Business and the Law: Ruling Could Impact Fetal Rights
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Herdman: What is the true value of a love never known?This issue -- which appears to have implications beyond the realm of insurance law -- was the subject of a recent decision by the New Mexico Court of Appeals.Luebbers lived with her mother and step-father at the time, and her family had an insurance policy providing uninsured-motorist coverage through State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company....

 Colorado Loses 178 Jobs but Gains 250
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Nov. 4--It is a case of give and take for Colorado. This week, roughly 180 workers received pink slips from two metro-area employers. Meanwhile, a new call center in Sterling will create up to 250 jobs....

 N.B. Automobile Insurance Rates to Drop By More Than 11 Per Cent on Average
Friday, November 04, 2005
FREDERICTON (CP) - After experiencing some of the sharpest increases in automobile insurance rates in Canada, New Brunswick drivers are finally getting a break.New Brunswick's Conservative government, which shouldered much of the blame for soaring insurance rates three years ago, was quick to take credit for the latest decline.Justice Minister Brad Green said government reforms - especially a $2,500 cap on claims for minor bodily injuries - are bringing rates down....

 Accident: What to Do?
Friday, November 04, 2005
FINALLY, after many months of saving your money, you just purchased the car of your dreams. Life is good, the window is down and the wind is blowing in your face. You enter a major intersection on a green light and all of a sudden, your car is spinning clockwise and you come to rest facing in the opposite direction....

 Romney Heats Up Ad War on Insurance
Friday, November 04, 2005
The governor's legal counsel asks two television stations not to run ads critical of his insurance reform bill by two of the state's largest auto insurers. BOSTON - Governor Romney's legal office asked television stations this week not to air advertisements attacking his auto insurance reform proposal, sparking criticism that he is trying to squelch debate about the issue. Romney legal counsel Mark D. Nielsen wrote to WBZ-TV and WCVB-TV and called several others on Monday asking them not to run the ads from the Coalition for Affordable Auto Insurance For All, a group spearheaded by two of the state's largest auto insurers, Arbella Mutual Insurance and Commerce Insurance....

 Buttafuoco Selling Ice Cream on TV Sets
Thursday, November 03, 2005
NEW YORK - Joey Buttafuoco is working on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" - at the show's concession stand, anyway.The 49-year-old Buttafuoco runs a concession that doles out protein shakes and ice cream to the stars of "Desperate Housewives" and "Crossing Jordan," the magazine reports.He was a New York auto body shop owner in 1992 when his 17-year-old lover, Amy Fisher, shot his wife, Mary Jo....

 Sentry Insurance a Mutual Company's Purchase of Viking Insurance is Finalized
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Sentry Insurance a Mutual Company announced today that regulatory approvals have been received for the purchase of Viking Insurance from Royal & SunAlliance. Viking and its agents have an excellent reputation for providing specialized products and services to the specialty/nonstandard auto insurance market," said Sentry Insurance Chairman Dale R. Schuh.Sentry's acquisition of Viking makes Sentry one of the country's largest providers of auto insurance for drivers who find auto insurance difficult to afford or maintain....

 Announced Wednesday, November 02, 2005: The Progressive Corporation Announces Investor Relations Conference Call
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The Progressive Corporation will host a one-hour conference call on Thursday, November 10, 2005, beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern time. Under the Company's conference call format, the Company will not make detailed comments in addition to these published reports, but management will respond to questions at that time.Simultaneous broadcast of the conference call will be provided by phone and online....

 N.B. Automobile Insurance Rates to Drop By More Than 11 Per Cent Average
Thursday, November 03, 2005
FREDERICTON (CP) - Automobile insurance rates in New Brunswick are set to drop by an average of more than 11 per cent.The New Brunswick Insurance Board has released 39 decisions on companies offering private passenger insurance in the province. Board chairman Lewis Ayles says the proposed average premium for 2006 will be $851....

 Don't Drive into Trouble
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Ensure you are insured properly NEW figures showing an alarming number of UK motorists driving without valid car insurance has reached almost epidemic proportions.Until recently the penalties for driving without insurance against third party risk was a maximum fine of pounds 5,000, the automatic endorsement of an offender's licence with 6-8 penalty points and possible disqualification....

 Reduce Your Insurance Premiums With These Tips
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
As an insurance agent with 20 years experience in the insurance field I'd like to share some thoughts with my friends from COUNTRYSIDE. Farm mutual companies are member owned (like credit unions) and their goal is to provide insurance for their members at the best rate possible. There's also a company called the Ward Group who rate the 50 best insurance companies in the U.S. based on stability, customer service, and claims service....

 Romney Wants Ads Off the Air
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Nov. 2--Governor Mitt Romney is asking Boston television stations to pull an advertisement opposing his auto insurance legislation, saying it is misleading and contains false statements. The ad, paid for by a coalition that includes Commerce Insurance of Webster and Arbella Mutual Insurance Co. of Quincy, claims that Romney's legislation would allow auto insurers to reject drivers for coverage "for almost any reason" and turn almost 1 million drivers into "rejects." "Reject Governor Romney's assigned risk plan before he rejects you," the ad says....

 Court: Punitive Coverage Not Required By Miss. Law
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
JACKSON, Miss. - The Mississippi Supreme Court says insurance companies aren't required by law to cover punitive damage awards in their automobile liability policies, but they can if they want.The Supreme Court said Insurance Commissioner George Dale misinterpreted a previous court decision when he denied requests from two companies to amend their Mississippi automobile insurance policies to exclude liability for punitive damages.Shelter Mutual Insurance Co. and Shelter General Insurance Co. filed the requests in 2002....

