Rental-Car Insurance Varies
Monday, April 07, 2008
Does it make sense to purchase insurance when I rent a car, or am I already covered?A: With so many options at the car-rental counter, it might be tempting to buy whatever insurance protection is available to safeguard your trip. Not only does a driver's insurance policy protect against theft or damages to a rental vehicle, but often so does a major credit card used to pay the rental fee....

 Your Money: I Saved Pounds 750 in Minutes ; CASE STUDY
Monday, April 07, 2008
PRINT manager John Hilaire reckons he's saved pounds 750 by getting the best deals on his finances. "I spend a few minutes at the end of each day checking to see I am still on competitive deals, and if not, I switch," says John, 39, from Chelmsford, Essex. "People stay with the same providers because they think it's a big hassle to change, but it's usually a matter of minutes."...

 No Easy Answers on Uninsured Motorists
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Apr. 5--About one of every four vehicles on Oklahoma roads is uninsured, and there's not much that can be done to improve that, state officials say. Oklahoma lawmakers have proposed and adopted a number of measures designed to punish uninsured motorists, but the state's rate of uninsured motorists has remained steady in recent years, said Lonnie Jarman, driver compliance director at the state Department of Public Safety. Many motorists who fail to carry auto insurance do so because they can't afford it, Jarman said....

 BRIEF: Allstate Looks to Create Ride Stuff: Insurance Only Part of Motorcycle Push
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Apr. 6--Northbrook-based insurer Allstate Corp. is revving up efforts to attract motorcycle owners with www.allstate garage.com, a Web site that lists scenic rides, a calendar of events, safety tips and other information for riders. The Web site is an extension of the company's advertising campaign launched in 2007 that touts the more than 600 Allstate agents who ride as a way to draw motorcycle owners. Owners share their ride stories, see mechanical tips and create a virtual bike online....

 Reappraisal Required If Spouse Dies?
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Question: My husband and I hold title to our house as joint tenants. Answer: Quoting the Web site of the Los Angeles County assessor, "The transfer of property between husband and wife does not cause a reappraisal for property tax purposes. Answer: The Miranda warning is to be given by law enforcement to a suspect in custody, or in a custodial situation, prior to that individual being asked questions concerning the commission of a crime....

 Waning Mercury Insurance Lays Off 58
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Apr. 4--CLEARWATER -- Mercury Insurance Group, which bills itself as one of the fastest growing automobile insurers in the nation and recently made a huge push into Florida, is shutting down a pair of local operations and laying off 58 workers. The Los Angeles-based company issued a brief statement Thursday saying it is restructuring its Florida operations, affecting claims and underwriting at its eastern regional headquarters in the Feather Sound area in Clearwater. Mercury is the third-largest auto insurer in California....

 Plugs & Points ; Cover Story
Saturday, April 05, 2008
THEY may see themselves as an integral part of the car buying process, but UK motorists certainly don't hold salespeople in high regard. Research by Diamond has shown that when buying a new car motorists rate salespeople as the least important factor. Women's car insurance specialist Diamond asked over 1,000 motorists to rate what was most important to them when purchasing a car and price came out on top with the salesperson bottom....

 Business Digest: Business-mail entry to relocate
Friday, April 04, 2008
Business-mail entry to relocate The business-mail entry unit of the Providence post office will temporarily move from 24 Corliss St. to 1 Corliss St. (at the corner of Corliss and Charles Streets) on Monday to accommodate construction. The Newport naval facility along with the Rhode Island National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard are expanding their facilities and will be the site of major construction projects as authorized through 2005 Base Realignment and Closure objectives....

 Duynhoven Right
Thursday, April 03, 2008
I support Minister of Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven's plan to introduce compulsory car insurance. The insurance industry is dragging its heels due to anticipated problems providing cover for young drivers, especially those with high- performance cars. Drivers under the age of 21 should be refused insurance for their current high-powered vehicles and be made to switch to something smaller, slower, cleaner and more economical....

