California Department of Insurance News

California Insurance Agent Arrested for Identity Theft And Forgery

Insurance agent Richard Valdriz, 52, has been charged with thirteen felony counts including identity theft, forgery, and grand theft after an investigation by the California Department of Insurance reportedly found that he had used the identity of policyholders to renew …

California Balks at Applied Underwriters Sale, Questions Subsidiary’s Move to New Mexico

The California Department of Insurance has denied an application for approval of the sale of California Insurance Co., a subsidiary of Applied Underwriters that was sold in a massive deal that has been under scrutiny over ties to campaign contributions …

California Export List Hearing for Surplus Lines Slated for November

Parametric earthquake coverage and terrorism coverage are among the potential items on the 2019 Export List hearing being held next month by the California Department of Insurance. Adding a risk or coverage to the export list requires evidence there isn’t …

Man Sentenced to 2 Years for $250K Insurance Fraud Scheme in California

Kenneth X. Huang, 41, was sentenced last week to two years in federal prison, three years supervised release, and ordered to pay $259,594 in restitution over a reported fraud scheme involving insurance in California. A joint investigation by the California …

Mercury Paying $41M in Decades-Long Court Battle With California Insurance Department

Mercury Insurance Co. has agreed to pay more than $41 million to end a two-decade long battle with the California Department of Insurance battle over the Los Angeles-based carrier improperly tacking fees onto auto insurance policies and over false advertising …

Former California Insurance Agent Arrested for Grand Theft

Ex-insurance agent Yolanda De La Torre, 35, of Whittier, Calif., was arrested on Friday on one felony count of grand theft and one felony count of identity theft after allegedly collecting over $13,000 in insurance payments from 10 clients and …

California Commissioner: Data Shows ‘Disturbing’ Disparities in Auto Insurance Discounts

The California Department of Insurance on Tuesday released data from an investigation showing what the CDI is calling “wide socioeconomic disparities” in auto insurance group discounts offered to millions of California drivers. The CDI says the investigation illustrates that many …

Tesla Begins Rolling Out Its Auto Insurance in California

Tesla Inc. said on Wednesday it was launching an insurance service designed to give drivers in California, its biggest market, lower rates because of safety features on its electric vehicles. Chief Executive Elon Musk has been one of the strongest …

California Court of Appeal Hands Win to Insurer, Rental Car Space

The California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, has upheld the decision of a trial court ruling finding that fees rental car agencies charge for optional insurance need not be included in rate filings and are not regulated by the …

California Commissioner and U.N. to Develop Sustainable Insurance Roadmap

The California Department of Insurance and the United Nations Environment Program on Tuesday announced the launch of a yearlong effort to develop a “Sustainable Insurance Roadmap” to confront California’s climate risks. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Butch Bacani, who leads …