Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington Fines Tesoro $2.3 Million for Deadly Refinery Blast
Oct 5 2010 // Washington state fined Tesoro Corp. $2.38 million for an April 2 blast at the company’s Anacortes refinery that killed seven workers, after a state investigation found the explosion could have been...
Washington Workers’ Comp Rate Proposal Delayed
Oct 4 2010 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced that it will propose workers’ compensation rates for 2011 in November after the results of the fall election and the outcome of Initiative...
Traffic Cameras Make Washington Drivers More Cautious
Sep 24 2010 // Red-light cameras — recent additions at many Washington intersections — make drivers more cautious in pushing the limits of yellow lights, according to a recent poll. In a survey conducted by PEMCO Insurance,...
Nearly 98 Percent of Wash. Motorists Use Seat Belts
Sep 23 2010 // Nearly 98 percent of motorists in Washington are using their seat belts, one of the highest rates in the nation, the state’s Traffic Safety Commission says. The percentage of Washington drivers and passengers using...
Bank Bailout Fraud On the Rise, Probes Continuing, Says TARP Cop
Sep 22 2010 // The top U.S. bailout cop said evidence of fraud among banks that sought taxpayer funds was on the rise, and some of his investigations involve amounts exceeding $550 million. Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general...
Washington Supreme Court: Actual Cash Value Includes Sales Tax
Sep 22 2010 // The Washington Supreme Court has ruled that an insurer is required to pay sales tax when reimbursing a client for the actual cash value (ACV) of damaged property. According to court documents in Laura Holden v. Farmers...
Washington Working Harder to Combat Insurance Fraud
Sep 20 2010 // In advance of a rate announcement expected in this month, Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries is strengthening fraud fighting efforts, helping distressed employers and driving down costs internally...
Washington Workers’ Comp Rate Proposal Delayed
Sep 17 2010 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announced that it will propose workers’ compensation rates for 2011 in November after the results of the fall election and the outcome of Initiative...
Washington Working Harder to Combat Insurance Fraud
Aug 31 2010 // In advance of a rate announcement expected in September, Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries said it is working to “transform itself” by strengthening fraud fighting efforts, helping...
Washington Workplace Fatalities Decline
Aug 24 2010 // The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has released its preliminary statistics for 2009, reporting that work-related deaths declined in Washington state last year to numbers not seen since 2000. The BLS, which produces an...
Lockton Adds 4 Execs to D.C. Construction Practice
Aug 13 2010 // Insurance broker Lockton Cos. has expanded its Construction Services Group with the addition of four construction insurance and surety experts in its Washington, D.C. operations. Douglas A. Crowe, Jr. and Alexander N....
China’s Economy Set to Pass Japan’s as World’s Second Biggest
Aug 2 2010 // China is set to overtake Japan as the world’s second-largest economy in a resurgence that is changing everything from the global balance of military and financial power to how cars are designed. By some measures it...
Two Accused of Faking $1 Million in Aflac Claims in Georgia
Jul 27 2010 // Two people have been indicted on charges they stole nearly $1 million from insurer Aflac Inc. by filing false insurance claims from 2007 to 2009. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that federal prosecutors are accusing...
Wash. Court Dumps Notice for Malpractice Lawsuits
Jul 19 2010 // The Washington state Supreme Court said it is unconstitutional to require 90 days notice before suing a doctor, marking the second time in less than a year the court has rejected a legislative attempt to reform medical...
Washington Agents Advised to Update Contact Info
Jul 19 2010 // Washington agents and brokers are being advised to update their licensing business address with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. In October, the OIC will launch a new search feature on its Web site to help...
Minor Earthquake Shakes Up U.S. Capital
Jul 19 2010 // Earthquakes are so rare in the Washington area that even a geology student wasn’t quite sure what was going on when a minor one hit early Friday. Was it a truck passing by? A low-flying plane? Gerasimos...
Washington Commissioner Criticizes Insurers’ Credit Score Use
Jul 16 2010 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is taking aim at insurers’ use of credit scores, warning consumers that large drops in credit scores could lead them to pay 8 percent to 15 percent more for insurance....
Washington Workers’ Comp Initiative Qualifies for Ballot
Jul 15 2010 // An initiative to eliminate Washington’s workers’ compensation insurance monopoly and allow private insurers to offer coverage for workplace injuries has qualified for the November ballot. Secretary of State Sam...
Wash. Court Dumps Notice for Malpractice Lawsuits
Jul 8 2010 // The Washington state Supreme Court said it’s unconstitutional to require 90 days notice before suing a doctor, marking the second time in less than a year the court has rejected a legislative attempt to reform...
Washington Agents Advised to Update Listing on OIC Web Site
Jul 7 2010 // Washington agents and brokers are being advised to update the licensing business address with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. In October, the OIC will launch a new search feature on its Web site to help consumers...
