Plan: Cut Insurance Rates By Curbing Crashes
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Some consumer groups think they've come up with a simple way to reform the state's costly auto insurance system: fewer traffic accidents through better roadways and roadway rules.Massachusetts, whose notoriously aggressive drivers have the highest car-accident rate in the nation, should embark on an equally aggressive strategy of fixing accident-prone intersections, improving the timing of traffic lights, making street signs more accurate and taking other steps to make roadways safer, consumer advocates including Mass-PIRG and the Center for Insurance Research told lawmakers yesterday.The bottom line, if roadway reforms and infrastructure improvements are implemented: fewer accidents, and lower premiums....
A Real Happy Meal ... ; THE WEEK IN 30 Seconds
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
The EU plans to spend Pounds 10million to find out if happy fish taste nicer. Nicola Bell and Charlie Adie had a three-tier pork pie instead of a wedding cake at their North Yorkshire marriage. Bath and North East Somerset Council is to create a Pounds 21,000a-year dormouse conservation officer to promote 'intellectual access' to dormice. Wythit Women's Institute in North Yorkshire plans to offer pole- dancing classes to members....
One in 10 Admit Speeding
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
MORE than one in ten motorists break the speed limit every time they get behind the wheel, a new survey reveals. Researchers for Churchill Car Insurance found 12% ignored limits because they believed them to be too low. And worryingly 80% of convicted speeders say they have not changed their behaviour after getting a fine or a ban. Darren McCauley, head of car insurance at Churchill, said: 'Speeding doesn't carry the same social taboo as drink-driving....
MONEY PEOPLE: NET PROFiT ; Use the Web & Be Pounds Pounds Pounds S Better Off
Sunday, October 16, 2005
SORT out your finances online and you could save a packet. Money People's research shows the average person could be more than pounds 2,000 a year better off. When you go Internet shopping, you don't have to find a parking space or trudge from bank to building society....
Installment Insurance May Be More Costly Than You Think
Saturday, October 15, 2005
You don't need to speak Latin to recognize this increasingly common quid pro quo in today's marketplace: If you want convenience, you often have to pay a price.In each case, you pay a premium to save time and effort.Just ask Donald Gross of Elkins Park, Pa., who recently realized that one life insurer's version of "convenience" has cost him more than $1,400 over the last three years....
Sixteen Indicted in Alleged Auto Insurance Scam
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Oct. 14--LOWELL -- The women known as "Poochy" and "Mercy" met their driver outside a McDonald's and pointed out the Volvo they wanted him to smash. The arranged-wreck scheme in Lowell in April 2004 was repeated at least twice the next month in Bedford and Tyngsborough, resulting in another $38,000 in false insurance payouts, police and prosecutors say. Yesterday, Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley announced the indictments of 16 alleged participants in the Lowell auto insurance fraud ring, as part of a statewide crackdown on staging accidents for profit....
Fitch Affirms Mercury General's Senior Debt & IFS Ratings
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Fitch Ratings has affirmed its 'A' long-term issuer rating on Mercury General Corporation (Mercury) and its 'A' rating on Mercury's senior unsecured notes due 2011. Mercury's ratings reflect its consistently good underwriting results, very strong capitalization, and strong competitive position and significant market share in California. While the entire auto industry results will be impacted, Fitch expects Mercury's performance to remain superior relative to the industry....
Sensor Tests Risks for Insurer
Saturday, October 15, 2005
By now most consumers are aware that a little black box stored under the hood of many newer cars records driving data.The data prove whether the safety systems worked properly and what can be done to make your car even safer.But why can't insurance companies use a box to spot high- and low-risk drivers and adjust premium rates accordingly?...