 Belfast Drivers 'Safest'
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
BELFAST drivers are the safest in the UK, according to figures released yesterday. Cars are also less likely to be stolen in Belfast than many other UK cities. Yet Northern Ireland's drivers - particularly those in Belfast - are forced to pay much higher premiums for car insurance....

 Left Cold By Our Benefits System
Saturday, October 29, 2005
I am writing in response to the article headlined A lot more than nine a day will die in the cold (Chronicle, October 24). I totally agree with the contents of this article, as I am well aware of the needs of the elderly, having worked as a nurse in the community for many years and many of my patients were over 60. I am informed by the Department of Work and Pensions that people of 60 plus require a minimum of pounds 104 per week to live on....

 Active Military Urged to Deploy Auto Insurance Options, Advises AutoInsurancePlanners.Com
Friday, October 28, 2005
As active members of the U.S. military continue to be regularly deployed to foreign duties, they should be provided with every option for the best auto insurance coverage to assist their difficult personal situations, says Sean Denny, president of www.AutoInsurancePlanners.com."Many service members don't know that they might qualify for reduced or suspended auto insurance payments, if no one is driving their car," advises Denny. Here are four steps for U.S. service members to use to make sure their coverage is secure and that they're paying the lowest rates:1....

 Auto Insurers Overcharging $100 on Average, Reilly Says
Friday, October 28, 2005
Oct. 28--Massachusetts drivers on average paid $100 too much for auto insurance last year and are on track to overpay by another $100 this year, according to documents filed yesterday by Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly. Those projections, the documents say, netted auto insurers a $400 million windfall in 2004 and will give them another $420 million windfall this year. Aides to Reilly said the data confirming the consumer overpayments just came to light and could play a pivotal role in the rate case if state regulators admit them....

 Western District Reverses Judicially Reduced Verdict Over Questions of Fact
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Flimsy evidence of Workers' Compensation benefit payments caused a judicially reduced jury verdict to be reversed by the Western District Court of Appeals.State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., the insurance company asked for and was granted a reduced jury verdict because Powell's medical bills and lost wages were supposedly covered by his employer, the Kansas City Police Department. The trial court apparently considered the exhibits attached to State Farm's motion to reduce the verdict in ruling that State Farm was entitled to offset the verdict by $9,011.44....

 Google Wins U.S. Keyword Case
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Can Google or other search engines sell keywords registered as trademarks? The practice is quite permissible, according to an important case recently settled in the U.S. This ruling is particularly important because several cases have ruled against Google and other search engines in France on this issue, and several lawsuits in the U.S. and other countries (including Israel) are pending.When an Internet user searches on that keyword, it triggers both the traditional Google search results (organic listings) and advertisements (sponsored links)....

 More Drivers Getting Insurance
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Oct. 23--Due to the effects of fines and license suspensions, more S.C. motorists are insured now than two years ago. Since January, the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has used a new database of uninsured motorists to crack down on drivers who let their insurance lapse. Threatening letters sent to those uninsured drivers -- and the threat of losing their licenses -- has led to a 15 percent improvement in a key measurement of insured drivers....

 Consumer Options for Low-Cost Auto Insurance
Monday, October 24, 2005
Oct. 23--STOCKTON -- Mention $25-per-month car insurance to some agents and they laugh out loud. However, for a select group of people, it's possible to purchase the bare-minimum coverage required by the state and pay the equivalent of $25 per month -- or even less. He recently obtained a premium quote from an independent Stockton insurance agency to cover his three vehicles for $66.99 per month, the equivalent of $22.33 per vehicle....

 A BLACK BOX SPY IN YOUR CAR BOOT ; Big Brother Fear As Insurers Launch the Pay-As-You-Drive Revolution
Saturday, October 22, 2005
CAR insurance is set for a major shake-up, with pay-as-you-drive policies based on a hitech 'spy' in the boot. But civil liberties groups will be concerned about the Big Brother aspects of the system, being launched by Norwich Union. Pay-as-you-drive policies, in which drivers are asked to pay itemised monthly bills instead of an annual premium, are already popular in the U.S....

 New York Can Help Consumers ; Easier Access to Insurance Data AIDS Citizens' Decisions on Buying Car Policies
Saturday, October 22, 2005
A call for the state Insurance Department to offer an easy-to- use Internet site allowing consumers to get more individualized premium car insurance information is reasonable, especially in the 21st century.Auto insurance premiums in Buffalo range from $1,086 to $2,622 per year. Arming consumers with fluid, updated information made easier by the Internet seems logical....

 Insure Against Fuel Price Hike
Friday, October 21, 2005
AS fuel prices climb, there's never been a better time for motorists to costs.And if you driver fewer than 20,000 miles a year, a bit of shopping around could save you more than you are having to pay out in extra petrol costs.Online car insurance experts Confused.com say that nearly half of all motorists renew their existing insurance policy year after year without searching out a better deal....

 Avoid a Direct Rip-Off
Thursday, October 20, 2005
DRIVERS who pay their car insurance in monthly instalments by Direct Debit are being charged more than 20 per cent in interest. That's much higher than the average of 15.9 per cent charged by credit cards. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of motor policies charge in excess of 20 per cent, with some demanding more than 35 per cent for customers who choose to spread payments....