West News

Empire Underwriters Expands Programs into Hawaii

Empire Underwriters, an MGA, surplus lines broker and wholesaler in business insurance underwriting and services, has launched new programs available in the State of Hawaii. The new programs include its Main Street Workers Comp as well as Hard to Place …

UniVista Insurance Unveils West Coast Expansion Strategy

UniVista Insurance has three opened offices in California, and announced plans to launch its franchise program on the West Coast in three months. Miami-based UniVista also says it plans to open another three offices by year’s end. UniVista has 122 …

ISO, Intterra, Western Fire Chiefs Partner to Better Understand Wildfire Risk

ISO and Intterra are partnering with the Western Fire Chiefs Association to explore new ways of analyzing and understanding wildfire risk. Intterra has worked with the WFCA for several years to develop the Fire Data Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated …

EPIC Acquires Trumark Insurance & Financial Services in California

EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has acquired Trumark Insurance & Financial Services in a Pleasanton, Calif. The deal closed August 1, and terms were not disclosed. Trumark is a brokerage/general agency specializing in the institutional financial advisory market. EPIC is …

California Insurance Commissioner’s Applied Underwriters Decision Challenged over Campaign Contributions

A pair of companies has filed to overturn decisions by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in cases involving workers’ comp provider Applied Underwriters, alleging the decisions by Lara were swayed by contributions to his campaign from people affiliated with Applied. …

California Workers’ Comp Committee Votes for Drop in 2020 Pure Premium Filing

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California’s governing committee voted on Wednesday to authorize the WCIRB to submit a Jan. 1, 2020 advisory pure premium rate filing to the California Insurance Commissioner that will be on average 5.7% below …

California Manufacturer of Fire Protection Spray Sued for $5M

A $5 million lawsuit has been filed against a Los Angeles County company that sells a product it contends helps protect homes from wildfires. The Santa Barbara County district attorney and the Los Angeles city attorney sued Sunseeker Enterprises Monday …

UCLA Gynecologist Hit with Class Action Lawsuit

Two women said in a federal class action lawsuit they were sexually assaulted by a former gynecologist who worked for the University of California, Los Angeles. The lawsuit states Dr. James Heaps sexually assaulted the women and made sexually inappropriate …

AmWINS Group to Acquire LISI and CoPower in California

AmWINS Group Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire LISI Inc. and CoPower, Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close later this month, pending regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. LISI Inc. …

U.S. Northwest Faces Growing Wildfire Threat

Nestled in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, the bustling Seattle suburb of Issaquah seems an unlikely candidate for anxiety over wildfires. The region, famous for its rainfall, has long escaped major burns even as global warming has driven an …

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