Latest Michigan Headlines

Wells Fargo Acquires Assets of Michigan’s Doeren Mayhew Risk Management

Nov 24 2008 // San Francisco-based Wells Fargo Insurance Services Inc. a bank-owned insurance brokerage and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Co., has acquired the assets of Troy, Michi.’s Doeren Mayhew Risk Management LLC. Doeren...

1.4 Million Michigan Residents to Travel During Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov 21 2008 // Despite the economy, many will travel by car and air this holiday weekend. An estimated 1.4 million Michiganians said they will travel during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday period, a 6-percent decrease from last year, says...

Michigan Consumer Advocate Hosts Final Public Hearing in Detroit

Nov 18 2008 // Michigan’s Automobile and Home Insurance Consumer Advocate Melvin Butch Hollowell held the final public hearing in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 15 to hear from consumers and industry experts about the affordability of...

Mich. Hosts Hearings on Auto Insurance Affordability; Industry Counters

Nov 13 2008 // The Michigan Department of Insurance and Regulation’s consumer advocate is hosting a series of public hearings on the issue of insurance affordability. Melvin Butch Hollowell was appointed by Governor Jennifer M....

National Study Says Michigan Average Auto Premiums Decline

Nov 10 2008 // Michigan’s average auto insurance premiums decreased in 2006, compared to 2005, a recent study released by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) shows. For the two-year period 2004-6, Michigan...

Oct 20 2008 // American International Group Inc. (AIG) elected Edward M. Liddy as chairman and CEO. Liddy, 62, succeeds Robert B. Willumstad. Stephen F. Bollenbach, who was named lead independent director in June 2008, continues in that...

Allstate Responds to Mich. Consumer Advocate’s Call for Investigation

Oct 20 2008 // Michigan’s new insurance consumer advocate wants the state to investigate Allstate Insurance Company. Melvin “Butch” Hollowell said on Oct. 7 that the insurer reported that Michigan’s drivers...

Allstate Responds to Mich. Consumer Advocate’s Call for Investigation

Oct 9 2008 // Michigan’s new insurance consumer advocate wants the state to investigate Allstate Insurance Company. Melvin “Butch” Hollowell said Tuesday the insurer reported that Michigan’s drivers drastically...

Judge Rules in Michigan Lawsuit Against Blue Cross

Oct 9 2008 // An Ingham County judge has ruled for and against Blue Cross Blue Shield in its defense against a state lawsuit accusing the insurer of illegally shifting money to help buy three workers’ compensation...

Insurance Industry Files Appeal to Michigan High Court on Credit Ruling

Oct 6 2008 // Insurance industry parties today filed an appeal to the state Supreme Court in response to an August ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals that would prohibit the use of credit-based insurance scoring. The August ruling...

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Says Booster Seats Not Doing Job

Oct 1 2008 // The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that booster seats are doing a poor job of improving the fit of lap and shoulder belts for children. Booster seats are meant to do one thing — elevate children so...

Michigan Doctors Back Bills to Report Unfit Drivers

Sep 29 2008 // Dr. Paul Cullis of Michigan says most patients who have had seizures or blackouts get the message loud and clear: Don’t drive for six months. But some get behind the wheel anyway, not waiting to see if their...

Mich. Agents: AIG Rescue, Insurance Regulation Still Best Left to States

Sep 24 2008 // The following commentary on the push for federal regulation as a result of AIG and other financial institutions’ troubles was written by Robert PIerce, CEO, Michigan Association of Insurance Agents. Over the last few...

People

Sep 22 2008 // The Des Plaines, Ill.-based the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) announced that Robert M. “Bear” Bryant retired as NICB president and CEO, on Sept. 2, 2008. At NICB, Bryant was the force behind the...

The Road to a Paper-Free Environment Goes Beyond Technology

Sep 22 2008 // Paperless Agencies Create Better Workflows, Enhance Service, Security and Save Money, Too On the side of a Utah highway, the client had been pulled over by a state trooper at a traffic stop. It was a frustrating...

Agee Named New Accident Fund Board Chair in Michigan

Sep 12 2008 // Accident Fund Insurance Company of America announces the appointment of James G. Agee as chair of its board of directors. Agee succeeds Charles L. Burkett who served as chair since June 2004. Agee, who has served on...

Business Moves

Sep 1 2008 // Aon Corporation, Benfield Group Chicago-based Aon Corporation and UK-based broker Benfield Group Limited reached agreement for Aon to acquire Benfield for £3.50 ($6.55) per share in cash and assume £91 million ($170...

Simmon to Lead Michigan’s Agents

Sep 1 2008 // Says Independence, Flexibility Still Key in Serving Policyholders Dale Simmon of the Simmon Insurance Agency in Lansing was recently named president of the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA). The Michigan...

Credit Scoring Fight ‘On Again’ in Michigan

Sep 1 2008 // The simple fact is that now insurance companies in Michigan no longer will be able to use customers’ credit scores to set home and auto insurance premiums — if the state Court of Appeals ruling stands. Just when...

Michigan Agency Recovers $4 Million in First Half of 2008

Aug 28 2008 // The Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) recently announced that it had recovered over $4.3 million on behalf of Michigan consumers in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2008. $3.6 million of the...