Monthly Archives: <span>April 2010</span>

Louisiana Bill Would Limit Liability of Mardi Gras Float-Builders

A bill passed by the Louisiana House to limit the liability of float-builders would damage future attempts for float riders or watchers to sue when parade festivities hurt or kill someone, says a man whose brother died in a float …

A.M. Best Affirms ‘A’ for Main Street America; Upgrades Grain Dealers

A.M. Best has affirmed the financial strength rating of “A” (Excellent) of super regional property/casualty insurance carrier, The Main Street America Group, and its five wholly owned subsidiaries: NGM Insurance Co., MSA Insurance Co., Main Street America Assurance Co., Old …

A.M. Best Affirms ‘A-‘ Rating of Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance

Ratings agency A.M. Best Co. has revised the outlook to stable from positive and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” of Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Company (MEM) of Columbia, Mo. The revised …

Q1 Operating Earnings for RLI Dip Slightly From Previous Year

Peoria, Ill.-based property and casualty insurance company, RLI Corp., reported first quarter 2010 operating earnings of $20 million compared to $22.5 million for the first quarter of 2009. The company had an underwriting income of $12.7 million and a combined …

United Heartland Names Donovan Vice President of Field Operations

United Heartland, a property and casualty insurance company based in New Berlin, Wis., has appointed Greg Donovan as vice president of Field Operations. Donovan will join United Heartland’s executive team and be responsible for the Underwriting and Risk Management Services …

Michigan Officials Suspect Arson in 10 Fires in Flint

Authorities in Flint are investigating a dozen weekend fires — most of them suspected to be arson. Flint Fire Department Battalion Chief Andy Graves said Sunday that 12 fires were reported since midnight last Friday. The first occurred at 1:38 …

Auto Insurers Begin Process of Recouping Losses from Toyota

Insurance companies are gearing up to recoup from Toyota money they paid for claims in crashes involving sudden acceleration, the subject of major safety recalls by the Japanese automaker. It could also mean money back for some drivers who paid …

West Virginia’s Martinsburg Reports Spike in Arson

A Martinsburg, West Virginia official says arson is on the rise in the Eastern Panhandle city. Lt. Greg Hoover said the Martinsburg Fire Department investigated 10 arsons in the first three months of 2010. That’s more than all of 2009, …

Flights Resume in Parts of Europe

Flights from large parts of Europe are set to resume on Tuesday under a deal agreed by the European Union to free up airspace closed by a cloud of ash hurled into the sky by an Icelandic volcano. However, with …

Property, Agricultural Damage Not Major Concern from Volcanic Ash

While some of the ash from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland has fallen to the earth’s surface, property and agricultural damage is not expected to be a concern, according to a catastrophe risk modeling firm. AIR Worldwide said the …