Vermont News

Zurich Forms Agreement With Marsh for East Coast Lawyers’ Program

Zurich has appointed insurance broker Marsh U.S. Consumer, as the new administrator for its Programs & Direct Markets’ lawyers’ professional liability program. Marsh will be the administrator for attorneys in Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., N.Y., Pa., R.I., and Vt. Attorneys …

Vermont Captive Insurance Regulator Calls It Quits

A regulator who’s been a fixture in Vermont’s captive insurance industry for two decades is calling it quits. Peter Raymond, director of captive insurance for the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration (BISCHA), is leaving to …

Declarations

Surplus Battle “It’s pretty much as outrageously unconstitutional, illegal and in-your-face as it gets.” —Kevin Fitzgerald, a lawyer for the policyholders of New Hampshire’s Joint Underwriting Association (JUA), a state-created medical malpractice insurance fund from which lawmakers are trying to …

People

Wholesaler Crump Insurance promoted Kevin Hahn to executive vice president. As head of New York brokerage operations, Hahn will oversee Crump’s offices in Long Island and New York, and its environmental practice. XL Insurance appointed Gary S. Kaplan to the …

Georgia Bans Texting While Driving; Targets Teens

Put down the cell phone and step away from the car. Georgia drivers soon will be banned from texting, checking e-mail or using the Internet behind the wheel and teens will be prohibited from using their cell phones at all …

Police Seek Cause of Vermont House Explosion

Vermont State Police fire investigators are seeking the cause of an explosion that destroyed a house in the town of Norwich. Police say that when firefighters arrived at the New Boston Road home at about 6 p.m. Monday they found …

Texting While Driving Ban Now Law in Vermont

It’s now illegal to text while driving in Vermont. Gov. Jim Douglas signed the ban into law Tuesday at the Montpelier High School, joining at least 25 states that have banned the practice. The measure also bans the use of …

Ratings Recap: Frankenmuth, Oregon Dental, Sooner, Commercial Casualty

A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A’ (Excellent) from’ A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings to “a+” from “aa-” of Frankenmuth Insurance and its member companies, and has revised its outlook on the rating to stable …

Road Hazard: 20% of U.S. Drivers Would Flunk If Given Driving Test

The nation’s most knowledgeable drivers are in Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana and Kansas, while the least knowledgeable are in New York, New Jersey, Hawaii and California. That’s according to results from the 2009 GMAC Insurance National Drivers Test, which found that …

Ratings Recap: Hatherley, Attorneys Liability

A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating to ‘A’ (Excellent) from ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating to “a” from “a-” of Bermuda-based Hatherley Insurance Ltd., both with stable outlooks. The ratings reflect Hatherley’s “strong risk-adjusted capitalization, excellent …