 Gainsco Deploys Guidewire Claims Handling System
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Guidewire Software, a provider of solutions to property and casualty insurers, has announced that Gainsco, a non-standard personal auto insurance holding company, has successfully deployed Guidewire ClaimCenter as its new end-to-end claims handling system for all auto claims.The insurer selected Guidewire ClaimCenter due in large part to the system's scalability, breadth and depth of functionality, and its modern technology architecture (Java for the J2EE Standard). Designed and developed as a web-based system, ClaimCenter fit well with Gainsco's corporate technology strategy....

 Billion Dollar Premium Pace Continues for Brooke Capital Corporation
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Kyle Garst, chief executive officer of Brooke Capital Corporation (AMEX: BCP) announced that Brooke Capital Corporation's insurance agents have continued writing insurance premiums at an annualized pace exceeding $1 billion.Based on an estimated average commission rate of 12.5 percent, Brooke franchisees wrote premiums at an annualized rate that exceeded $1 billion.As the result of a recent merger with Brooke Franchise Corporation, the company's insurance company business is supported by a network of independent insurance agency franchises....

 YOUR Money: The Big Cover Up ; EXTRA COSTS HIDDEN AWAY BYYOUR MOTOR INSURERS Some Policies Charge Pounds 9.50 a Day to Take Your Car to France.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
THERE'S one thing you must ensure the next time you renew your car insurance - that you don't get ripped off. Many insurers are clever at stripping down their cover to the barest essentials so they can offer a low price. Then they'll sting you for extra costs later on....

 AG: Web Site Steers Drivers Wrong Way on Insurance
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Apr. 2--BOSTON -- Attorney General Martha Coakley yesterday ripped the state's Web site designed to help consumers compare auto-insurance prices, arguing the tool is doing "more harm than good" by leading drivers to the wrong companies with inaccurate prices. Coakley said the site must be revamped by the Division of Insurance to prevent drivers from paying more than they have to. "The Web site, as it is currently maintained, is not only unhelpful, but it is misleading," Coakley said...

 Russia Can Be Admitted to Green Card Insurance System in 2009
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
April 1 (Interfax) - Russia might be admitted to the International Motor Insurance Card System (Green Card) starting January 1, 2009, Sergei Razuvan of the Russian Auto Insurers Union and a deputy director of the Russian Green Card Bureau, told Interfax.The general meeting will take place in Lisbon on May 29 this year," Razuvan said."All preliminary negotiations on this account have been held, and we have only to conclude contracts on bank guarantees and risk reinsurance within the Green Card system," Razuvan said....

 CarInsurance.Com Offers New Jersey Drivers an Easier Way to Compare and Buy Auto Insurance
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
CarInsurance.com, a website and sales center designed to sell auto insurance over the Internet and directly to consumers through its Online Insurance Marketplace™, has expanded its single site shopping experience to New Jersey. New Jersey drivers can now compare insurance companies' rates and purchase online or over the phone through CarInsurance.com. CarInsurance.com offers Esurance, Travelers, Unitrin Direct and Progressive in New Jersey with plans to add a fifth carrier in May....

 Paulson Plan Hit ; State, Banking Groups See U.S. Power Grab
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan to overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system would strip Massachusetts of its power to provide consumer protections and even gut the state's new auto insurance program, local leaders and industry experts warned yesterday."It's a Trojan horse" for Wall Street, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, who oversees the securities sector in Massachusetts, said of Paulson's sweeping plans, which ultimately would reduce the clout of states to regulate the securities, banking and insurance industries.U.S. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Newton), chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee, praised Paulson's plan for at least recognizing the need for regulatory changes in the wake of the subprime-mortgate meltdown that's crippled the capital markets....

 CheapAutosInsurance.Com: SR22 and You During Spring Break
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
CheapAutosInsurance.com has distinguished itself from other car insurance sites since its debut in 2003 by focusing on supplying not only insurance quotes, but also practical information and advice for drivers. Most of these young people don't have any idea how serious a DUI can be in terms of their coverage until it happens, which is essentially too late."Many states require drivers who have been involved in one or more car accidents or have been charged and convicted of numerous speeding tickets or other traffic offense during which they could not prove auto liability coverage to obtain a form SR22 from the insurer, a critical step in an instance of license revocation....

