Monthly Archives: <span>May 2008</span>

WTO Issues New Proposals for Services

A World Trade Organization (WTO) mediator issued new proposals on Monday, May 26, for opening up services such as telecoms and banking [as well as insurance] as part of a global trade deal. But the new text, replacing a previous …

Chubb Offers California Homeowners Extended Replacement Cost Settlement

Chubb is offering California homeowners extended replacement cost settlement after a total loss to a home, even if the customer chooses not to rebuild at their home’s original site. After a total loss to a home, the decision to rebuild …

IBA of San Fernando Valley Names Abasta President

IBA (Insurance Brokers and Agents) of San Fernando Valley named Dawn Abasta president of the association for 2008. Abasta, who works for Santa Clarita, Calif.-based L/B/W Insurance & Financial Services, started in the insurance industry in 1991. In 1994, joined …

Tornadoes Kill 1 Child in Minnesota; Iowa Twister Kills 6

While most of the country was celebrating Memorial Day with picnics and parades, people in two states were fighting to stay alive. A town official says a 2-year-old child has died and 20 are missing after a severe storm swept …

Agents Say Michigan Boating Deaths Hit 5-Year High in 2007

Boating deaths in Michigan reached a 5-year high last year, according to the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents. The report said 35 Michigan boaters were killed last year. That was up from 29 in 2006, though down from the 38 …

Prosecutors Seek Jail Term for Former Trial Attorney Weiss

Federal prosecutors Friday recommended Melvyn Weiss, the long-reigning king of multibillion-dollar U.S. class action litigation, spend no more than 33 months in jail for paying secret kickbacks to clients. Weiss, 72, pleaded guilty to a single federal racketeering charge in …

Safety Violations Found at Kentucky Truck Firm in Fatal Bus Crash

A Kentucky trucking company that was involved in a school bus crash that killed one student and injured 12 people has violated federal and state safety regulations, a newspaper reported. A review by the Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement agency found eight …

West Va. Judge OKs Hospital Settlements with 9 More King Patients

A circuit judge has approved settlements totaling more than $10 million in nine more malpractice lawsuits that accused a former West Virginia doctor of harming patients. Lawyers for Putnam General Hospital and the hospital’s parent company, Hospital Corporation of America …

Civic Clubs Added to West Virginia Church Abuse Lawsuit

A West Virginia teenager suing a Roman Catholic Diocese claiming he was sexually abused has added a service organization to his lawsuit, his lawyer says. The Clarksburg teen, who was not identified in court papers, is seeking damages from the …

Oregon Collision Shops Give State Farm High Customer Service Marks

State Farm and several smaller Northwest-based auto insurers continue to be among the best at taking care of their customers after an accident. And some of the other larger, best-known insurers –including Progressive, Allstate, Safeco and Farmers Insurance — are …