Latest Contractors Headlines

All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Rescuers Find Baltimore Contractor Dead in Hole

Jul 19 2010 // Baltimore fire and rescue officials say a contractor performing work on an underground sewer line who fell into an eight- to 10-foot hole is dead. Fire department spokesman Kevin Cartwright says paramedics who responded to...

Self-Employed Contractor Cannot Hold Hirer Vicariously Liable for Job Injuries

Jul 12 2010 // Property owners who hire independent contractors are not vicariously liable for on-the-job injuries to the contractor’s employees, the California Supreme Court has ruled. The state high court extended the decision in...

Residential Contractor Umbrellas: Tough Sell in Tough Times

Jul 8 2010 // Residential construction is and has been an extremely important class of business for surplus lines insurers and agents. In recent years, however, demand for residential work in this country has dropped dramatically....

2010 a Revolutionary Year for Truckers Insurance

Jul 5 2010 // The year 2010 might be considered revolutionary, as it is ushering in more changes for those who provide insurance for truckers than the industry has seen in a decade. Motor carriers, defined as anyone who uses a vehicle...

Construction Claims: Understanding Colorado’s Statutory Notice of Claim Process

Jul 5 2010 // In the construction industry, it is almost inevitable that at some time contractors and design professionals will receive a notice of claim (NOC) letter. This is the first step in the claims process that may lead to an...

2010 A Revolutionary Year for Truckers Insurance

Jul 5 2010 // The year 2010 might be considered revolutionary, as it is ushering in more changes for those who provide insurance for truckers than the industry has seen in a decade. Motor carriers, defined as anyone who uses a vehicle...

Umbrellas for Residential Contractors in Uncertain Times

Jun 21 2010 // Why Commercial Umbrella Coverage Could Save the Day Residential construction is and has been an extremely important class of business for surplus lines insurers and agents. In recent years, however, demand for residential...

Contractors: Reduce the Cost of Loss While Helping to Save Lives

Jun 21 2010 // Promoting a Culture of Continuous Improvement Can Beef Up the Bottom Line Bestselling business strategist and author Thomas J. Peters once said, “Excellent firms don’t believe in excellence – only in...

Louisiana Tells Illinois Pair to Cease Unlicensed Insurance Business

Jun 9 2010 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance has issued a Cease and Desist Order against Shel St. Clair and Richard Rinalo, doing business as Integrity Claims Consulting and/or Red River Insurance Construction. The department...

Texas High Court Sides with Lloyd’s in Contractual Liability Exclusion Case

Jun 7 2010 // The Texas Supreme Court has found in favor of an excess insurance provider in a case involving the contractual liability exclusion in a Commercial General Liability (CGL) policy. In 1993, Dallas Area Rapid Transit...

Iowa Insurance Division to Contractors: Stop Acting as Public Adjusters

Jun 7 2010 // The Iowa Insurance Division (IID) has issued summary cease and desist orders against two contractors, directing them to stop acting as public adjusters. The division alleges the firms have been soliciting storm repair...

BP CEO: Industry Needs to Reassess Deep-Sea Operations, Safety

Jun 4 2010 // Oil companies need to improve safety technology for deep-water drilling and the massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico should prompt the industry to rethink its business model for such operations, BP chief Tony Hayward said...

Florida Case Could Hold Private Firms, Insurers Liable for Foster Kids’ Injuries

May 26 2010 // A few months after a 10-year-old child was placed with eight other children in a Tampa foster home overseen by a single mom, a 13-year-old boy sneaked into his room and raped him in 2005. But Hillsborough Kids Inc., a...

Insurance Industry Reacts to Gulf Coast Oil Spill

May 17 2010 // The blame game for the recent British Petroleum (BP) oil rig accident and subsequent oil spill is just getting started, as are the insurance implications of this disastrous event, according to underwriters and other...

2010 A Revolutionary Year for Truckers Insurance

May 12 2010 // The year 2010 might be considered revolutionary, as it is ushering in more changes for those who provide insurance for truckers than the industry has seen in a decade. Motor carriers, defined as anyone who uses a vehicle...

Insurance Industry Reacts to Gulf Coast Oil Spill

May 11 2010 // The blame game for the recent British Petroleum (BP) oil rig accident and subsequent oil spill is just getting started as are the insurance implications of this disastrous event, according to underwriters and other...

Conservator Appointed to Manage Contractor’s Access Program of Calif.

May 4 2010 // California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has appointed Bickmore Risk Services and Consulting as conservator for the Contractor’s Access Program of California (CAP), which is a self-insured group...

Indiana Supreme Court Sides With Insureds in Farm Liability Dispute

May 4 2010 // The Indiana Supreme Court has found that an insurance company was wrong in denying coverage for injuries to an employee of an independent contractor under a farm personal liability policy. Indiana farmers Rick and Katrina...

California Contractors Self-Insured Group Closes

Apr 30 2010 // The California Office of Self-Insured Plans is revoking the certificate of the Contractors Access Program of California (CAP), a self-insured group of contractors, as requested by the group. According to OSIP spokeswoman...

Colorado Bill May Drive Contractors Insurers Out of State

Apr 28 2010 // The Colorado House of Representatives has passed a bill that may have the unintended consequence of driving insurers that provide contractors coverage out of state, according to the Professional Independent Insurance...