News Currents

Judge rules in favor of plaintiffs in New Orleans canal case In a decision that could cost insurers billions of dollars more than they have already paid out in Hurricane Katrina claims, a federal judge in New Orleans ruled that …

Texas commissioner approves TWIA rate hike Although not as substantial as those sought by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Associa-tion, Texas Insurance Commis-sioner Mike Geeslin signed an order on Nov. 15 giving TWIA rate hikes of 3.7 percent for commercial property …

Employers offering health coverage in California declining California has the most number of people without insurance coverage compared to any other state – and the number of employers offering health insurance plans is declining. According to a recent “Snapshot of …

Deceased employee’s estate not entitled to workers’ comp benefits, appeals court rules The Second Appellate Court of California has ruled in Six Flags Inc. vs. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, et. al. that it is unconstitutional to award a $250,000 worker’s …

Calif. associations take issue with broker definition, OAL to weigh in The California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) has decided to accept a petition filed by Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West) requesting review of the outgoing …

Alaska, Idaho could face new insurance regulators The insurance commissioner posts in Alaska and Idaho are likely to change, following November’s mid-term elections. In Idaho, U.S. Rep Butch Otter, R, defeated opponent, newspaper publisher Jerry Brady, in the race for …

Oregon defeats Measure 42; insurers can continue to use credit scores Oregon voters rejected Measure 42 — which would have banned the use of credit-based insurance scoring — by nearly a two-to-one margin of 65.58 percent to 34.42 percent in …

Employee crime is big threat to small companies More than one in three (36 percent) private companies, many of which were uninsured, experienced an employee theft averaging nearly $350,000 within the past five years, according to research by the Chubb …

N.Y. agents protest reported incidents as ‘red flags’ for rating New York agents want insurers to stop and think before penalizing small businesses that report incidents where no paid claims result. The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York …

Election results give Northeast more clout on insurance issues After the midterm elections, Northeast Democrats are moving into positions of power that could help their states economically as well as affect progress on insurance legislation. Democrats are now well-positioned to …