Insurance news

• Nine Californians Nabbed in $24M Workers’ Comp Billing Scheme

  17-12-2015 23:49
  
  Detectives with the California Department of Insurance arrested nine people involved in a complex scheme allegedly targeting more than 230 workers’ compensation insurers and self-insured employers. Siblings Francisco Javier Gomez, Jr., 32, and Angela Rehmann, 38, owners of G&G Interpreting …
  
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• Nine Californians Nabbed in $24M Alleged Workers’ Comp Billing Scheme

  17-12-2015 23:49
  
  Detectives with the California Department of Insurance arrested nine people involved in a complex scheme allegedly targeting more than 230 workers’ compensation insurers and self-insured employers. Siblings Francisco Javier Gomez, Jr., 32, and Angela Rehmann, 38, owners of G&G Interpreting …
  
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• Virginia’s Tangier Island Residents Could Become ‘Climate Change Refugees’

  17-12-2015 22:42
  
  A report says islanders in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay could be among the first “climate change refugees” in the continental United States. The research published in the journal Scientific Reports says residents of steadily shrinking Tangier Island in …
  
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• Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau Seeks 0.9% Loss Cost Decrease

  17-12-2015 22:16
  
  The Pennsylvania Compensation Rating Bureau (PCRB) has submitted a filing of Pennsylvania loss costs and related rating values with a proposed effective date of April 1, 2016. The filing proposes an overall average loss cost decrease of 0.90 percent. PCRB’s …
  
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• Massachusetts Rejects Mapfre’s Ice-Dam Deductible Request

  17-12-2015 21:29
  
  The Massachusetts Division of Insurance recently denied a request by Mapfre USA Corp. to add an ice-dam deductible to some homeowners policyholders who previously had multiple ice-dam claims. Mapfre USA Corp., the largest commercial home insurer in Massachusetts, had asked …
  
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• North Dakota Insurance Commissioner to Step Down

  17-12-2015 20:28
  
  North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Adam Hamm is stepping down. Hamm tells The Associated Press he will not seek re-election in 2016. Hamm says he has not decided what he will do in the future. The 44-year-old Republican was appointed insurance …
  
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• Moody’s: Improving U.S. economy and rising rates to benefit insurers in 2016

  17-12-2015 19:45
  
  The outlook is stable for all insurers, except for global reinsurance, panelists predict.
  
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• California DMV puts brakes on self-driving car technology

  17-12-2015 19:41
  
  Fully autonomous vehicles aren’t ready for prime time, as far as California’s Department of Motor Vehicles is concerned.
  
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• State senator expects legisltion on insurance reforms - Gwinnettdailypost.com

  17-12-2015 19:07 via
  Gwinnettdailypost.com
  State senator expects legisltion on insurance reforms
  Gwinnettdailypost.com
  Problems with insurers' contracts with physicians — and with their provider networks — are likely to spark legislation in the upcoming General Assembly session, a key state senator said Monday. State Sen. Dean Burke (R-Bainbridge), who chaired a ...and more »
  

• Airbnb seeks blessing of U.S. landlords for tenants to profit

  17-12-2015 18:58
  
  The startup is reaching out to some of the largest U.S. apartment owners with the aim of working out a deal in which tenants can rent out their units through the website.
  
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• Mass. Lawmakers Weigh 2-Tiered Driver’s License Identification System

  17-12-2015 18:54
  
  Among the many issues that Massachusetts lawmakers may deal with after returning from recess in January is whether to bring the state into compliance with REAL ID, a federal program that sets new requirements for driver’s licenses and other identification …
  
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• Eastman insurance agent arrested, charged with fraud - The Telegraph

  17-12-2015 18:53 via
  Eastman insurance agent arrested, charged with fraud
  The Telegraph
  An insurance agent who owned and operated Charles Robinson Insurance Agency in Eastman was arrested this week and charged with 10 counts of insurance fraud. Macie Anedra Yawn, 27, of Cochran, was arrested by Bleckley County law enforcement ...
  Dodge County insurance agent arrested for fraud13WMAZall 2 news articles »
  

• Kensington: Triple-dipper police chief balks at paying for health insurance - Contra Costa Times

