Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington State Agent Pleads to Bilking Doctors
Aug 4 2011 // Brenda MacLaren-Beattie, a longtime insurance agent in Des Moines, Wash., has pleaded guilty to first-degree theft for selling fake insurance to oral surgeons in two states. An investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike...
When Rating Agencies Judge the World – an Analysis
Aug 3 2011 // The man who holds in his hands the fate of U.S. credit, and with it potentially the global economy, favors small tie knots, sports a bushy mustache and smokes his fair share of cigarettes. Beyond that, he is a mystery,...
Agents Question GM Free Car Insurance Deal With MetLife Auto
Aug 1 2011 // Independent insurance agents are raising concerns over a General Motors promotion that offers car buyers in the Pacific Northwest a year of free liability and damage insurance from MetLife Auto & Home. Hoping to put...
Poll Says Washington Drivers Do Not Know Left-Lane Law
Jul 21 2011 // Forty-three percent of drivers in Washington State do not know that it is illegal to impede the flow of traffic in the left lane of a highway, according to a survey by Pemco Mutual Insurance Co., Seattle. “Camping...
Ratings Recap: Washington Casualty, Western, One Beacon (notes)
Jul 18 2011 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A-‘ (Excellent) from ‘B+’ (Good) and issuer credit rating to “a-” from “bbb-” of Washington Casualty Company...
S&P Threatens Downgrade of Insurers, Financial Firms Over Debt Ceiling
Jul 18 2011 // Standard & Poor’s Friday raised the pressure on debt negotiators in Washington, saying it could downgrade insurers, securities clearinghouses, mortgage agencies and a laundry list of other firms without a deal...
Report Finds Washington Health Care Workers Often Victims of Violence
Jul 15 2011 // The most violent job in Washington state isn’t being a police officer or a security guard. It’s working as a nurse’s aide. Seattle public radio station KUOW-FM made that finding as part of an...
Fourth Abuse Suit Filed Against Washington Diocese
Jul 15 2011 // An Oregon man has filed suit in federal court against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yakima, Wash., alleging he was abused as a teen by a former Catholic deacon who later became an Episcopal priest in Mexico. The lawsuit...
Wash. Workers’ Comp Prescription Drug Costs Among the Lowest
Jul 13 2011 // The high cost for prescription drugs for injured workers in some states is a major issue for policymakers, but not in Washington state, where costs were among the lowest compared to 17 other states, according to a new...
Agents Question GM Free Car Insurance Deal With MetLife Auto
Jul 12 2011 // Independent insurance agents are raising concerns over a General Motors promotion that offers car buyers in the Pacific Northwest a year of free liability and damage insurance from MetLife Auto & Home. Hoping to put...
GM to Pay Insurance for Car Buyers in Washington, Oregon
Jul 7 2011 // Drivers in Oregon and Washington who buy a new 2010, 2011 or 2012 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle between July 6 and September 6 will receive a one-year insurance policy from MetLife Auto & Home at no...
Make Employers’ Provision of Group Health Insurance Easier, Less Costly
Jul 4 2011 // More than half of all Americans receive health insurance through an employer. Let me advance a bold premise: This is not entirely a bad thing. By insuring 150 million of us, employer-based plans relieve government of the...
Washington State Patrol Accident Reports Online
Jun 27 2011 // The Washington State Patrol says people will be able to go online to request an accident report for their insurance company and received it in one to five days instead of the current four weeks. The patrol says the Web...
Wash. Regulator Fines Insurers, Agents $750,000
Jun 22 2011 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has fined insurance companies, agents and brokers more than $750,000 in 2011. Violations included charging unapproved rates and submitting false documents. From January...
Tennessee Officials Worried Over Increasing Number of Abandoned Homes
Jun 22 2011 // Officials in Washington County, Tennessee are trying to decide the best way to deal with the growing number of abandoned homes. Of particular concern to officials is that property owners could stop caring for the upkeep of...
Washington Man Charged With Auto Insurance Fraud
Jun 21 2011 // A Tacoma, Wash., man faces multiple charges after allegedly filing forged documents in an auto theft claim, the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner announced. Cash B. Knott, 45, has been charged in Pierce County...
Calif., Wash. Lead Nation in Car Thefts
Jun 21 2011 // While car thefts nationwide have declined, the western states have the uneviable distinction of having the most car thefts in the nation. According to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the top 10 spots...
Washington Court: OK to Terminate Employee for Medical Marijuana Use
Jun 16 2011 // A Washington Supreme Court has ruled that it is OK for an employer to terminate an employee for violating its no drug policy, even though the employee is in compliance with the state’s medical marijuana...
Wash. Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Reform Measure
Jun 16 2011 // Washington employers who provide temporary work that allows an injured worker to “Stay at Work” while recovering from an injury will be eligible to be reimbursed for half of the worker’s wages. This new...
Finally, Wash. Legislators Agree on Workers’ Comp Reform
Jun 6 2011 // Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, House Speaker Frank Chopp, Senate Minority Leader Mike Hewitt and House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt announced the Legislature finally has come to an...
