Latest Oklahoma Headlines

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

CALIF. COMMISSIONER OK’S RATE REDUCTION FOR STATE FARM CUSTOMERS:

Apr 18 2005 // California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has approved a 4.2 percent reduction in personal auto policy rates for “loyal” State Farm customers, a savings of more than $110 million for those policyholders....

IIA Oklahoma Urges Agents to Attend Capitol Event

Apr 11 2005 // Dan Ramsey, president and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma sent a message to agents in that state encouraging them to attend IIAO Day at the Capitol on April 27, 2005. Urging agents to become actively...

Insurers Offer Advice to Storm Victims in Okla.

Apr 7 2005 // An insurance trade association with responsibility for Oklahoma and Texas reported that the violent storm that struck Tulsa recently will cost tens of millions of dollars in insured losses. “The full extent of the...

Okla. Gov. Henry Seeks Bipartisan Compromise for Workers’ Comp Reform

Apr 7 2005 // Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry is calling on legislative leaders to work toward a bipartisan compromise on workers’ compensation reform, saying the issue is too important to fall prey to political disagreements. Two major...

Okla. Reports Drop in Time Off for Workplace Injuries

Apr 4 2005 // A report released by the Oklahoma Department of Labor showed a 20 percent reduction in 2003 in the number of workers requiring time off to recover from workplace injuries. The latest figure further supports the benefit of...

South Central Homeowners Market Update

Apr 4 2005 // Judging from the homeowners insurance rate changes reported by the Arkansas Insurance Department for 2004, the highest increases were effective before August. The largest hike, 28.3 percent, was filed by Federal Insurance...

ONE LAWSUIT REFORM BILL DOWN, TWO TO GO

Apr 4 2005 // Gov. Brad Henry’s tort reform bill, Senate Bill 914, died in the Oklahoma State Senate, with the Senate refusing to hear the bill on the last day that body could consider its own bills. Senate Democrats reportedly...

HOUSE GIVES PLICO TWO MORE YEARS

Apr 4 2005 // The Oklahoma House passed a measure giving the state’s major medical malpractice insurer two more years to build up its reserves before state regulators intervene. HB 1566, by State Rep. Dan Sullivan, would exempt...

Drunk Driving Legislation Advances in Okla.

Mar 28 2005 // Legislation that would require repeat drunken drivers to have alcohol detection devices installed in their vehicles before they could regain their driver’s licenses has cleared the House and now awaits action in the...

FUTURE COMMISSIONER MAY BE APPOINTED

Mar 21 2005 // Oklahoma’s insurance commissioner would be appointed by the governor instead of elected by the people under legislation that was sent to the Oklahoma House by a legislative committee, the Associated Press...

People & Places

Mar 21 2005 // Genia Walden Pacific Wholesale Insurance named Genia Walden as a company vice president. She will function both as a broker and an underwriter for the Dallas-based firm. Walden formerly served other leading MGA/brokerage...

Okla. Bills Tackle Uninsured Drivers

Mar 21 2005 // Two bills addressing uninsured drivers are making their way through the Oklahoma Legislature. House Bill 1351, which would require a system for instant verification by law en-forcement officers of a driver’s auto...

Okla. Governor’s Workers’ Comp Reform Measure Passed by Senate

Mar 18 2005 // Workers compensation reforms proposed by Governor Brad Henry passed through the Oklahoma State Senate on a straight party-line vote, according to the Senate Communications Office. With Democrats backing the...

Okla. House Leadership Urges Senate Passage of Lawsuit Reform Bill

Mar 18 2005 // Oklahoma House of Representatives Speaker Todd Hiett urged the state Senate to act now to pass what he called true lawsuit reform in the form of House Bill 2047, the Justice and Common Sense Act, which was recently passed...

Legislation Aimed at Protecting Okla. Homeowners Clears State Senate

Mar 18 2005 // A measure to ensure that Oklahoma homeowners do not receive a cancellation notice of their insurance after filing a claim and a bill to enable consumers to get defects with their newly built home repaired swiftly have...

Okla. Senate Gives Backing to Bill to Help Victims of Uninsured Motorists

Mar 16 2005 // The Oklahoma Senate Communication Office reported that the state Senate approved Senate Bill 613 by State Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson, who said her bill to give assistance to victims of uninsured motorists is not a new...

Okla. House Votes to Give PLICO Two More Years to Build Reserves

Mar 16 2005 // The Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted to give the state’s major medical malpractice insurer two more years to build up its reserves before state regulators intervene. House Bill 1566, by State Rep. Dan...

Okla. House Votes to Protect Food Industry From Frivolous Lawsuits

Mar 16 2005 // The Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted in favor of House Bill 1554, by State Rep. Dale DeWitt, which would create the “Commonsense Consumption Act” to “prevent frivolous lawsuits against...

Measure to Stop Junk Lawsuits Passes to Okla. Senate

Mar 10 2005 // The Oklahoma House Media Services Division reported that the House passed a lawsuit reform effort, approving a comprehensive measure designed to help boost the state’s economy while preventing abuse of...

TORT REFORM BILL ALSO GETS HOUSE OK

Mar 7 2005 // A comprehensive civil justice reform bill was passed by the Missouri House of Representatives last month. House Bill 393 contains numerous provisions designed to lower tort costs to employers and insurers. These include...