West News

California Suing Major Nursing Home Operator

California’s attorney general and local officials sued the nation’s largest senior living home operator Monday, alleging the company misled consumers on quality ratings and broke laws intended to protect patients when they are discharged from a facility. The suit centers …

Lockton Names Tran Senior Vice President in Washington

Lockton Cos. has named Peter Tran a senior vice president in its Washington practice. Tran was most recently a vice president and real estate practice group lead with Seattle brokerage Parker, Smith & Feek. He has 20 years of experience …

IMA Financial Group Acquires k.p.d. Insurance in Oregon

IMA Financial Group has acquired Oregon-based k.p.d. Insurance Inc. to expand its brokerage services to the Pacific Northwest. Terms of the deal, which is effective April 1, were not disclosed. k.p.d. will become an IMA Financial Group company but retain …

Earthquake Early Warning System Launches in Oregon

People in Oregon will be better prepared for earthquakes – particularly important in the Pacific Northwest because experts say “the big one” is coming – as an early warning system launched Thursday, the 10th anniversary of a devastating quake and …

Disaster Loans Available for Drought Losses in Arizona Counties

The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that small non-farm businesses in all 15 counties in Arizona may apply for low-interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses from drought. Eligibility includes businesses directly affected by the disaster as well …

Washington Ticketing Firm to Pay $9M in Restitution

Seattle, Wash., ticketing company Brown Paper Tickets has agreed to pay $9 million in restitution to an estimated 45,000 customers. The Seattle Times reported the payments will go to ticket buyers owed refunds and event organizers owed box-office revenue largely …

California Workers’ Compensation Institute Elects Board for 2021

Matthew Zender of AmTrust North America, who has served on the executive committee of the California Workers’ Compensation Institute since 2018, has been reelected to serve another one-year term as chairman of the CWCI’s board of directors. Joining Zender on …

K2 Acquires Columbia Pacific Finance in Montana

K2 Insurance Services has acquired a majority stake in privately held premium finance company Columbia Pacific Finance LLC in Missoula, Montana. Following the acquisition of CPF, President Reghan Brandt will continue to lead the day-to-day premium finance operation of the …

Video Surveillance Leads to Workers’ Comp Fraud Charges Against California Woman

Veronica Catalina Cortes-Ambrosio, 53, of Madera, Calif., was charged on two felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly lying about physical limitations from an injury at work in an attempt to receive undeserved workers’ compensation benefits. An investigation by the …

Report: California Comp Virus Claim Volume Plummeted in February

The wave of COVID-19 claims that hit the California workers’ compensation system at the end of 2020 has subsided for the time being as the number of claims reported to the state Division of Workers’ Compensation for February fell to …

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