Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
E&S Market Continues to See Growth in Premium: Texas Stamping Office
Feb 6 2017 // Overall, 2016 ended on a positive note for the U.S. excess and surplus lines insurance industry, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX). Nationally, nearly $26 billion in surplus lines insurance...
Coalition Urges Modernization of National Flood Insurance Program
Feb 1 2017 // A U.S. flood insurance program that is drowning in billions of dollars in debt can be modernized to bolster its finances while curbing the public’s exposure to flood risks, a national coalition said in a reform...
Trump’s ‘2-for-1’ Deregulation Scheme Easier Said Than Done
Jan 31 2017 // President Donald Trump set a daunting goal for government agencies bound by complex procedures, ordering his department heads to kill two regulations for each new one they issue. The two-for-one order is “a big...
Former Washington Corrections Officer Jailed In $100K Workers’ Comp Scam
Jan 26 2017 // A former Washington state corrections officer accused of holding three jobs while claiming he was too disabled to work will serve seven days behind bars along with home detention. John J. Gruden, 44, pleaded guilty to...
NAIC Leader Says Insurer Systemic Risk Process Is Unnecessary
Jan 26 2017 // Although the Financial Stability Oversight Council created by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform Act could serve an incredibly useful purpose, FSOC’s activities so far have been misguided, an insurance regulator...
Texas Stamping Office: Upward Trend Continues for Surplus Lines
Jan 24 2017 // Overall, 2016 ended on a positive note for the U.S. excess and surplus lines insurance industry, according to the Surplus Lines Stamping Office of Texas (SLTX). Nationally, nearly $26 billion in surplus lines insurance...
Washington Puts Landslide-Inspired Topo Maps Online
Jan 20 2017 // Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is following through with a key safety recommendation that arose in the aftermath of the Oso mudslide, as it starts to post intricate topographical maps online. The state...
Washington Lawsuit Says Special Needs Student Sexually Abused by 3 Students
Dec 30 2016 // A lawsuit has accused a Washington school district of failing to protect a female special needs student from a male special needs classmate who sexually abused her in 2012. The News Tribune reported the lawsuit was filed...
Trump vs. California Climate Battle Brewing
Dec 29 2016 // California vs. Trump, so to speak, is shaping up to be a heavyweight match. On one side is the world’s sixth (or so) largest economy – home to Disneyland, Hollywood and Big Sur. On the other is the reality show...
Widow of Pilot Killed in Washington Crash Files Suit against Aircraft Companies
Dec 28 2016 // The wife of one of the men who died after a plane crashed into Washington’s Spokane River has filed a lawsuit against the companies that built and maintained the aircraft. The Spokesman-Review reported that...
Activist Kids in Washington Allowed to Go Forward with Climate Case
Dec 22 2016 // Eight Seattle children should have “their day in court” to argue that Washington state and others aren’t protecting them from climate change, a judge ruled. King County Superior Court Judge Hollis Hill on...
Anthem-Cigna Merger Trial Pits Efficiency Claims vs. Loss of Competition Claims
Dec 19 2016 // Anthem Inc. and the U.S. Justice Department extended their clash over whether the insurer’s planned takeover of rival Cigna Corp. will raise costs, as government witnesses testified Friday that the deal will harm...
Insurance Foundation Launches Washington Chapter
Dec 19 2016 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Western Division has opened a Washington chapter. This marks the introduction of the division’s third chapter, following the launch of its Colorado and Arizona chapters in...
Washington Workers’ Comp Rates for 2017 to Increase Less Than 1%
Dec 19 2016 // The average premium for workers’ compensation coverage in Washington will go up less than 1 percent in 2017, according to the Department of Labor & Industries. L&I announced this month the rate will rise by...
Kreidler Revokes Licenses of Washington Agency, Issues Fines to Others
Dec 13 2016 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued fines in November totaling $63,550 against insurance companies, agents and brokers who violated state insurance regulations, including revoking the licenses of one...
Washington Psych Hospital Employee Charged with Molesting Patients
Dec 8 2016 // Prosecutors have charged an employee at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital with four counts of molesting four female patients, according to court records made public Friday. Christopher Conley, 47, was...
Duck Boat Maker to Pay up to $1M over Washington Crash
Dec 7 2016 // The company that manufactured a duck boat involved in a deadly crash in Seattle last year has agreed to pay up to $1 million in civil penalties under a consent order, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration...
Cleanup Costs of Oregon Train Derailment Along River Pilling Up
Dec 6 2016 // Six months after a train hauling Bakken crude oil derailed along the Columbia River Gorge, Washington, Oregon and other officials are still tabulating a bill to send to Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific said in a...
Insurance Foundation Launches Washington Chapter
Dec 1 2016 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Western Division has opened a Washington chapter. This marks the introduction of the division’s third chapter, following the launch of its Colorado and Arizona Chapters in...
Washington Commissioner Deems Zenefits’ Free Software Offer Illegal
Dec 1 2016 // This story has been updated with comment from Zenefits. Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler ordered Zenefits to cease free distribution of its employee benefits software, saying the tactic violates state...
