Latest Illinois Headlines

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

Illinois County Pay $3M to Settle Case Over Missing Stop Sign in Fatal Crash

Oct 17 2018 // A northern Illinois county has agreed to a $3 million settlement with the family of a pregnant woman who was killed in a crash at a rural intersection where a stop sign was missing. The May 2013 crash near the Stephenson...

Chicago Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty to Federal, State Tax Evasion

Oct 15 2018 // A Chicago insurance agent has pleaded guilty to failing to pay federal and state taxes on more than $4.7 million in income earned over a decade, according to federal prosecutors. The office of the United States Attorney...

People

Oct 15 2018 // COUNTRY Financial, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, has named Jim Jacobs as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective early next year. He succeeds Kurt Bock, who is retiring Jan. 31, 2019, after serving as...

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions Adds Sullivan in Illinois

Oct 10 2018 // Swiss Re Corporate Solutions has named Chris Sullivan head sales in the central region. Sullivan will be based in Chicago, Ill., and responsible generating new business, managing relationships with brokers and driving...

Muldowney Named President of Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois

Oct 8 2018 // Patrick Muldowney has been elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois. The Chicago-based Muldowney will be responsible for the general leadership functions of the organization. He will also serve as...

Tower Hill Specialty Enters Illinois Property Insurance Market

Oct 5 2018 // Ohio-based Tower Hill Specialty is now offering property insurance in Illinois. Currently available in seven states, Tower Hill Specialty provides homeowners, dwelling fire, manufactured housing and condominium products....

OptOn Offering On-Demand Insurance for Illinois Rideshare Drivers

Oct 4 2018 // OptOn has launched its mobile, on-demand, commercial insurance product for rideshare drivers in Illinois. The company said the mobile app provides short-term primary insurance coverage for rideshare drivers across all...

Alliant Acquires Zande Group in Illinois

Oct 3 2018 // Alliant Insurance Services has acquired the property/casualty insurance services firm, Zande Group, based in Des Plaines, Illinois. Zande Group delivers premium, tailored commercial and personal insurance products and...

People

Oct 1 2018 // Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan appointed Matt Taylor as vice president of Marketing. Taylor joined Farm Bureau Insurance in 2009 as an agent. He later joined marketing management as a managing partner in the Southeast...

Business Moves

Oct 1 2018 // Marsh & McLennan, JLT Marsh & McLennan Inc. agreed to buy Jardine Lloyd Thompson for about $5.7 billion to expand its global offering of reinsurance and consulting services. New York-based Marsh said the purchase...

Chicago Insurance Agent Pleads Guilty to Federal, State Tax Evasion

Sep 28 2018 // A Chicago insurance agent has pleaded guilty to failing to pay federal and state taxes on more than $4.7 million in income earned over a decade, according to federal prosecutors. The office of the United States Attorney...

Illinois’ Venhaus Insurance Joins Valley Insurance Agency Alliance

Sep 26 2018 // Venhaus Insurance Agency, in Columbia, Illinois, has joined Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a network of over 100 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois. Venhaus Insurance Agency owner Doug...

Residents Call for Changes to Prevent Flooding North Chicago Suburbs

Sep 24 2018 // Residents are pushing for Illinois officials to change how they run a dam to prevent flooding in several lakes that flow into the Fox River in Chicago’s northern suburbs. Property owners are petitioning the U.S. Army...

Jacobs Named Next CEO at Illinois’ COUNTRY Financial

Sep 20 2018 // Insurer COUNTRY Financial, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, has named Jim Jacobs as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective early next year. He succeeds Kurt Bock, who is retiring Jan. 31, 2019, after...

Kistler Joins Illinois’ Alera Group as Director of Business Development

Sep 19 2018 // Alera Group, a national employee benefits, property/casualty, risk management and wealth management firm headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, has appointed Matt Kistler as director of Business Development. Kistler will...

State Farm Settles, Avoids Racketeering Trial

Sep 17 2018 // Insurance giant State Farm on Sept.4 reached a $250 million preliminary settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit claiming the company funneled money to the campaign of an Illinois Supreme Court candidate. The lawsuit...

Exclusive Remedy: The Scope of Protection in Illinois Workers’ Comp

Sep 13 2018 // Section 5(a) of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act provides the damages an employer must pay for work-related injuries. It specifies a worker injured in the line of duty cannot sue her employer or its other...

Massey Joins Bell Insurance Solutions in Illinois

Sep 6 2018 // Bell Insurance Solutions in Collinsville, Illinois, has hired Larry Massey as its newest sales producer. In this position, Massey will generate leads and develop new business. He also will offer clients a variety of...

State Farm Agrees to Pay $250 Million, Avoids Racketeering Trial

Sep 4 2018 // State Farm agreed to pay $250 million on the brink of a trial to customers who claimed the company tried to rig the Illinois justice system to wipe out a $1 billion jury verdict from 19 years ago. The customers were...

New Jersey Investigating NRA-Sponsored Carry Guard Insurance

Sep 3 2018 // The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance is investigating the marketing and sale in New Jersey of insurance sponsored by the National Rifle Association for potential violations of state insurance laws. The...