Washington’s minimum wage will increase 30 cents to $7.93 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2007. The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) recalculates the state’s minimum wage each year in September as required by Initiative 688, which was approved by …
Two associations for independent insurance agents have urged a federal court to reject recent settlement provisions between Zurich Insurance and states that affect thousands of agents who were not involved in the original dispute with the states. The National Association …
In 2005, our country faced several devastating and record-setting natural disasters, including 27 named hurricanes, which left the lives of many Americans in ruins. These disasters roiled the insurance marketplace and our overall economy. Estimates for 2005 hurricane losses are …
State Farm has ordered an independent investigation into one of its vendors and suspended work with Haag Engineering Co. based on an Oklahoma jury’s finding that the insurance company used Haag reports to maliciously deny policyholder claims. State Farm’s top …
California’s Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) has launched a legal attack on what it is calling California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi’s attempt to illegally redefine agent and broker definitions. The association filed a petition with the …
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Sept. 27 that would apply single-state regulation and uniform standards to the nonadmitted insurance and reinsurance marketplace. H.R. 5637, The Non-Admitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2006, passed the House by a …
Northbrook, Ill.-based All-state Insurance was named by Working Mother Magazine as a 2006 Working Mother 100 Best Company. For 21 years the Working Mother 100 Best list has celebrated employers whose groundbreaking benefits, from flexible schedules and child care to …
A disgruntled magazine publisher did not commit libel against an insurance adjuster when he wrote a column criticizing the agent’s handling of his claim, North Carolina’s Court of Appeals ruled. Bernie Reeves, editor and publisher of Metro Magazine, wrote an …
California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced on Sept. 28 that he will likely recommend a further reduction in the state’s workers’ compensation insurance rates of at least an additional 6.3 percent. Based on pre-reform trends, the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating …
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners President and Maine Insurance Superintendent Alessandro A. Iuppa told a House Financial Services Subcommittee panel last month that strong financial regulation of insurance companies is essential to consumer protection and state officials are committed …
