Wisconsin 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. Apartments Low Income Subsidized Housing Market Detail: Housing Insurance Services offers programs through two admitted …

Misplaced Letter Costs PepsiCo $1.2 Billion in Wisconsin Ruling

It’s an expensive lesson on the importance of reading your mail. A Wisconsin judge has ordered PepsiCo Inc. to pay $1.26 billion to two men who said it stole their idea to sell purified water after a secretary mislaid a …

Campaign Donations Don’t Require Recusals, Wisconsin High Court Rules

The Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted rules Wednesday allowing judges to hear cases involving their biggest campaign contributors, siding with business interests and rejecting calls for reform. Voting 4-3, the court approved rules saying donations by groups and individuals to judges …

Distracted Pilots Becoming Aviation Safety Worry After Laptop Incident

Two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew 150 miles past their destination because they were focused on laptop computers instead of cockpit displays may have opened a new avenue of concern for safety regulators — distracting personal electronic devices on the …

Blame Shifting Begins Over Costlier Auto Insurance in Wisconsin

As insurance companies begin mailing notices to Wisconsin customers telling them that their premiums are likely to increase soon, state politicians are scrambling to avoid the blame. The first changes expected to affect premiums start Nov. 1 with more coming …

American Family Insurance and MTV Team Up for Teen Driver Series

Madison, Wis.-based American Family Insurance has partnered with MTV and Mindshare Entertainment to reach teenagers directly on an issue that can save their lives – the passage they must make from new, inexperienced driver to confident, capable young adult driver. …

Willis Names Ealy National Partner for Midwest Region

Insurance broker Willis Group Holdings has appointed Thomas V. Ealy as national partner of the Midwest Region for its North American retail operations. In his new role, Ealy will oversee the company’s retail offices in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio …

Pressure Builds for More States to Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving

The Obama administration reported that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a striking indication of the dangers of using mobile devices behind the wheel. The Transportation Department recently …

Insurance Brokerage M&A Took a 3rd Quarter Vacation

Deal making wasn’t at the top of the list of summer activities this season, but deal vacation was. Third quarter merger and acquisition (M&A) activity continued declining to just 30 announced transactions between July and September. This quarterly activity follows …

A.M. Best Withdraws Ratings of 2 Midwest Mutual Insurers

A.M. Best Co. announced that, in separate actions, it has withdrawn the ratings of two Midwest-based mutual insurance companies at the request of those companies. Best affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of C++ (Marginal) and issuer credit rating (ICR) …