Farmers Insurance Group Announces Hybrid/Alternative Fuel Vehicle Discount for California Customers; First Insurance Company in U.S. To Offer Hybrid Vehicle Discount
Saturday, October 15, 2005
What:Farmers Insurance announces it will offer a discount toCalifornia auto insurance customers who own a hybrid /alternative fuel vehicle. Farmers is the first insurancecompany in the nation to offer this type of discount. Who:Kevin Kelso, President, Farmers Insurance GroupEric Garcetti, Los Angeles City CouncilmemberTom LaBonge, Los Angeles City CouncilmemberWendy Greuel, Los Angeles City CouncilmemberJan Perry, Los Angeles City Councilmember...
Nine Charged in Lowell, Mass.-Based Auto-Insurance Ring
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Oct. 14--LOWELL, Mass. -- In the largest auto-insurance fraud bust in the city's history, nine people have been charged with staging three phony car crashes and collecting money from insurers for their nonexistent injuries. Lowell Police Superintendent Edward Davis said the crackdown is the result of a partnership between local, state and private officials to slow the rising tide of insurance fraud in the city. "Our hope is if we have aggressive enforcement of these incidents, we can relieve the burden from the people who have to pay for these schemes," Davis said at a press conference with Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley yesterday afternoon....
October 2007: Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend
Friday, October 14, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation expects to release its third quarter 2005 results on Thursday, October 27, 2005 before the market opens. The earnings release will be available shortly thereafter on Infinity's website at http://www.ipacc.com/.In connection with its earnings release, Infinity will hold a conference call to discuss the third quarter results on Thursday, October 27, 2005 at 11:00 am ET....
Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend
Friday, October 14, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation announced today that it declared a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per share of Infinity Property and Casualty Common Stock. The dividend is payable on November 18, 2005 to holders of record on November 8, 2005.Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation is a national provider of personal automobile insurance with a concentration on nonstandard auto insurance....
Officials Celebrate GEICO's Jobs Amid Worries About Those at Delphi
Friday, October 14, 2005
Oct. 13--As nearly 4,000 Delphi Corp. workers in Niagara County fret about the future of their jobs, political leaders and other dignitaries turned out in force Wednesday to mark the formal opening of GEICO Corp.'s new service center in Amherst. Before a crowd of nearly 300 employees and local and state leaders -- and one giant-size lizard -- Gov. George Pataki, GEICO Chief Executive Officer O.M. "Tony" Nicely and others touted the hundreds of new jobs that have come to Western New York, and lauded the effort that brought them here. "This is a historic day in GEICO's history....
Harvest Of Death
Thursday, October 13, 2005
The Ford Escort was racing north on rural Seaside Road, its occupants headed home from a wedding, when it ran a stop sign at 55 mph.When police arrived, they discovered that Leyva-Perez had no auto insurance or drivers license only a laminated ID card issued by the tomato-packing plant where he worked and that the car was registered to a woman in Chesapeake and had Michigan plates.Since 2002, more than 90 people have been injured and 18 killed on the Eastern Shore in accidents involving Hispanic workers driving rogue vehicles....
Pound Notes: Continental Europe Coverage
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Drivers heading for Continental Europe could check their car insurance before they reach the ferry, says AA Insurance which fears a quarter of a million British drivers on European roads this summer could be unaware they are not fully insured. While insurers are legally obliged to provide at least third party cover for clients in EU member states, many don&t provide the comprehensive insurance which the AA automatically provides for up to 90 days in any EU country. especially for two or three day trips, says AA insurance chief Kevin Sinclair....
MOTOR NEWS: Young Drivers See a Rise in Insurance Premiums
Thursday, October 13, 2005
RESEARCH from the car insurance search site, www.confused.com, has revealed that despite a minor fall in the average cost of car insurance over the last year, young driver&s insurance is currently accelerating at a faster rate than it has in the last five years. The company&s analysis of over 1.5 million drivers has revealed that on average car insurance across the UK has fallen 1.5 per cent since December to pounds 571.84, and has dropped 2.5 per cent compared to the same time last year. Eighteen-year-old women, by comparison, have seen their insurance fall by 1 per cent, with typical premiums across the UK falling to pounds 1477.32....
