National News

Toyota Can Be Sued for Reduced Value of Cars, U.S. Judge Rules

Owners of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles that were recalled over unintended acceleration may pursue claims against the automaker that the problem caused the value of their cars to fall, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge James Selna in …

Supreme Court Hands Corporate Whistleblowers a Setback

The U.S. Supreme Court has handed corporate whistleblowers a setback with a 5-3 ruling that they cannot bring lawsuits on the basis of information they get from a Freedom of Information Act request. The court reversed a federal appeals court …

Bank Holding Company Insurance Revenue Drops 5.7%

The nation’s bank holding companies (BHCs) experienced a decrease of 5.7 percent in their total insurance revenue from a record $15.08 billion in 2009 to $14.21 billion in 2010, when MetLife, a traditional life insurance company, is excluded. Total insurance …

P/C Insurers Take Hit in Q1 as Hurricane Season Approaches

The U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry took a beating from record first quarter 2011 catastrophe losses, and recent earnings announcements from global reinsurers illustrate the damage those losses did to earnings and operating results. Insured losses from winter storms and severe …

BUA Launches Non-Appearance Event Insurance

BUA, a provider of event cancellation insurance for trade shows and sporting events, has introduced NoShow non-appearance insurance. The NoShow program is designed for concerts and other events for which the non-appearance of person or group of people may cause …

Agents View Carrier Consistency of Product, Price Critical in Relationship

Nearly half of independent insurance agents and brokers believe it is most important to their carrier relationships that companies are consistent in product and pricing in the marketplace, a new study co-sponsored by Insurance Journal shows. That consistency is the …

Claims Journal Names Johnson Associate Editor

Wells Publishing Inc., publisher of Insurance Journal, Claims Journal and MyNewMarkets.com, recently hired Denise Johnson as associate editor of Claims Journal. Johnson’s background includes various claims positions, including serving as a senior claims examiner, field claims representative and a claims …

Crump Buys Workers’ Compensation Self-Insurance Firm SFA

Wholesaler broker Crump Insurance Services Inc. has acquired Self Funded Alternatives, an insurance intermediary specializing in self-insured workers’ compensation programs. SFA is based in Langhorne, Penn. and has associates in Las Vegas, Nev. and Woodland Hills, Calif. Crump said that …

Weather Pattern Behind Current Mississippi River Flood Similar to 1993

The flooding that has inundated low-lying communities and farmland for miles along the Upper and Lower Mississippi River is due to a large, slow-moving storm system that was spawned nearly a month ago. “The flooding began when a critical weather …

Brooke Corp. Fines Pale Next to Pain Caused by Franchise Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently charged six executives of Kansas-based Brooke Corp and two of its subsidiaries with hiding critical information from investors and conducting financial fraud, according to a criminal complaint. The SEC says five executives have agreed …

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