Maine News

New Markets

The following markets were selected from the MyNewMarkets database of 25,000 coverages and programs. To find additional markets, or to submit markets, go to www.MyNewMarkets.com. Health Club Nuts & Bolts: Sports & Fitness Insurance is a national underwriting facility specializing …

Up in Smoke No More

States aim to prevent residential fires by requiring ‘fire safe’ cigarettes Movies — think Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in “The Big Sleep” — often make cigarette smoking look glamorous. Of course, in reality, the practice is anything but. In …

Small Businesses May Need to Spend a Little to Cut Expenses

Uncertain economic times prompt many small business owners to look for ways to cut costs. There are obvious ones, like buying energy-efficient light bulbs and forgoing national brands for the store’s own label when buying office supplies. But many owners …

Trials Set in Fallout from Maine Crash That Killed 6

Two people charged in connection with a Poland, Maine car crash that killed six people on Christmas Eve 2006 are scheduled to go on trial next month. Twenty-eight-year-old Ryan Brissette of Poland is accused of allowing a group of including …

Third Fire Damages Maine Resort

The second fire in two weeks and the third within the past year has damaged the Stage Neck Inn at York Harbor, Maine. No injuries were reported in the Wednesday night blaze that broke out in the oceanfront hotel’s main …

10 Tips for Mass. Insurance Agents Moving into Competitive Market

Massachusetts independent agents are facing a challenge to hang onto their whopping 86 percent market share in personal lines as the state embarks upon a new competitive auto insurance system that will bring some of the predictive analytics that agents …

Gov. Balducci Nominates Professor Kofman to be Maine Insurance Chief

Maine Governor John E. Baldacci has nominated Mila Kofman as superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Kofman has experience in the academic, government and not-for-profit sectors. She currently serves as Associate Research Professor at the Georgetown University Health Policy …

Calif. High Court Rules Employers Can Fire Workers Using Medical Marijuana

Employers can fire workers found to have used medical marijuana even if it was legally prescribed, the California Supreme Court ruled last Thursday, dealing the state another setback in its standoff with U.S. law enforcement. The high court upheld a …

Real ID Federal Drivers License Still Real Problem for Some States

State officials and some in Congress remain skeptical about new federal rules for driver’s licenses, even after major changes designed to cut the cost of those rules and provide more flexibility. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Jan. …

Declarations

Please Call “Those of you that don’t write in Massachusetts, please call us.” —Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes, addressing a crowd of property casualty insurers at the Insurance Information Institute’s Joint Industry Forum in New York last month. The …