Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington Governor Wants to Reform Workers’ Comp
Jan 11 2011 // Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has proposed several changes to the state’s workers’ compensation system to help the state out of the recession and support the vitality of businesses. The proposed changes she...
Brown & Brown Buys Balcos, Mike Howard Insurance in Washington
Jan 5 2011 // J. Scott Penny, regional president of Brown & Brown Inc.; Mark S. Balcos and Scott N. Balcos, principals of Balcos Insurance, Inc.; and Michael P. Howard, principal of M C H, Inc. of Seattle, d/b/a Mike Howard...
Rowe Joins Gallagher Benefit Services of Washington
Dec 28 2010 // Gallagher Benefit Services of Washington has added David S. Rowe to its Retirement Services consulting practice. Rowe brings more than 20 years of retirement consulting experience, having worked in numerous management and...
2010’s Top Insurance Stories in the West
Dec 23 2010 // In 2009, independent insurance agents and brokers faced a “perfect storm” with the economic downturn, premiums at a fraction of what they used to be, and unemployment and home foreclosure rates up, said Kevin...
Washington Hearing Possible on Calif. Gas Pipe Explosion
Dec 21 2010 // Federal investigators may subpoena witnesses to testify in Washington about the deadly Pacific Gas & Electric Co. natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, Calif. National Transportation Safety Board member Mark...
Insurance Vital to Alabama Coast Long-Term Plan, Says Commission
Dec 21 2010 // Coastal Alabama should seize the BP Gulf oil disaster as an opportunity for “resiliency planning” that will not only help the region recover from the oil damage but also put it in a position to better recover...
Washington Man Pleads Guilty to Insurance Fraud
Dec 17 2010 // A Lynnwood, Wash., man who claimed that thieves had repeatedly made off with his collection of more than 200 silk neckties has paid back more than $33,000 and pleaded guilty to two counts of making a false insurance...
Study: Texting Bans Don’t Reduce Crashes
Dec 17 2010 // It’s illegal to text while driving in most U.S. states yet a new study finds such bans do not reduce car accidents and may actually increase insurance claims. Researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI)...
Washington Issues 23,000 Elevator Correction Notices to Building Owners
Dec 13 2010 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries said it issues about 23,000 correction notices per year to building owners to fix elevators. “For many people, [getting stuck in an elevator] is their worst...
Washington Proposes Online Insurance Licensing Rules
Dec 6 2010 // Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has proposed rules to establish electronic licensing submission rules for insurance producers. The proposed mandatory online licensing rules have been proposed to...
Ratings: Cherokee/Oakland, Wayne Mutual, Executive, United Fire, Mercer
Dec 3 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “a” from “a-” of Cherokee Insurance...
Washington Regulator Wants to Review Health Insurer Surpluses
Nov 30 2010 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler is asking state lawmakers to preserve his authority to scrutinize health insurance rates, boost transparency, and to let him — for the first time — consider some...
Washington L&I Appoints Dupre Assistant Director for Insurance
Nov 24 2010 // Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries has appointed Beth Dupre assistant director for insurance services. She will oversee approximately 1,000 employees involved with L&I’s State Fund...
Washington, Oregon Rank High in Promoting Roadway Safety
Nov 18 2010 // Many states are making progress toward making roads safer, but Oregon and Washington do the best of promoting roadway safety with traffic laws, according to a new report by the Emergency Nurses Association. The report...
Berkley: Economic Recovery Depends on Country’s State of Mind
Nov 14 2010 // Economic recovery in the United States is now very dependent on the state of mind of the American public and its business leaders, according to William R. Berkley, founder, chairman and CEO of W.R. Berkley Corp. “No...
Washington Voters Reject Privatization of Workers’ Compensation System
Nov 14 2010 // Voters in the state of Washington have rejected a measure to inject private insurer competition into the state’s workers’ compensation system. The insurance industry hoped to open up the state’s...
Guess Who’s Coming to Washington?
Nov 14 2010 // It’s a long way from Main Street America to Capitol Hill, a distance most small business owners prefer not to travel. But greater numbers of business owners than ever before will be packing up and moving to...
Outcome of G20 Summit in Seoul
Nov 12 2010 // World leaders said they would work to tackle global economic “tensions and vulnerabilities” that have raised fears of currency wars and trade protectionism as they wrapped up a Group of 20 summit in Seoul on...
Washington Wants to Raise Workers’ Comp Rates 12%
Nov 10 2010 // Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has announced a 12 percent average increase in workers’ compensation insurance premiums for 2011. Average premiums would go up by 6.5 cents per hour...
Chubb & Son Appeals Washington Enforcement Action
Nov 10 2010 // Chubb & Son announced its attorneys have filed an appeal with the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner over enforcement action that would have prevented six of its companies from writing new policies for...
