Latest Wisconsin Headlines
All the headlines from our Wisconsin Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Nickel Named Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner
Jan 5 2011 // Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has appointed Ted Nickel, an insurance company veteran, as commissioner of insurance and Dan Schwartzer, an association executive, as deputy commissioner. Nickel replaces Sean Dilweg. Nickel has...
Wisconsin Settlement with Time Insurance Co. Includes $280K Fine
Dec 22 2010 // Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg announced a regulatory settlement with Time Insurance Co., a health insurer headquartered in Milwaukee, that includes a forfeiture of $280,000 for failure to correct previously...
Exiting Wisconsin Governor Proud of Health Insurance Achievement
Dec 21 2010 // Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, who served as governor longer than any Democrat in the state’s history and along the way expanded health insurance access to nearly every state resident, didn’t always play well in the...
A.M. Best Upgrades Wisconsin’s 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Co.
Dec 1 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “bbb” from “bbb-” of 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company (1st...
Republicans Gain Control in State Houses, Governor Offices
Nov 14 2010 // Republicans were not only victorious in the U.S. House but also in state houses across the country. The new GOP power will give the party its largest number of seats in state legislatures since the Great Depression,...
Bond Insurer Ambac Files for Bankruptcy
Nov 14 2010 // Ambac Financial Group Inc., which was the second-largest U.S. bond insurer before suffering huge losses on risky mortgages, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Nov. 8. The filing cements Ambac’s decline from a company...
Elections Stir Up Political Mix in Midwest
Nov 14 2010 // Republicans made big gains across the United States – and the Midwest was no exception – in the November 2 midterm elections. Across the country, GOP gains gave the party its largest number of seats in state...
GOP Adds Governorships in Midwest
Nov 4 2010 // Midwestern states were among those that added to Republican gains in governor’s offices across the country on Nov. 2. Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are among the states that voted to replace Democrats in...
Medical Cost per Worker High in Wisconsin; Utilization Low
Oct 29 2010 // Higher medical costs per claim in Wisconsin are offset by much lower utilization of medical services in the state’s workers compensation system. As a result, medical payments per workers’ comp claim in...
Wisconsin Regulator Files Plan for Seized Ambac Policies
Oct 12 2010 // The Wisconsin regulator for Ambac Financial Group has filed a plan to wind down the more than $50 billion remaining of insurance policies related to securities that it seized in March. Under the plan, holders of allowed...
Learn the Secrets of Building Your Insurance Business in a Soft Market
Oct 4 2010 // The Remarkable Story of Travel Guard International in a Conversation with John Noel. The September 11th tragedy and the ensuing global economic and travel downturn made the years 2001-2004 some of the worst in the history...
Wrongful Death Suit in Wisconsin Hotel Fire Dismissed
Aug 24 2010 // A second wrongful death lawsuit has been dismissed against the owner of a hotel in Independence, Wis., that burned in February 2009, killing three men. The Winona Daily News reports the lawsuit was dismissed after a...
Wisconsin Supreme Court Sides with Physicians in Med Mal Trust Fund Fight
Aug 2 2010 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s taking of $200 million from the Wisconsin’s Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (IPFCF) to help balance the general budget was...
Business Moves
Aug 2 2010 // Western National, Wisconsin American Western National Insurance Group has finalized its affiliation with Wisconsin American Mutual Insurance Co. of Fond du Lac, Wis. Wisconsin American will continue to operate as a...
Wisconsin Flood Damage Exceeds $28.5 Million
Jul 27 2010 // Damage from last week’s flooding in Milwaukee County, Wis., now exceeds more than $28.5 million, according to Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. He reported that 6,368 residential homes in Milwaukee County sustained damage...
Wis. Supreme Court Denies Asbestos Death Claim
Jul 22 2010 // The Wisconsin State Supreme Court says a brake maker wasn’t negligent in a machinist’s death. Walter Tatera, a former Hales Corners machine shop worker, died of cancer in 2004. His estate sued FMC Corp., a...
Wis. Supreme Court Sides with Physicians in Med Mal Trust Fund Fight
Jul 21 2010 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court has decided that the state’s taking of $200 million from the Wisconsin’s Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (IPFCF) to help balance the general budget was...
Western National Insurance, Wisconsin American Now Affiliated
Jul 13 2010 // Western National Insurance Group announced that it has met all regulatory and legal steps to finalize its affiliation with Wisconsin American Mutual Insurance Co. of Fond du Lac, Wis. Wisconsin American will continue to...
Wisconsin Commissioner Creates Council to Advise on Ambac Rehab
Jun 30 2010 // Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance Sean Dilweg announced he has formed an Advisor Council to assist in the process of rehabilitating the Segregated Account of Ambac Assurance Corp. (AAC). The Council, composed of nine...
Wisconsin Court: Insurers Must Help With Fox River Paper Mill Cleanup
Jun 21 2010 // Two companies that once insured Appleton Papers Inc. are liable for $10 million toward the cleanup of the Fox River after a court decision on June 8, the firm’s lawyer said. Attorney Ron Ragatz says the ruling by the...