  17-12-2015 18:51 via
  Kensington: Triple-dipper police chief balks at paying for health insurance
  Contra Costa Times
  It's tough to find someone as familiar with a public employee pay and benefits package as Kevin Hart. The Kensington interim police chief and Dublin city councilman is raking in more than $370,000 in government salaries and pension this year. But it's ...and more »
  

• Vermont Court Lets Home Insurer Off the Hook in Pesticide Lawsuit

  17-12-2015 18:47
  
  A Vermont family who said their home was made unlivable by an exterminator who used a banned pesticide has had their lawsuit against an insurance company overturned. Neil and Patricia Whitney said a foster child brought bedbugs into their home …
  
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• Ratings of Texas-Based National Unity Insurance Downgraded

  17-12-2015 18:39
  
  A.M. Best has downgraded the financial strength rating to B+ (Good) from B++ (Good) and the issuer credit rating to “bbb-” from “bbb” of San Antonio-based National Unity Insurance Co. (National Unity). The outlook for both ratings is negative. National Unity operates …
  
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• Obamacare Is Closing Insurance's Race Gap - Bloomberg View

  17-12-2015 18:25 via
  Bloomberg View
  Obamacare Is Closing Insurance's Race Gap
  Bloomberg View
  Whatever Obamacare's shortcomings, a new paper shows one place where the law has been a clear success: narrowing the race gap in health insurance. So why aren't more Democrats shouting that from the rooftops? In 2013, the year before most of the ...
  

• Eastern Insurance Group Acquires Northwestern Benefits in Boston

  17-12-2015 18:22
  
  Eastern Insurance Group in Natick, Massachusetts, announced that it has acquired Northwestern Benefits Associates, an independent group benefits broker based in Boston, from the broker’s parent company Northwestern Mutual. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Eastern Insurance said Northwestern …
  
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• Eastern Insurance Group Acquires Northwestern Benefit in Boston

  17-12-2015 18:22
  
  Eastern Insurance Group in Natick, Massachusetts, announced that it has acquired Northwestern Benefit Associates, an independent group benefits broker based in Boston, from the broker’s parent company Northwestern Mutual. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Eastern Insurance said Northwestern …
  
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• A white-hot Christmas wraps up Earth’s hottest year on record

  17-12-2015 18:22
  
  This has been, by far, the hottest year on record, and it's ending with an exclamation point.
  
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• Illinois’ The Rockwood Company Joins Keystone Insurers Group

  17-12-2015 18:18
  
  Keystone Insurers Group announced its newest franchise partner in Illinois: The Rockwood Company, based in downtown Chicago. The firm, with four offices outside the city, completes Keystone’s network of agents in Chicagoland and adds another major player to Keystone’s growing …
  
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• Austin Agents Honor Ladner with Distinguished Service Award

  17-12-2015 18:15
  
  The Independent Insurance Agents of Austin (IIAA) honored Gerald Ladner, State Auto’s Western Region president, with its Distinguished Service Award for 2015. Ladner won a similar award from the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas in 2005. The award is given …
  
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• Houston Builder Lands Safety Award from Construction Safety Group

  17-12-2015 18:09
  
  Houston-based D.E. Harvey Builders has been honored with the first ever General Contractor Job Site Safety Award from the TX Construction Association Safety Group. The general contractor won the award for its dedication to keeping job sites safe, according to …
  
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• Alper Services Adds Van Winkle, Washington in Chicago

  17-12-2015 18:07
  
  Alper Services LLC, based in Chicago, has hired Debra Van Winkle as a senior account manager in the Employee Benefits Division and Craig Washington as a senior claims administrator in the Claims Management Services Division. Van Winkle will facilitate benefits …
  
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• Victim of Sexual Assault by Ohio Pastor Seeks Higher Damages

  17-12-2015 18:06
  
  A woman sexually assaulted by an Ohio pastor when she was 15 years old is asking the state Supreme Court to boost the amount of damages paid by the church where the minister worked. Attorneys for the woman and her …
  
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• Dallas OKs Ordinance Requiring Construction Worker Rest Breaks