 Insurers Offer Discounts for Young Drivers - With Strings Attached
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Insurers are pursuing a group of drivers that they've traditionally tried to avoid: teenagers and young adults. Safeco Corp., Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., American Family Mutual Insurance Co. and Allianz SE unit Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. are among those rolling out significant new discounts for young drivers and their parents - often with new requirements designed to minimize risk. Others are tied to the use of special monitoring technology that allows parents to keep an eye on young drivers behind the wheel....

 Editorial ; Freedom to Shop a Deal for Drivers
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Despite claims to the contrary, the world will not end tomorrow.Well, OK - if it does, it won't be because Massachusetts has a new competitive auto insurance system in place.Yes, beginning tomorrow Massachusetts drivers will finally enjoy the freedom to shop for a more competitive auto insurance rate - a milestone that many lawmakers and other hyperventilating critics think is a terrible, terrible thing....

 X May Mark Spot for Fuel Economy
Monday, March 31, 2008
In the fall of 2009, when the Automotive X Prize races get under way, vehicles from Zap Motors, Tesla Motors, Cornell University and others will contend for the $10 million pot.Absent will be entries from General Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co. or any other mainstream automakers, the companies that arguably know more than anyone about fuel conservation.The X Prize's goal is to stimulate the creation of a commercially viable car that can travel 100 miles on a gallon of gasoline....

 Car Insurance Changes Rake in Millions ; PERSONAL FINANCE
Monday, March 31, 2008
Drivers are being hit with fees of more than pounds 300 million a year for making changes to their car insurance policies, research shows. The average charge for making an amendment to a car insurance policy is just over pounds 22. The top 10 insurers charge an average of more than pounds 38 for cancelling a policy, almost pounds 17 for making an adjustment, such as a change of address or name, and almost pounds 12 for providing duplicate documents....

 GAINSCO Reports 4th Quarter and Year 2007 Results
Monday, March 31, 2008
DALLAS, March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- GAINSCO, INC. today announced net loss and net loss available to common shareholders for the fourth quarter 2007 of $11.0 million, or $0.44 per common share, basic and diluted. Net loss and net loss available to common shareholders for the twelve months ended December 31, 2007 was $18.6 million, or $0.74 per common share, basic and diluted. In the fourth quarter of 2007, the Company increased the amount of the deferred tax valuation allowance by $9.7 million, resulting in an allowance on the gross deferred tax asset of $28.7 million....

 No Time? No Problem. Progressive Opens New State-of-the Art Claims Facility That Makes It Easier Than Ever to Get Cars Fixed After Accidents
Monday, March 31, 2008
Anyone who's ever been in a car accident knows that even a minor fender bender can be a major hassle. But it doesn't have to be that way thanks to a new Progressive concierge claims facility opening today in Willow Grove."Our concierge service is all about convenience," said Mike Bilardo, manager of Progressive's Willow Grove service center....

 OnlineAutoInsurance.Com Reports Popularity of Online Auto Insurance Growing
Monday, March 31, 2008
LOS ANGELES, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In the recent days of technology, auto insurance companies are increasingly allowing consumers to purchase policies electronically online. The Internet has brought convenience to consumers and a reduction of overhead for the online insurers.With lightning fast connections, insurance companies are electronically gathering information and obtaining signatures online for personal automobile policy applications....

 House OKs Easing Insurance Lawsuits
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Mar. 28--ST. PAUL -- Legislation giving consumers a stronger case to sue their insurance companies over denied claims cleared the Minnesota House on Thursday. The House voted 81-51 for the so-called "good faith" bill, after adopting changes to make it more like the Senate version approved last week. Dubbed "bad faith" by opponents, the proposal has drawn legislators, lobbyists and lawyers into a high-stakes, fine-print debate over consumer rights and insurance premiums....