Latest Montana Headlines

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

Montana Worried About Pending Work Comp Ruling

Jun 22 2005 // A case before the Montana Workers’ Compensation Court could potentially create a $300 million deficit for the state workers’ compensation insurance system. The case before Workers’ Compensation Judge Mike...

AIA Names Former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot as President

Jun 13 2005 // The American Insurance Association (AIA) has selected Marc Racicot, former governor of Montana, as president of the organization. Racicot joins AIA after serving as chairman of the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign; in...

Western Agencies Keep it All in the Family

May 9 2005 // Mom and pop” retail agencies have always been a vital component of the insurance world, and many of them still exist today. Sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters are able to continue family traditions as...

Credit Scoring, Med-Mal Insurance Dominate Busy Mont. Legislative Session

Apr 28 2005 // New Democratic control of the Montana executive and legislative branches proved challenging for insurers who faced uphill lobbying efforts on several fronts in 2005, according to the American Insurance Association...

Montana Governor Signs Four Malpractice Bills

Apr 18 2005 // Doctors and hospitals will have more protection from medical malpractice lawsuits beginning July 1 under four bills signed into law March 28 by Gov. Brian Schweitzer. The measures are among nine proposals before the 2005...

MONTANA LEGISLATURE PASSES CREDIT SCORING BILL:

Apr 18 2005 // The American Insurance Association applauded the passage of an insurance scoring measure in Montana. This bill will ensure consistent use of personal credit information by insurers, while maintaining a tool that enables...

PIA Western Alliance Names First Board of Directors

Apr 14 2005 // The PIA Western Alliance Board of Directors has elected its first set of officers. Formed in October of 2004, the Board of Directors consists of two officers from each of the four affiliate chapters that make up the...

Montana Legislature Passes Credit Scoring Bill

Apr 8 2005 // The American Insurance Association applauded the passage of an insurance scoring measure in Montana. This bill will ensure consistent use of personal credit information by insurers, while maintaining a tool that enables...

Montana Governor Signs Four Malpractice Bills

Mar 30 2005 // Doctors and hospitals will have more protection from medical malpractice lawsuits beginning July 1 under four bills signed into law March 28 by Gov. Brian Schweitzer. The measures are among nine proposals before the 2005...

Officials Revamp, Expand Western Program for Rangeland Insurance

Dec 23 2004 // A pilot program for rangeland insurance, criticized by some for how it calculated losses, has been revamped and expanded to include more producers in Montana and Wyoming, a federal agriculture official said Dec....

Wash. Man Ordered to Stop Selling Fake Insurance

Dec 15 2004 // A Washington state man was ordered Monday to stop selling what officials characterized as phony insurance in Montana. Dr. Rev. Joseph-Michael Gardinier, of Puyallup, Wash., had no certificate of authority from Montana to...

Former Montana Agent Pleads Not Guilty

Oct 11 2004 // A former Billings insurance agent pled not guilty to nine counts of forgery, two counts of insurance fraud and one count of theft in a scam that reportedly deprived victims of $587,058, according to the Billings...

NAMIC Launches Web Site for State Election News

Sep 1 2004 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) has launched a new Web site, www.stateelections2004.com, to help provide insurance professionals with information about this fall’s state elections. The...

Montana Acts on Worthless Contractor Bonds

Aug 26 2004 // The state auditor has issued a cease and desist order against a man suspected of selling worthless contractor bonds to companies that used them to insure $4 million in public works projects. State Auditor and Insurance...

The Treasure State – Yellowstone, Moose and Legalized Gambling

Jul 19 2004 // The United States Census Bureau’s Census 2000 estimated the population of the State of Montana at 902,195. Approximately 87 percent of the adult residents had graduated from high school and about 24 percent had...

One-on-One with Montana State Fund President Laurence Hubbard

Jul 19 2004 // In recent months, Montana lawmakers have been discussing the state’s workers’ comp system, primarily the existence and function of the Montana State Fund. There has been talk of privatizing the Fund, or selling...

Insurance Companies Offer $67 Million Settlement

Jul 16 2004 // Insurance companies covering former Montana Power Co. directors and officers have offered to pay $67 million to settle a shareholders’ lawsuit over the sale of the utility’s assets, attorney Frank Morrison Jr....

When Fee Audits and Legal Privileges Collide

Jul 5 2004 // Few areas of insurance law practice are as sensitive as the audit of a defense counsel’s bills or case file. Insurance companies and defense attorneys alike dread these necessary but often divisive processes. Two...

IIAM TO HOLD ANNUAL CONVENTION:

Jul 5 2004 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Montana will hold its 73rd Annual Convention and Young Agents Conference from July 24-27, 2004 at the Rock Creek Resort in Red Lodge, Mont. Highlights of the event include breakfast with...

Independent Insurance Agents of Montana to Hold Conference July 24-27

Jun 23 2004 // The Independent Insurance Agents of Montana will hold its 73rd Annual Convention and Young Agents Conference from July 24-27, 2004 at the Rock Creek Resort in Red Lodge, Mont. Highlights of the event include breakfast with...