Washington News

Washington Auto Glass Installer Pleads to Insurance Fraud

A Battle Ground, Washington, auto glass installer who overbilled an insurance company for years has pleaded guilty to first-degree theft. Robert T. Wooster, 51, doing business as Dr. Bob’s Auto Glass and DRB Enterprises Auto Glass, is believed to have …

Truth or Lore? Insurance ‘Factorama’ Explores the Known and Little-Known

It’s the end of the decade that apparently has no name as yet, but that doesn’t stop those of us at Insurance Journal from looking back at the past 10 years and beyond for known and little-known insurance “factoids.” Why? …

2009? Mission Accomplished. Now, on to the Next Decade

2010 — Can it really be 10 years since the world survived Y2K? Here is a bold prediction … we will survive this present situation, also. In January 2020, we will look back at our current struggles and view them …

2009 P/C Insurance Mergers, Acquisitions Large and Small

Large insurers AIG, Farmers and The Hartford made moves in 2009, as did large brokers Marsh, Aon, Willis, Gallagher, Brown & Brown, Hub and Wells Fargo. So, too, did, many regional insurers and Main Street agencies. Here are the headlines …

Austin-Round Rock, Texas, Most Secure Large Metro Area

The central Texas area of Austin-Round Rock is the most secure U.S. community among large metropolitan areas (population of 500,000 or greater) in which to live, ccording to the sixth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings from Farmers …

Report Says Seattle Dam Threatens $30 Billion Worth of Property

Flooding beneath the damaged Howard Hanson Dam in Washington State could cause $30 billion, according to a new report from a Texas firm, First American Spatial Solutions. State estimates about the value of property that might be damaged in a …

Des Moines Named Best City for Business

Des Moines, Iowa, has been named “America’s best city to do business,” according to an annual survey by MarketWatch. Des Moines beat cities such as Washington D.C., Omaha, Neb., and Minneapolis/St. Paul in the survey that compared economic strength and …

Congress Weighs Restoring Wall Between Banking, Insurance

Financial giants such as Goldman Sachs Group could be broken up under two bills introduced in the U.S. Congress Wednesday, one with the backing of former Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Both would reinstate the 1930s-era Glass-Steagall laws that barred …

UN Climate Talks Resume; US Backs $100 Billion Aid Fund

Danish hosts revived climate talks on Thursday and Washington backed a $100 billion fund to aid poor countries, as world leaders gathered on the eve of a U.N. deadline to reach a deal to slow global warming. Environment ministers planned …

Allstate to Auction Recovered 1965 Volkswagen Van

Allstate announced today that it will sell a recovered 1965 Volkswagen bus at auction and donate the proceeds to Lydia Place, a nonprofit organization in Washington state serving homeless women and children impacted by domestic violence. “Allstate has a long …