Latest Contractors Headlines

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

Harnessing N.Y. City Contractors

Jul 7 2008 // New York contractors will now have to submit detailed plans for worker safety harness systems at high-rise construction sites. The city’s Department of Buildings told contractors that the new requirements are in...

When In Rome, Do As the Romans

Jul 7 2008 // Hint: Learn Before You Go The ancient expression “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” is used to warn friends and colleagues to respect and adapt to the culture of places that they visit. In the insurance...

When In Rome, Do As the Romans

Jul 7 2008 // Hint: Learn Before You Go The ancient expression “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” is used to warn friends and colleagues to respect and adapt to the culture of places that they visit. In the insurance...

Texas High Court Rules Contractor Not at Fault in Jail Death

Jul 3 2008 // The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the descendents of a man who was found hanged with a telephone cord in a jail cell have no standing to recover damages from the contractor that supplied the telephone. In JCW...

Fleischman Joins Phoenix as Division President; Roberts Joins as EVP

Jun 25 2008 // Carole Fleischman has joined Red Bank, N.J.-based Phoenix Underwriting Managers, a national managing general agent (MGA) for specialty insurance programs, as president of its Managed Insurance Programs Division. Before...

Pennsylvania Debates Contractor Misclassifications

Jun 16 2008 // A bill to punish builders that avoid worker’s compensation fees and other costs by wrongly classifying workers as independent contractors was recently amended on the Pennsylvania House floor. The legislation aims to...

People

Jun 16 2008 // Golden Eagle Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, appointed Pete McPartland president and CEO. McPartland comes from General Casualty in Sun Prairie, Wis., where he led insurance operations for QBE...

Contractors Should Consider How They Build Their Workforce

Jun 16 2008 // Should Subcontractors Be Hired as “Employees” or Independent Contractors? Two recent events remind the insurance industry of the importance of understanding the relationship of a worker at a construction site...

Building Commercial Construction Business in a Soft Market

Jun 16 2008 // Soft Market Emphasizes Need for Education, Communication It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens probably was not referring to the insurance industry’s soft market, when he wrote...

Wall Collapse Leads to Manslaughter Charge for New York Contractor

Jun 12 2008 // A New York construction contractor has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in connection with a Brooklyn wall collapse that killed a worker in March. The Brooklyn district attorney says the contractor, William Lattarulo...

Mold: Underwriters Endorsing CGL to Remove Coverage

Jun 11 2008 // Contractors are the target of nearly 2,000 mold-related lawsuits annually according to a 2003 report from toxlaw.com. When accused or sued for injuries and damages resulting from mold, contractors look to their commercial...

AIG Offers Pollution Liability Insurance for Contractors

Jun 10 2008 // AIG Small Business, a unit of AIG Commercial Insurance, announced the availability of contractors pollution liability (CPL) insurance designed specifically for the needs of contractors with revenues under $10...

Mississippi Attorney General Web Site to Track Fraudulent Contractors

Jun 6 2008 // Mississippi has a new tool to help residents avoid contractors who may take their money and run, especially families still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. Attorney General Jim Hood said his office’s Web site,...

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Debate Use of ‘Independent Contractor’ Label

Jun 5 2008 // A bill to punish builders that avoid worker’s compensation fees and other costs by wrongly classifying workers as independent contractors was amended on the Pennsylvania House floor on Tuesday. The legislation aims...

Atlanta Insurer Increases Environmental Surety Bond Limits

Jun 4 2008 // Atlanta-based American Safety Insurance Services Inc. increased its environmental surety bond limits to $5 million single and $10 million aggregate with no collateral requirements. ASI’s environmental surety bond...

The 2007 Numbers are in for National Contractors Insurance Company, Inc., A Risk Retention Group (NCIC)

Jun 4 2008 // Another Year of Solid Growth, With 2007 Premiums Increasing By 16.5% Over 2006 Strength and Security – Reinsured by AM Best Rated A- IX, 95:5 Quota Share After 1st $10,000 – Arguably One of the Strongest...

Poizner Deploys Fraud Investigators to ‘Summit Fire’ Zones

Jun 2 2008 // Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner dispatched California Department of Insurance fraud investigators and staff to the Summit Fire zones near Santa Cruz, Calif. to provide assistance to survivors as they face the daunting...

Residents, Agents Pitch In as Minnesota Town Recovers from Storm

May 29 2008 // Crews in Hugo, Minn. worked to restore electricity and natural gas and insurance agents went door-to-door as this small suburb got back on its feet after the devastating storm that killed a toddler and flattened...

CGL Extends Coverage for Injury Arising from Defective Construction

May 28 2008 // Property damage resulting from defective construction is unquestionably excluded in the commercial general liability policy; but what about bodily injury? And is injury or damage caused by the growth and proliferation of...

NIP Launches Coverage for Paving Contractors

May 22 2008 // Woodbridge, N.J.-based NIP Programs, a division of NIP Group Inc., said it will now cover paving contractors as part of its SitePro insurance program for site improvement and excavation contractors. NIP Programs, which...