Latest Washington Headlines

All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.

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,...

Washington Implements Flood, Disaster Protections

Jul 28 2009 // Washington bills that establish legal protections for consumers in the wake of future disasters went into effect this week. The flood insurance and states of emergency bills (Senate Bill 5417 and House Bill 1566) require...

AIG Withholds $2.4 Million in Bonuses for Senior Managers

Jul 23 2009 // American International Group Inc., the insurer that has received billions of dollars in federal aid, withheld $2.4 million in bonuses due to be paid to dozens of senior managers on July 15. The AIG decision was disclosed...

National Specialty Underwriters Named a ‘Best Company to Work For’ in Washington

Jul 22 2009 // Bellevue, Wash.-based National Specialty Underwriters Inc. (NSU) was named one of Washington’s “2009 Best Companies to Work For” by Seattle Business Magazine. The publication chose 100 finalists in its...

AIG to Pay More Executive Bonuses

Jul 10 2009 // American International Group is preparing to pay next week millions of dollars more in bonuses to dozens of corporate executives, a source familiar with the development said. AIG has been talking with Washington’s...

Carroll Joins Griffin Underwriting Services in Washington

Jul 9 2009 // Griffin Underwriting Services of Bellevue, Wash., has added James D. Carroll as a property broker. In this new position, he will be responsible for property brokerage production and marketing as well as bringing depth and...

Fireman’s Fund Offers Surface and Flood Endorsement in Washington

Jun 19 2009 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. is now offering a Surface Water and Flood endorsement to its Prestige Home Premier policyholders in Washington. Intense storms over the Pacific Ocean bring heavy...

Poll: Older Drivers More Savvy About Traffic Laws

May 26 2009 // Are Washington drivers so polite that it causes traffic issues? That’s the question tackled by a recent poll by Pemco Insurance, examining whether drivers have a solid understanding of the laws governing four-way...

Oklahoma House Passes Workers’ Comp Judge Resolution

May 20 2009 // A resolution that would ask voters to require Senate confirmation of Oklahoma Worker’s Compensation Court judges has passed the Oklahoma House less than a month after Gov. Brad Henry vetoed similar legislation. The...

Republicans Explain Their Health Care Reform Plan

May 20 2009 // While President Obama may believe the stars are aligned for major health reform this year it is far from certain whether Congress will pass a bill that works. The groups that are most likely to unravel this effort are not...