Articles by Patricia-Anne Tom

Agency Satisfaction With Insurers Not Driven by Price, Compensation

Insurance agents tend to give a greater share of their business to insurers with whom they are highly satisfied, according to a J.D. Power and Associates Insurance Agency Satisfaction Study-Personal Lines. The study, based on responses from 2,316 insurance agents …

Farmers Insurance to Pay $1.5M in Labor Settlement

Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance Inc. has agreed to pay $1.52 million in overtime back wages to 3,459 employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division that disclosed significant and systemic violations of the federal …

From Trash to Treasure: Salvor Can Help to Manage Losses

When crises occur, one person the claims adjuster, insurer and insured should consider calling is a salvor – he or she can be a valuable partner in helping to clean up the trash, and broker the sale of any salvageable …

Risky Decisions

All the devastation from natural disasters that have occurred across the nation in recent months illuminates the fact that many, many homes across the United States are either uninsured or underinsured. Violent weather, wildfires and flooding have been unusually intense. …

Agency Satisfaction With Insurers Not Driven by Price, Compensation

Insurance agents tend to give a greater share of their business to insurers with whom they are highly satisfied, according to a J.D. Power and Associates Insurance Agency Satisfaction Study-Personal Lines. The study, based on responses from 2,316 insurance agents …

Nonresident Workers in California Are Subject to California Overtime

California’s overtime requirements apply to work performed in California by non-residents, the state Supreme Court has decided, effectively expanding the use of the state’s Wage and Hour law. The Sullivan v. Oracle case arose from an appeal of a 2008 …

Calif. Appeals Court Declines to Review Workers’ Comp Decision

Fifth District Court of Appeal in California has refused to review the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board’s (WCAB) en banc decision in State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) v. WCAB (Almaraz). This means that the Sixth District Court’s decision on the Workers’ …

Seeds of Change

How One Woman Is Growing Opportunities for Women in Insurance To a large extent, men still outnumber women in the property/casualty insurance industry. That’s a shame, says Barney & Barney Principal Trindl Reeves, who has been recognized for her efforts …

Calif. Homeowners Underinsurance Face Challenges

A series of new California homeowners regulations aimed at enhancing the standards and training for estimating the replacement value on homeowners’ insurance took effect on June 27. Meanwhile, two insurance trade associations continue to fight the regulations’ implementation. The replacement …

Californians’ Biggest Disaster Fear: Earthquakes

Of the many possible natural disasters that could befall Californians, Golden State residents fear earthquakes the most, according to a recent poll. Statewide, 57 percent of voters cite earthquakes as their greatest threat from nature, more than twice the proportion …