Latest Oregon Headlines
All the headlines from our Oregon Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ore. Court Reverses Decision in Farmers Ins. Case
Dec 7 2004 // Oregon’s highest court has ruled against Farmers Insurance, saying the insurance company had no right to deduct the payouts an injured woman received from two other insurance sources. In 1988, Terrel Ann Bergmann was...
Marsh Admits Overcharging School Districts
Dec 3 2004 // State insurance regulators are investigating Marsh USA, which has acknowledged overcharging six Oregon school districts and Lane Community College since 2000. Marsh, the nation’s biggest insurance brokerage, alerted...
Citizens Vote Yes on Med-mal Caps in Nevada; No in Oregon and Wyoming
Nov 22 2004 // Doctors triumphed over lawyers in Nevada when citizens passed a ballot initiative that limits noneconomic damage awards in med-mal cases to $350,000 with no exceptions and limits fees for attorneys, while voters defeated...
PIA Western Alliance Unites Agents Across Nine States
Nov 22 2004 // Four Professional Insurance Association (PIA) affiliate chapters recently united to form the PIA Western Alliance, a 1,500-member organization for independent agents based in Vancouver, Wash. The four PIA chapters that...
Oregon Legislature Next Arena in Malpractice Battle
Nov 15 2004 // After narrowly losing in the Nov. 2 election, Oregon doctors who pushed for a cap on jury awards in malpractice lawsuits are preparing to take their fight to another arena: the 2005 Legislature. The physicians won’t...
ORE. DRIVERS SEE LESS IN AUTO PREMIUMS:
Nov 8 2004 // Oregon drivers are reportedly spending less than the national average for personal automobile insurance, according to a recent report comparing premiums nationwide. The estimated average expenditure per insured vehicle for...
Ore. Man Must Stop Selling Insurance
Nov 8 2004 // Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) has issued a cease and desist order against a Salem man who reportedly continued to transact insurance even after his license was revoked. An investigation...
OREGON’S LIBERTY NORTHWEST NEGOTIATED TAX BREAK:
Oct 25 2004 // Nine years ago, private workers’ comp insurer Liberty Northwest struck a deal with legislators that it would pay no taxes on profits in Portland or Multnomah County, according to The Oregonian. Liberty Northwest is...
Former Ore. Agent Pleads Guilty to Corpse Abuse in Indian Grave Robbing
Oct 21 2004 // Former insurance agent Jack Harelson pleaded guilty Tuesday to abusing the mummified corpses of two Indian children that police found in his garden, where he had hidden them after digging up their ancient graves in the...
SAIF Critic Backs Measure to Abolish Oregon Company
Oct 20 2004 // The Legislature’s most vocal critic of SAIF Corp. said she supports a ballot measure that would abolish the state-owned workers’ compensation insurer. Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, said she concluded from...
Oregon Man Told to Stop Selling Insurance
Oct 13 2004 // Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS) has issued a cease and desist order against a Salem man who reportedly continued to transact insurance even after his license was revoked. An investigation...
Oregon’s Liberty Northwest Negotiated Tax Break
Oct 12 2004 // Nine years ago, private workers’ comp insurer Liberty Northwest struck a deal with legislators that it would pay no taxes on profits in Portland or Multnomah County, according to The Oregonian. Liberty Northwest is...
Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming take Med-mal Crisis to the Polls
Oct 11 2004 // On Nov. 2, citizens of three Western states will decide whether or not to limit damage awards in medical malpractice insurance cases. Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming will join Florida as the four states to consider placing caps...
Oregon’s SAIF Releases Evaluation in Response to Concerns – www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/features/2004/
Oct 11 2004 // SAIF is the big bully in Oregon workers’ comp insurance. It claims corporation status when that is expedient and public entity status when that is more advantageous. Unlike private sector competitors, SAIF cannot be...
Ore.’s SAIF Releases Evaluation in Response to Concerns – West – May 17, 2004
Oct 11 2004 // SAIF is the big bully in Oregon workers’ compensation insurance. It claims corporation status when that is expedient and public entity status when that is more advantageous. Unlike private sector competitors, SAIF...
Governor, Businesses, Labor Defend SAIF from Initiative
Oct 6 2004 // The battle over a ballot measure to abolish SAIF Corp. has moved into the final month with big spending by supporters and tough talk by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who has emerged as the top defender of the state-owned...
No 2005 Work Comp Increase for Oregon
Sep 30 2004 // Oregon workers’ compensation insurance rates will not increase in 2005, Gov. Ted Kulongoski said September 28. The announcement marks the third straight year without an increase following 12 consecutive years of rate...
Oregon Archdiocese Files Complaint Against Insurers
Sep 17 2004 // The Archdiocese of Portland is petitioning for a jury trial to force its insurance companies to reimburse part of the $53 million it has paid out in clergy sex-abuse settlements. The complaint was filed this week in U.S....
Federal Prosecutor Joins SAIF Investigation, Goldschmidt a Target
Sep 13 2004 // Former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt is the target of an expanded investigation into SAIF Corp. that has been joined by a federal prosecutor, according to The Oregonian. The Portland newspaper said in its Sept. 10 editions that...
Koken Named NAIC President; Ario Elected VP
Sep 13 2004 // Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) have elected a slate of three new officers in interim elections held during the 2004 NAIC Fall National Meeting. Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner...
