West News

People Moves: Venbrook in California Names Lais Chief Marketing Officer

Venbrook Group, LLC, based in Woodland Hills, Calif., named Brooke Norton Lais chief marketing officer. Lais will define the strategic direction and development of the company’s marketing, planning, and communication activities, working across the retail, wholesale, programs and claims services …

Takeaways from Our Conversation on Selling Insurance to Cannabis Businesses in Newly Legal States

It’s a new year, and one thing we can look forward to is more new states bringing their cannabis markets online. For insurance professionals, new states offer the challenges of new regulations and new clients to explain the complex world …

AccuWeather: Preliminary Damage and Loss from California Storms $9-$11B

The preliminary total damage and economic loss from the intense storms and record rainfall in California this week will be between $9 billion and $11 billion, according to AccuWeather estimates released on Monday. The atmospheric river hit California Saturday and …

Driverless Cars Covered 5x More Test Miles in California in 2023

Completely driverless vehicles traveled nearly 3.3 million miles in California last year, over five times the previous year’s total, even as concerns rose in the wake of a Cruise robotaxi accident, state data on vehicle testing released on Friday showed. …

Hub Launches High Net Worth Excess Wildfire Program in California

HUB International launched a new program to address the need for enhanced wildfire coverage of high value homes that will be offered exclusively by HUB Private Client to address the insurance and risk management needs of affluent families and individuals …

People Moves: CIWA Names Four New Board Members

The California Insurance Wholesalers Association (CIWA), a professional trade association focused on California E&S insurance wholesalers, carriers and supporting entities, named four new members to its board of directors. New directors include: Mark Kaufman, regional executive vice president, XPT Specialty …

Southern California Topped List of Catalytic Converter Theft Claims

The Southern California regions of Los Angeles and Orange County are again the top spots for catalytic converter theft claims. The regions topped the list for the eighth consecutive quarter in a new report of markets for the most frequent …

Officials Say California Family Arraigned for Auto Insurance Fraud Filed 40-Plus Claims

Shannon Ninio, 60, of North Hills was arraigned for insurance fraud after a California Department of Insurance investigation found she and her husband, Moshe Ninio, allegedly stole customers’ personal information and used that information to file more than 40 fraudulent …

Former Washington Insurance Producer Pleads Guilty to Theft and Money Laundering

A Selah, Washington man pled guilty to first-degree theft and money laundering after an investigation by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigation Unit. Jason Eaton was sentenced to 60 days of electronic home detention and ordered to pay $100 restitution …

California’s 2023 Auto Registrations Highest Since 2020; New Vehicles Up 11.9%

Last year proved to be a banner year for new car registrations in California, reaching the highest numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report out this week shows. The California New Car Dealers Association’s fourth quarter 2023 California Auto …

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