Chicago Tribune Jim Mateja Column
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Oct. 12--By now most consumers are aware that a little black box stored under the hood of many newer cars records driving data. But why can't insurance companies use a box to spot high- and low-risk drivers and adjust premium rates accordingly? Progressive Insurance, the nation's third-largest auto insurer, has set out to do that....
Consumer Group Finds Big Disparity in Car Insurance Rates in City, Suburbs
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Oct. 12--Consumers in the city of Buffalo pay the second-highest rates for car insurance in Upstate New York and face the second-biggest range of rates, while the suburbs are significantly cheaper, according to a new report by a statewide consumer group. Auto insurance premiums in Buffalo range from $1,086 to $2,622 per year, according to the study by New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). That's a disparity of $1,536 between the highest and lowest premiums in the region....
Migrant Workers Cited in Fatalities ; Data: About 25 Percent of Eastern Shore Highway Deaths Involved Hispanics
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Since 2002, more than 90 people have been injured and 18 killed on the Eastern Shore, in crashes involving uninsured or improperly licensed Hispanic workers often driving rogue vehicles, The Virginian-Pilot reported yesterday.The deaths represent about 25 percent of the 71 highway fatalities on the Eastern Shore in that period, while the year- round Hispanic population accounts for only 5 percent of the region's 51,000 residents.In all but three of the fatalities involving Hispanic drivers, they had no insurance....
Safety Uses SMS to Speed Up Claims
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Oct. 11--SET-listed Safety Insurance Plc yesterday introduced an electronic claim service in which the short-message system (SMS) is adopted to support interactive communication with customers from the site of car accidents. If no dispute arises, the company will then send an electronic claim form back immediately by SMS, allowing the two parties to leave the scene within just 10 minutes. This eliminates the need for adjusters to physically arrive at the scene and helps alleviate Bangkok's traffic congestion....
Progressive Accelerates Release of September Results
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The Progressive Corporation plans to release the Company's September 2005 results on Wednesday, October 12, 2005, before the market opens, rather than on Thursday, October 13, as previously announced, in observance of Yom Kippur.The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation for auto insurance based on premiums written and provides drivers with competitive rates and 24/7, in-person and online service. The companies that offer insurance directly (by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE and online at progressivedirect.com) market their products and services under the Progressive Direct(SM) brand, while the companies that offer insurance through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies market their products and services under the Drive(R) Insurance from Progressive brand....
Progressive Distributes September Results
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) today reported the following results for September 2005:See the complete monthly release at http://investors.progressive.com/releases/2005/pdf/mreport_0905.pdf for further month and year-to-date information and commentary.The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, ranks third in the nation for auto insurance based on premiums written and provides drivers with competitive rates and 24/7, in-person and online service....
Money News: The Wheel Deal for Women
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
ESURE is launching a new car insurance brand for women which could save them more than pounds 200 a year.Sheilas' Wheels will also offer breakdown cover allegedly at the cheapest price in the direct insurance market - in many cases around half the price charged by major competitors.The Sheilas' Wheels product will include a number of unique benefits designed for the female driver - such as pounds 300 handbag and contents cover if your bag is stolen from your car, a 24-hour counselling line for drivers suffering trauma on the roadand a network of repairers trained to follow a female-friendly code of practice....
Young Drivers Hit By Rise in Insurance Premiums
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
INUSRANCE premiums have shot up for young motorists this year, it was revealed today.Drivers under the age of 25 saw their premiums soar from an average of pounds 851.83 in April to pounds 1,078.77 in July - a rise of 26.7 per cent.The average for all drivers went up 5.09 per cent - from pounds 465.18 in April to pounds 490.13 in July, the survey for Sainsbury's Bank Car Insurance showed....
The Motley Fool
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
I was born in 1925, when the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation incorporated the Farm Bureau Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. Started thanks to a $10,000 loan, I featured a one-room office in downtown Columbus. I deal in domestic property and casualty insurance, life insurance and retirement savings, asset management and strategic investments. I'm on your side, and one of my commercials features M.C. Hammer....