  17-12-2015 18:04
  
  The Dallas City Council has approved an ordinance requiring rest breaks for construction workers. It requires contractors to give workers a 10-minute rest break for every four hours of work. Council members approved the ordinance in a 10-5 vote at …
  
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• Chipotle’s New Procedures Highlight Food Safety in Wake of E. Coli

  17-12-2015 18:03
  
  Perfect food safety is not possible, but Chipotle is trying to get as close to that ideal as they can with new procedures and testing inside and outside their restaurants, the company’s founder and CEO said during a visit earlier …
  
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• Ducey Taps Insurance Director To Head Arizona Financial Institutions Department - KJZZ

  17-12-2015 17:58 via
  Ducey Taps Insurance Director To Head Arizona Financial Institutions Department
  KJZZ
  Governor Doug Ducey has appointed state Insurance Director Andy Tobin to serve simultaneously as interim superintendent of the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions. Ducey's office announced Wednesday that Tobin will replace outgoing ...
  

• Crawford Names Christensen Executive General Adjuster in California

  17-12-2015 17:51
  
  Crawford & Co. has named Steve Christensen executive general adjuster for Crawford’s global technical services division in the Los Angeles, Calif. office. Christensen has 28 years of insurance experience. His specialties include hospitality, flood, earthquake, hurricane, builders risk, wildfire, construction …
  
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• Considering Flying a Drone? You May Need to Get Insurance - WBOC TV 16

  17-12-2015 17:47 via
  Considering Flying a Drone? You May Need to Get Insurance
  WBOC TV 16
  DOVER, Del. (AP)- Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners have warned people that they may want to get insurance before buying drones for Christmas. Stewart said people should ...and more »
  

• Inaugural CHART-Exchange Summit leads to 'constitutional convention'

  17-12-2015 17:30
  
  The first gathering brought together coverholders, potential coverholders, risk takers from London syndicates and vendor representatives in Philadelphia.
  
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• Should The World Emulate US Crop Insurance? - Inter Press Service

  17-12-2015 17:20 via
  Inter Press Service
  Should The World Emulate US Crop Insurance?
  Inter Press Service
  Jomo Kwame Sundaram is the Coordinator for Economic and Social Development at the Food and Agriculture Organization and received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. ROME, Dec 17 2015 (IPS) - With the ...
  

• Ford Announces Autonomous Vehicle Testing on California Roads

  17-12-2015 17:16
  
  Ford announced that it is officially enrolled in the California Autonomous Vehicle Tester Program to test autonomous vehicles on public roads, and fully autonomous Ford Fusion Hybrid sedans are set to take to California streets next year. The testing is …
  
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• Buyers of Expiring Patents See Profit in Infringement Claims

  17-12-2015 16:21
  
  The 1990s may be over but patents from that era live on. U.S. courts are seeing a rash of lawsuits involving old and sometimes expired patents as companies try to squeeze the last bit of profits from their 20-year-old inventions. …
  
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• How to Make U.S. Traffic Safety Programs More Effective: RAND Study

  17-12-2015 16:03
  
  Following a national approach to adopting traffic safety laws is more cost effective than following a state-by-state approach, according to a new RAND Corp. study. Boosting traffic safety funding by 10 percent and allocating the funds to states where it …
  
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• BenefitVault Becomes Insurance Paid Easy, Launches New Website and Portal - PR Newswire (press release)

  17-12-2015 15:42 via
  BenefitVault Becomes Insurance Paid Easy, Launches New Website and Portal
  PR Newswire (press release)
  Insurance Paid Easy, by BenefitVault We're here to simplify the way insurance gets paid. Facebook · Twitter · Pinterest. ×. Insurance Paid Easy, by BenefitVault We're here to simplify the way insurance gets paid. PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire ...and more »
  

• Hiscox Appoints Golder to Head Marine Cargo Business Re-Entry

  17-12-2015 15:40
  
  Hiscox London Market has appointed Richard Golder as Marine Cargo Line Underwriter, marking the insurer’s re-entry into the marine cargo business. Golder will be supported by Jack Bryan who takes on the role of Marine Cargo Underwriter. Golder joins Hiscox …
  
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• Poirer to Succeed Ravn as Church Mutual CEO in January

