004 // Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Friday announced that Michigan’s business climate will benefit from an expected drop in the Workers’ Compensation insurance rates by an average 11.2 percent in 2005. Granholm...
Western Mich. CPCU Lands Gold in ‘Circle of Excellence’
Dec 10 2004 // The Western Michigan chapter of the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters Society was awarded the gold designation in the national group’s Circle of Excellence program. The group won the award for the 2003-2004...
Mich. Commissioner Hires Veteran Lansing Staffer Schor as Spokesman
Dec 10 2004 // Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services Commissioner Linda A. Watters named Andy Schor as the new public information officer effective Monday. As PIO, Schor’s responsibilities will be to share the...
Chrysler Sues Allianz for Blackout That Shut Down 14 of 31 Plants
Dec 6 2004 // DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group has sued insurers for refusing to cover losses the company sustained during the 2003 blackout. The outage–the worst in U.S. history–left millions of Michigan residents...
Study Finds Medical Costs Driving Up Auto Injury Claims
Nov 30 2004 // A new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) finds that claimed losses for auto injuries have escalated at vastly different rates across four states with no-fault auto insurance regulations. From 1997 to 2002, the...
Chrysler Sues Allianz for Blackout Losses
Nov 24 2004 // DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group has sued insurers for refusing to cover losses the company sustained during the 2003 blackout. The outage—the worst in U.S. history—left millions of Michigan residents without...
House Repeals Mich. Helmet Law
Nov 10 2004 // A bill reportedly designed to repeal Michigan’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law was passed by the State House of Representatives today (Nov. 10), in an apparent bid to take advantage of a lame duck legislature...
2 Republicans Retain Mich. Supreme Court Seats
Nov 9 2004 // The conservative Michigan Supreme Court’s balance remains 5-2 in favor of Republican nominees, and insurers, after voters re-elected two incumbents. As expected, Democratic nominee Marilyn Kelly and Republican...
People and Places
Oct 25 2004 // William Hickey Chicago-based insurance industry investment banker Cochran, Caronia & Co. has named William Hickey its chief operating officer. Hickey is responsible for spearheading the firm’s strategic planning...
Lobby: Many Mich. Consumers Will Pay More if Scoring Ban Approved
Oct 20 2004 // Many consumers will pay more for home and auto insurance if a state-proposed rule to ban the use of credit-based insurance scoring discounts in Michigan becomes effective next year, a lobbyist for the state’s...
PCI BRIEF ARGUES FOR MICH. MEDICAL BILL REVIEW:
Oct 11 2004 // A Michigan court of appeals was correct in its determination that no–fault insurers have the right to review medical bills, and to pay lesser amounts if they deem any procedures to be unreasonable or unnecessary, the...
People & Places
Oct 11 2004 // Columbus, Ohio–based surplus line insurer Century Surety Co. announced the promotions of both Erin E. Alward to chief financial officer and Steve R. Young to chief investment officer. Erin Alward Alward has more than...
Mich. Insurer Group Taps Former Auto Industry Lobbyist as New Executive Director
Sep 28 2004 // The Lansing, Mich.-based Insurance Institute of Michigan has named a former lobbyist for the auto industry as its new executive director. Peter Kuhnmuench will start Oct. 11, 2004 and previously served as legislative...
Mich. Complaints Down 12% From 2002
Sep 17 2004 // Virtually every line of insurance coverage saw reductions in the number of complaints to the Michigan agency which regulates the industry. The Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services received 5,816 complaints...
Claramunt and Ladd to Be Inducted Into Mich. Insurance Hall of Fame
Sep 15 2004 // The Michigan Insurance Hall of Fame will induct two new members at its annual ceremony Wednesday on the campus of Olivet College. Morrall M. Claramunt will be inducted as a 2004 member of the Michigan Insurance Hall of...
PCI Brief Argues Mich. No-Fault Insurers Have Right to Review Medical Bills
Sep 14 2004 // A Michigan court of appeals was correct in its determination that no-fault insurers have the right to review medical bills, and to pay lesser amounts if they deem any procedures to be unreasonable or unnecessary, the...
