Latest Washington Headlines

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

Also, Phillip Hill was elected chief financial officer and vice president of operations. Hill has been part of Ogilvy-Hi

Sep 4 2006 // People Ogilvy-Hill Insurance elected Mark Shipp president and CEO. Shipp has been with Ogilvy Hill for 11 years. In addition to his new role as president/CEO he will continue to build new relationships in the field. The...

Navigating Washington’s business and occupation tax tangle

Sep 4 2006 // Washington State’s current business and occupation (B&O) tax laws operate under a unique structure that can confuse even the most astute insurance agent or company. Harbored within this structure is the question...

Workers’ Commute Time Getting Shorter

Sep 1 2006 // It might be hard for some drivers to believe, but average commuting times are getting shorter for U.S. workers. The average daily commute to work has shrunk from 25.5 minutes in 2000 to 25.1 minutes last year, according to...

Washington Proposes 2 Percent Cut in Workers’ Compensation Rates

Sep 1 2006 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries have proposed lowering workers’ compensation rates next year by an average of 2 percent, the first general rate reduction in six years. It is expected to save...

Safeco Sells U-District Complex to University of Washington

Aug 30 2006 // Seattle-based Safeco has announced the sale of its headquarters complex in Seattle’s University District to the University of Washington for $130 million. The sale follows Safeco’s previously announced strategy...

New Assistant Attorney General To Help Washington Combat Fraud

Aug 29 2006 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) said that the State Attorney General’s Office has assigned a full-time assistant attorney general, Susan R. DanPullo, to assist the agency in combating...

Washington Agents-Brokers Host Annual Conference in Spokane

Aug 28 2006 // On Sept. 28-30, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of Washington will hold its annual conference, entitled “Building Upon Success” at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Wash. Keynote speakers include...

Unigard Insurance Awards 12 Scholarships

Aug 25 2006 // Bellevue, Wash.-based Unigard Insurance Group is awarding 12 outstanding students with renewable $1,000 scholarships for college. “The Unigard scholarship program was created to reward talented students,” said...

Washington Governor Declares Wildfire Emergency

Aug 25 2006 // Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire declared a statewide wildfire emergency as several large fires burned in the state and forecasters predicted more thunderstorms and high winds. “Numerous wildfires across Washington...

Businesses File First in Series of Lawsuits Against Competitors Hiring Undocumented Immigrants

Aug 23 2006 // Frustrated businesses took their fight against illegal immigration to a Los Angeles court Tuesday, filing the first in a series of lawsuits accusing competitors of hiring illegal workers to achieve an unfair...

States Look to Copy N.H. Public Works Mutual Aid Network

Aug 18 2006 // About a decade ago, as he watched utility trucks from out of state help fix widespread power outages in New Hampshire, a light went on for Bow, New Hampshire’s public works director, Chum Cleverly. If power companies...

Attorney Suggests Parishioners Contribute to Settlement

Aug 14 2006 // An attorney representing people who allege they were sexually abused by priests says Catholics in Eastern Washington can settle their church’s sex-abuse crisis and bankruptcy for $60 million — half of which he...

Washington Military Policyholders to Share in Settlement

Aug 11 2006 // More than 1,100 current and former military personnel in Washington will be eligible to share in a $70 million multi-state settlement signed by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler over the improper sale of insurance and...

Insurance Poll Reveals Misconceptions about Renter’s Insurance

Aug 8 2006 // Every year Washington residents end up with millions of dollars in uninsured losses that could be prevented. According to a poll commissioned by PEMCO Insurance based in Seattle, there is widespread misunderstanding of...

Washington Issues Multiple Enforcement Actions

Aug 4 2006 // The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner has initiated the following enforcement actions: * Issued a $150,000 fine ($75,000 suspended) against Western National Assurance Co., Edina, Minn., for multiple...

Washington Employers Invited to Join Workers’ Comp Pilot

Aug 1 2006 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has begun enrolling employers who want to participate in a new way of reporting claims for workplace injuries and occupational diseases. Injured workers in...

Mt. Washington Names Brack N.H. Marketing Rep

Jul 28 2006 // Mt. Washington Assurance Corporation in New Hampshire has named Albert F. Brack, III as a marketing representative. In this role Brack will manage the firm’s relationships with independent insurance agencies in the...

ICW Group Hires Lettus for Washington Branch

Jul 26 2006 // ICW Group has hired Raymond Lettus to become the senior production underwriter of commercial property and catastrophe lines of business, for the branch office in Bellevue, Wash. Lettus will be responsible for the ongoing...

Hail Storm Keeps Mt. Washington’s ‘Crashbuster’ Van Totally Busy

Jul 25 2006 // “It was like Armageddon,” independent agent Pam Sakowski says of the hailstorm that hammered Exeter, New Hampshire, on July 11. Sakowski, who owns the Ray F. MacDonald Agency in Durham, was visiting her friends...

Former FEMA director promotes government-industry disaster mediation

Jul 24 2006 // News Currents Federal and state governments should work with private insurance companies to sponsor disaster mediation programs, according to a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. James Lee Witt,...