  17-12-2015 15:17
  
  Church Mutual Insurance Co., a provider of insurance to religious organizations and schools, announced that Michael E. Ravn, chief executive officer, will retire effective January 8, 2016 and will be succeeded as CEO by Richard V. Poirier, current president. Ravn, …
  
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• Congress Adds Corporate Cyber Data Sharing Immunity to Spending Bill

  17-12-2015 14:58
  
  Companies that share data with the U.S. government for cyber security purposes will get more protection from consumer lawsuits under a measure piggybacked onto a massive federal spending bill unveiled in Congress on Wednesday. The cyber-security proposal, widely supported by …
  
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• AIG Plans $3 Billion Stock Buyback

  17-12-2015 14:34
  
  American International Group Inc., the insurer pressured by activist investor Carl Icahn to boost returns, announced a plan to repurchase another $3 billion of shares. The move lifts to $4.3 billion the amount that the company is authorized to buy …
  
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• Research and Markets: Governance, Risk and Compliance - The Colombian ... - Business Wire (press release)

  17-12-2015 13:47 via
  Research and Markets: Governance, Risk and Compliance - The Colombian ...
  Business Wire (press release)
  The 'Governance, Risk and Compliance - The Colombian Insurance Industry' report is the result of extensive research into the insurance regulatory framework in Colombia. It provides detailed analysis of the insurance regulations for life, property ...and more »
  

• 7 challenges of closing business at the end of the year

  17-12-2015 13:45
  
  It's never too late to take action and close end-of-year business.
  
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• Homeowners' and Auto markets, at a glance

  17-12-2015 13:30
  
  Moody's Investors Service's latest report provides a snapshot of the Personal lines market as we head into 2016.
  
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• Attorney: Huron's commissioners should have health insurance - Huron Daily Tribune

  17-12-2015 13:30 via
  Attorney: Huron's commissioners should have health insurance
  Huron Daily Tribune
  Their attorney says they should, because under federal law, Huron County commissioners meet the 30 hours per week threshold for a full-time employee. Commissioners say about 10 years ago, they received a salary raise from $11,000 to 14,000, but lost ...
  

• Hingham police sergeant charged with insurance fraud - Wicked Local

  17-12-2015 13:24 via
  Wicked Local
  Hingham police sergeant charged with insurance fraud
  Wicked Local
  Sgt. Kris Phillips has been indicted for an alleged false claim of an on-the-job injury, the second time in seven years he has faced criminal charges. email · print. Comment. By Lane Lambert The Patriot Ledger. Follow @@llambert_ledger. The Patriot ...
  Hingham policeman indicted for insurance fraudCommonWealth magazine
  Brockton: Hingham Police Sgt. Indicted for Insurance Fraud95.9 WATD-FM (blog)all 10 news art
  

• Insights from 1,000 posts on emerging tech and innovation in insurance

  17-12-2015 13:15
  
  Here are some useful insights on how emerging technologies are resulting in game-changing implications for the insurance industry.
  
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• 7 social media tips for independent agents

  17-12-2015 13:00
  
  Where should an agent begin? What should the focus be? And if you are using social media, can you do better?
  
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• Wharton Joins Argo Group to Head Bermuda Professional Lines Operations

  17-12-2015 12:17
  
  Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. announced that William M. Wharton has been appointed to serve as head of professional lines operations in Bermuda. He has experience in Asia and Europe, in addition to Bermuda and the US, and “will complement …
  
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• Farmers Insurance collects suits for veterans - The Star Democrat

  17-12-2015 12:03 via
  The Star Democrat
  Farmers Insurance collects suits for veterans
  The Star Democrat
  Farmers Insurance office representative Annmarie Cole, left, and Farmers Insurance Agent Donna Eason hold a suit from Samaritan House representatives Claire Fisher and Eunice Howard. Posted: Thursday, December 17, 2015 6:00 am. Farmers Insurance ...
  

• AIG to buy back another $3 billion of stock amid Icahn pressure

  17-12-2015 12:00
  
  AIG, the insurer pressured by activist investor Carl Icahn to boost returns, announced a plan to repurchase another $3 billion of shares.
  
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