Latest Iowa Headlines

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

State Leaders in Iowa Look to Cedar Falls for Flood Law Ideas

Jan 5 2010 // After devastating floods in 2008, Cedar Falls, Iowa, enacted a new flood plain ordinance. And state officials are paying attention. State Sen. Rob Hogg says what Cedar Falls has done shows great foresight. Hogg is part of...

17 More Iowa Homeowners Accept Flood Damage Buyouts

Dec 28 2009 // More Cedar Rapids homeowners are accepting buyout offers for their flood-damaged properties. Officials say 17 more homeowners have signed offers to have the city buy their properties, which were heavily damaged in the...

People

Dec 20 2009 // Beecher Carlson expanded its National Energy practice by appointing Jacklyn Kearns senior vice president. Kearns has 28 years of insurance and risk management experience. She joins Charlie Pierpont in Beecher...

Cedar Falls, Iowa, Expands Flood Insurance Requirements

Dec 16 2009 // The city of Cedar Falls, Iowa, has approved a new ordinance expanding the number of residents who have to get flood insurance. The approved ordinance takes effect Jan. 1. It says that everyone living in the 500-year flood...

National Association of Insurance Commissioners Elects New Officers

Dec 8 2009 // Members of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) have elected their 2010 officers at their Winter National Meeting in San Francisco. The new officers are: President: West Virginia Insurance...

New Markets

Dec 6 2009 // The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. Campgrounds, Dude Ranches & Other...

Tour Bus Crashes in Minnesota; Company Says Driver Had Aneurysm

Nov 20 2009 // A tour bus driver suffered a ruptured aneurysm before a crash on a southern Minnesota interstate that killed two people and injured 21 others. That’s according to a spokesman for Strain Bus Line, the company that...

New Markets

Nov 15 2009 // The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. Commercial Construction Liability Market...

Iowa Council of NAIW, International, Awards Members

Oct 13 2009 // The Iowa Council of NAIW, International, has named as Rookie of the Year, Sue Reichardt, with Insurance Associates of Greater Des Moines, and as Insurance Professional of the Year, Michele Sparks, also with Insurance...

United Fire & Casualty Chairman McIntyre Passes Away at 78

Oct 7 2009 // Iowa-based United Fire & Casualty Company has announced the passing of J. Scott McIntyre Jr., chairman of the company for the past 34 years and son of the company’s founder. McIntyre passed away in his hometown...

Iowa OKs 2.3% Workers’ Comp Rate Hike

Oct 7 2009 // Iowa Insurance Commissioner Susan Voss has approved a request for a 2.3 percent overall rate increase for workers’ compensation insurance in that state. The filing was submitted by the National Council on...

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Charge $500 Fee When Vehicle Is Seized

Oct 2 2009 // Drivers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, whose vehicles are seized for violations such as lack of insurance or a drivers license, or drunk driving, will soon be charged an additional seizure fee above and beyond the typical tow and...

Iowa Insurance Agent Gets 15 Years for Bilking Elderly

Sep 24 2009 // A federal judge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has handed a 15-year prison sentence to a Waterloo insurance agent convicted of fraud in the bilking of elderly clients. U.S. District Judge Linda Reade opted to go beyond the maximum...

Washington State Bars Iowa-Based Agent

Sep 22 2009 // Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner has ordered a Des Moines-based, former insurance agent to immediately stop selling what are apparently fake insurance policies. Brenda L. MacLaren-Beattie and The...

New Markets

Sep 21 2009 // The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. Misc. Medical Malpractice Market Detail:...

Iowa’s Farm Bureau Mutual Plans to Convert to Stock P/C Insurer

Sep 17 2009 // The board of Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. in West Des Moines, Iowa, has approved a plan to reorganize into a mutual holding company structure. The plan is subject to approvals by the Iowa Insurance Commissioner and the...

Iowa to Hold Final Public Hearing on Use of Credit in Insurance

Sep 15 2009 // The Insurance Consumer Advocate for the Iowa Insurance Division, Angel Robinson, will hold her final public hearing on Sept.16 on the use of credit scores in pricing and underwriting of insurance in Iowa. The testimonies...

Rates, Claim Frequency Still Declining in Workers’ Comp; Medical Costs Rise

Sep 7 2009 // States Are Not Equal in Handling Worker Injuries Prices for workers’ compensation insurance in the United States declined in 2008 and, in general, that trend is likely to continue in throughout 2009, according to the...

Discrimination Suit Filed Against Univ. of Iowa Law School

Aug 25 2009 // A Michigan man has filed a lawsuit against the University of Iowa and its College of Law claiming he was the victim of age discrimination. Donald Dobkin, 56, of West Bloomfield, Mich., filed his lawsuit in U.S. District...

Workers’ Compensation Rate Hike Proposed for 2010 in Iowa

Aug 24 2009 // The Iowa Insurance Division reported that the National Council on Compensation Insurance has made a rate filing which affects the premium rates for workers’ compensation insurance. The rate filing proposes an overall...