Mississippi News

How Should BP Handle Claims by Churches, Nonprofits?

God only knows what will happen to churches and other nonprofit organizations that say they are struggling for survival because of the Gulf oil spill crisis. Months after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and its well started gushing oil, the …

10 Most, Least Affordable States for Car Insurance

Business Moves

Arthur J. Gallagher, Joseph James & Associates Illinois-based insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., has acquired Joseph James & Associates of Dublin, Ohio. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Established in 1989, Joseph …

It Figures

9.8% The average drop in South Carolina workers compensation rates approved by state insurance regulators. Insurance Director Scott Richardson also reported that the Assigned Risk Plan, the residual market mechanism, accounted for about 3.9 percent of the direct written premium, …

Florida Jury Awards $2.4 Million in First Chinese Drywall Trial

A Florida couple who fled their dream home because of foul-smelling, ruinous Chinese drywall was awarded $2.4 million in damages in America’s first jury trial over the defective wallboard that could have legal ramifications for thousands of similar cases. The …

Coastal Trends

As the hurricane season gains momentum, a new U.S. Census Bureau report, Coastline Population Trends in the United States: 1960 to 2008, helps put into perspective the number of Americans living along the coast who could be affected by storms …

FEMA: States Need Time to Review Flood Map

After facing strong opposition during a public meeting in Arkansas, a top federal official wants to give cities and towns in the Mississippi Delta more time to review maps that outline where flood insurance would be required. Craig Fugate, administrator …

Midwest States Grapple with Levee Problems, Flood Insurance

A group scrambling to upgrade Mississippi River levees in southwestern Illinois before new floodplain maps potentially raise insurance costs said it can make the fixes for $160 million to $170 million – and pay for it with sales taxes and …

Bad Weather Hinders BP Oil Cleanup; Oil Invades More Wetlands

Tropical storm Alex slowed oil spill clean-up and containment work in the Gulf of Mexico and drove more petroleum into fragile Gulf wetlands and beaches Thursday, with any permanent fix to BP Plc’s ruptured deep-sea well still several weeks away. …

U.S. Launches Pre-Existing Condition Health Insurance Plan

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today the launch of a Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) that will offer coverage to uninsured Americans who have been unable to obtain health coverage because of a pre-existing health …