Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Suspicious Fires in Washington and California
Nov 6 2009 // Two more fires burned businesses early Thursday in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen says a fire at 3:43 a.m. burned the back porch of an accounting office. A fire a...
Feds Improve Flood Prediction in Washington State
Nov 4 2009 // Federal weather officials are beefing up their storm detection abilities in the Green River basin south of Seattle in hopes of better predicting flood threats, according to an article in the Seattle Times. Next month, the...
Ratings Recap: Arbella, Wayne Mutual, Arrowhead, Unique, Oswego County
Nov 4 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A-‘ (Excellent) from’ B++’ (Good) and issuer credit ratings to “a-” from “bbb+” of Arbella Insurance Group and...
Washington State Woman Pays State Farm
Nov 2 2009 // A Snohomish County woman who admitted to forging thousands of dollars in receipts for an insurance claim has paid $69,610 in restitution to her insurance company, State Farm, according to the Washington State Insurance...
Washington Commissioner Warns Insurers on Flood Claims
Nov 1 2009 // The Washington State Insurance Commissioner has issued a warning to property insurers with policies in the Green River Valley not to categorically deny flood claims. The Howard Hanson Dam, above the valley, has been found...
Insurers Association Blasts Washington Flood Proposal
Oct 29 2009 // The State of Washington’s Insurance Commissioner’s proposal regarding a state-run, flood insurance program would probably hurt the insurance market and policy holders throughout the state, the Property Casualty...
Washington Commissioner Wants Flood Insurance Law
Oct 28 2009 // With some businesses in south King County finding it extremely difficult to buy enough flood coverage, Washington’s top insurance regulator is calling for broader powers to intervene when a local insurance market...
Attack on Health Firms Is Assault on All Private Insurance, Warns P/C Chief
Oct 26 2009 // Attacks by President Obama and Congressional Democrats against private health insurers will have a “spillover effect” on other segments of the private insurance marketplace, a property/casualty insurance trade...
Washington Commissioner Warns Against Flooding Exclusions
Oct 20 2009 // The Washington State Insurance Commissioner has issued a warning to property insurers with policies in the Green River Valley not to categorically deny flood claims. The Howard Hanson Dam, above the valley, has been found...
Private Insurers Avoiding Washington Area Army Corps Says Will Flood Soon
Oct 19 2009 // Insurance brokers say private insurers won’t sell flood insurance in Kent, Renton, Auburn and Tukwila where the Corps of Engineers says Green River flooding is likely this winter. Federal insurance is still available...
Washington Insurance Agency Partners with Financial Planner
Oct 8 2009 // Washington’s Feek Justice Financial has entered into a partnership with personal and commercial lines independent agency, Conover Insurance, according to a company news release. As a result of the new partnership,...
US May Target Insurers, Gasoline Imports in Iran Sanctions Strategy
Sep 30 2009 // The White House is weighing sanctions targeting Iran’s dependence on gasoline imports and insurance firms that underwrite the trade, even as U.S. officials focus for now on diplomatic efforts to resolve a nuclear...
Insurers Back Away from Washington Flood Area
Sep 30 2009 // Insurance brokers say private companies won’t sell flood insurance in Kent, Renton, Auburn and Tukwila where the Corps of Engineers says Green River flooding is likely this winter. Federal insurance is still...
U.S. Safety Agency Eyes Cell Phone Use Ban for Bus, Truck Drivers
Sep 25 2009 // Safety investigators told federal regulators three years ago that it was dangerous for bus drivers to talk on cell phones while driving and recommended a ban. The National Transportation Safety Board put that...
Oregon Investigates Phony Agent
Sep 24 2009 // The Oregon Insurance Division is asking dentists and oral surgeons to contact the division if they purchased business owners’ insurance through Brenda L. MacLaren-Beattie, a Washington-based agent who allegedly sold...
Washington Workers’ Compensation Rates Could Rise 7.6 Percent
Sep 23 2009 // The state of Washington yesterday announced higher workers’ compensation insurance premiums for 2010 than earlier forecasted. In June, the state’s Department of Labor and Industries advised the Workers’...
Washington State Bars Iowa-Based Agent
Sep 22 2009 // Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has ordered a Des Moines-based, former insurance agent to immediately stop selling what are apparently fake insurance policies. Brenda L. MacLaren-Beattie and The...
Washington Tosses Medical Malpractice Merit Certificate Law
Sep 21 2009 // The state Supreme Court unanimously threw out a 2006 Washington law that requires an injured patient to get a certificate of merit from an expert before suing for medical malpractice. The high court ruled that the law...
Washington State’s Feek Financial Partners with Conover Insurance
Sep 17 2009 // Washington’s Feek Justice Financial has entered into a partnership with personal and commercial lines indeodnent agency, Conover Insurance. As a result of the new partnership, Conover Insurance has established a...
Washington: Summertime Brings Extra Workplace Hazards
Aug 4 2009 // If historical trends continue, July and August are the deadliest and most dangerous months for Washington workers, according to the state’s Department of Labor & Industries. L&I says in the summertime,...
