Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Change and Protect
Jan 25 2009 // Change is coming to Washington and to the NAIC but hopefully it’s change that will largely protect the status quo when it comes to insurance regulation. Last spring, we took it upon ourselves to urge the National...
Why a Small Hairless Lawyer Should be America’s– and Insurers’– First Pet
Jan 15 2009 // Harry Truman might have said it, Bill Clinton did quote it and George Bush, Sr. said he didn’t need the advice because he already had First Lady Barbara Bush but it simply goes like this: “If you want a friend...
Former Iowa Commissioner Vaughan Named CEO of State Regulators’ NAIC
Jan 15 2009 // Former Iowa Insurance Commissioner Therese M. Vaughan, Ph.D., has been named chief executive officer of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), effective Feb. 18, 2009. Vaughan replaces Catherine J....
Washington Offers Insurance Advice for Winter Storm Victims
Jan 13 2009 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is advising consumers to assess their property damage after the latest winter storm and take steps to mitigate any further damage. “When it’s safe to do so,...
Lifelines in the Storm: Pro-Policyholder Developments in 2008
Jan 11 2009 // In light of the enormous losses and cascading failures triggered by the financial crisis, companies across the United States will be looking to their insurance policies for loss mitigation. However, recent developments in...
Washington Workers’ Comp Insurance Premiums Increasing 3%
Jan 11 2009 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) said premiums for workers’ compensation insurance will go up, on average, 3 percent in 2009. Individual employers could see their rates go up or down,...
New Employment Laws, Power Shift in Washington May Increase the Risk of Workplace Charges
Jan 11 2009 // What Insurance Professionals Need to Know to Protect Their Commercial Clients As the economy continues to falter and a new Administration takes over in Washington, the workplace is being seeded with new legal hazards for...
Washington To Hold Hearing on Purchase of National Merit Insurance
Dec 29 2008 // The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner announced it will holding a hearing at 12 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2009, to discuss the sale of Trinity Universal Insurance Co. to National Merit Insurance Co. According to the...
Ratings: ANICO, Washington Casualty, Grain Dealers, Nat’l. Guaranty, Am. Physicians
Dec 19 2008 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today said it lowered its counterparty credit and financial strength ratings on American National Insurance Co. (ANICO) and its core subsidiaries, American National Life...
Washington Workers’ Comp Insurance Premiums Increasing 3%
Dec 4 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) said premiums for workers’ compensation insurance will go up, on average, 3 percent in 2009. Individual employers could see their rates go up or down,...
Washington Not Likely to Focus Much on P/C Agents in 2009
Nov 16 2008 // Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, the 64-year-old Democrat, easily won his third term as Washington state insurance commissioner, defeating Republican John Adams, who owns a Seattle-based insurance brokerage firm 57...
Safeco and Liberty Northwest Announce New Northwest Regional Operations
Nov 14 2008 // Safeco Insurance and Liberty Northwest, both Liberty Mutual Agency Markets companies, recently announced key management appointments to lead their respective personal and commercial lines operations in their Northwest...
Rain Floods Western Washington Rivers
Nov 14 2008 // Heavy rain swelled rivers across Western Washington, causing numerous road closures and prompting authorities to recommend evacuations in some areas. No injuries or serious property damage were reported from the wet...
Euro Zone in Recession as World Leaders Head for Summit
Nov 14 2008 // Recession has struck much of Europe, data showed on Friday, confirming a widespread economic downturn that world leaders hope to tackle at a weekend summit in Washington. The worst financial crisis in 80 years has weakened...
Survey: Washington Cell Phone Law Not So Popular
Nov 12 2008 // Washington drivers may be having second thoughts about the state’s new law governing hand-held cell phone use while driving, a recent poll by Pemco Insurance shows. In February 2008, prior to the law’s...
Washington Launches New Insurance Fraud Web Site
Nov 12 2008 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is using his office’s Web site to help fight insurance fraud. In an effort to protect consumers, the fraud section of the site has been expanded to educate people on...
Montana, Washington To Decide on Insurance Regulators
Nov 4 2008 // Voters in Montana and Washington will decide who will regulate the insurance marketplace in their states. In Montana, the current Insurance Auditor John Morrison is not seeking re-election. Republican state Sen. Duane...
Washington Seeks Tools to Fight Identity Thieves
Oct 24 2008 // Law enforcement officers, prosecutors and private-sector fraud investigators say new technology and laws are needed to help prevent identity theft crimes in Washington and prosecute increasingly crafty and covert...
Washington, Lease Crutcher Lewis Settle Over Crane Safety Violations
Oct 23 2008 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Lease Crutcher Lewis have settled an appeal of the safety violations that were cited following the collapse of a tower crane in Bellevue in November...
Maryland Navy Commander Sued over Funds for 9/11 Injury
Oct 16 2008 // Federal prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against a Navy commander from Maryland’s Anne Arundel County who was granted a Purple Heart for injuries he claimed to have suffered when a plane crashed into the...
