Home for the Holiday! Sixty-One Percent of Americans Will Stay Home This Thanksgiving, According to an AIG Auto Insurance Survey; Regardless of Americans' Travel Plans, Spending Time With Friends and Family is Key This Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 17, 2005
According to a recent survey by AIG Auto Insurance, nearly two-thirds (sixty-one percent) of Americans will not be traveling this Thanksgiving holiday despite it being one of the most well-traveled holidays. However, 31 percent of Americans plan to drive to their Thanksgiving destination."On the holiday known to be the heaviest traffic day in America, we were surprised to find that a majority of Americans will spend Thanksgiving at home," said Elise Martin of AIG Auto Insurance....

 The Ticker: Boston Herald
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly sparred over auto insurance, with Reilly saying the governor's reform plan would create chaos for drivers and Romney accusing Reilly of failing as a leader because he had no plan of his own.An increasing number of investors are betting that General Motors Corp. may be forced to seek bankruptcy protection within the next six to 12 months as it struggles to overcome slumping sales and the high cost of health-care benefits for workers and retirees.Staples Inc. third-quarter profit rose 14 percent to $237.8 million, helped by contract sales to business customers....

 Weekly Recap - Nov 15, 08:14 AM
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
The House passed a new plan aimed at giving a range of tax breaks to the film industry. The bill represents a compromise that was hammered out with Senate negotiators, so there's a good chance it can be passed by the Senate before lawmakers adjourn for the year in two weeks. The Senate's price tag of nearly $500 million - including $55 million for the Fenway, Longwood and Kenmore Square sections of Boston - is well above the House's version, so the two sides will need to reach a middle ground....

 Speeding Shock
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
AS MANY as 12 per cent of motorists break the speed limit every time they get behind the wheel, a survey out today reveals. And 24 per cent speed on each occasion they drive on a motorway, the survey from Churchill Car Insurance foun...

 Auto Insurance Ads
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
I can understand Gov. Mitt Romney's dismay regarding the TV ads from the Coalition for Affordable Auto Insurance For All group. One ad shows a billboard lettered "Welcome to Massachusetts" but includes a picture of Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine! They couldn't find a recognizable Massachusetts landmark?...

 Shopping for Auto Insurance Just Got Easier - Talking to Someone ``Live'' Only a Mouse Click Away
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
The Progressive Direct Group of Insurance Companies ContinuesInnovation Streak; Becomes First Major Auto Insurance Groupto Connect With Consumers Using Voice Over Internet ProtocolThe Progressive Direct Group of Insurance Companies is making it easier than ever to buy car insurance online - including cutting down the time it takes to get a quote to just over eight minutes - but still, many of the company's online shoppers call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE to ask questions or buy the policy.Now, thanks to a customer service support tool called "Talk To Me," shoppers on www.progressive.com can choose to speak with a licensed sales representative immediately, over the Internet, just by clicking their mouse....

 EDITORIAL; The Right Choice on Auto Insurance
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
In the confusing debate over auto insurance reform - dueling TV ads being the latest addition to the mix - there is no escaping one simple fact:Like rats leaving a sinking ship, insurance carriers have been fleeing Massachusetts in droves over the past decade. The method used to apportion high- risk drivers is unfair and unwieldy and there is no incentive to root out fraud, so Massachusetts drivers are filing more claims than those in any other state....

 Data May Challenge Insurance Firm Spin; Some Critics See Red
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Commerce Insurance has been presenting itself in a media blitz as the champion of blue-collar and urban motorists who might be harmed by auto-insurance reforms the company is now fighting.But data shows that Commerce, which controls 29 percent of the insurance market in Massachusetts, falls behind in serving some urban communities.The company, for instance, has a market share of just 18.1 percent in parts of Chelsea and Lawrence....

 Andy's Hitting the Road to Stardom ; MOTORING: City Dad is New Face of the RAC for Television Advertising Campaign
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
MOVE over Howard Brown! Birmingham's most famous bank manager is in danger of losing his crown as the King of TV adverts if RAC patrolman Andy Fuller gets his way. And although Andy doesn't sing like Howard - who shot to fame as the face of the Halifax - the patrolman is already considering more acting roles on the back of his first taste of the limelight....

 Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Texas General Agency, Inc. And Affiliates
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. today announced that it has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Texas General Agency, Inc. and certain affiliates. Philo Smith & Co. served as advisor to TGA on the transaction."We believe that TGA's experienced management team and established network of general and retail agents will be complementary to Hallmark's existing Commercial Lines Group," stated Mark E. Schwarz, Hallmark's President and Chief Executive Officer....

 Get Your Auto Policy, Car Ready for Winter, Advises AutoInsurancePlanners.Com
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Winter has arrived across the U.S., and in northern areas that means hazardous driving. If you need to do a lot of winter driving, here are three auto insurance considerations:1. If you can afford to pay for smaller repairs on your car, raise your deductible....

 Police Scrap or Sell Uninsured Cars
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
ESSEX police are to scrap or sell the cars of uninsured and unlicensed motorists. Under new laws drivers stopped will have 14 days to produce paperwork or lose their vehicle, the proceeds going to charity. A police spokesman said: "This will hit where it hurts - in the pocket....

 Reilly Hits Romney's Auto Rate Proposal
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Nov. 15--Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly yesterday warned that Governor Mitt Romney's auto insurance legislative package greatly favors corporate interests at the expense of consumers and will increase the rates of urban drivers dramatically. Breaking a self-imposed silence on the governor's bill on the eve of a legislative hearing today, Reilly said Romney's legislation fails to address the need for accident and fraud reduction and offers little rate protection to drivers who were stung by deregulation in the 1970s. "At a time when the data and evidence are pointing toward record decreases in the premiums our drivers should pay, the governor's plan will raise rates for large numbers of Massachusetts consumers without providing any protections or benefits," Reilly said in a letter sent to legislators yesterday....

 Months Behind Wheel
Saturday, November 12, 2005
BRITONS spend an average of 30 months behind the wheel of a car in their lifetimes, a survey reveals today. Those in north east England do the most driving, being stuck behind the wheel for the equivalent of 33 months during their lives, the survey from the Prudential Car Insurance company found. Londoners (25.8 months) and Welsh drivers (25.9 months) do the least lifetime driving....

 State Auto Financial Declares Quarterly Dividend
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Today the board of directors of State Auto Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:STFC) declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.09 per share, payable December 31, 2005, to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 15, 2005.State Auto Financial Corporation, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, is a regional property and casualty insurance holding company engaged primarily in writing both personal and commercial lines of insurance. The company currently markets its products through nearly 22,000 independent insurance agents associated with more than 3,100 agencies in 26 central and eastern states, excluding New York, New Jersey and the New England states....

 Gerald Fels, Executive Vice President and CFO of The Commerce Group, Inc., To Speak on November 15, 2005 at the Credit Suisse First Boston Insurance Conference in New York City
Friday, November 11, 2005
The Commerce Group, Inc. (NYSE:CGI) today announced that Gerald Fels, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will make a presentation at the Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) Insurance Conference in New York City on Tuesday, November 15, 2005, at 8:10 a.m. (EST).A copy of the written portion of the presentation will also be available on the Company's website under the "Presentations" area of the "News and Investor Information" section.Commerce Group refers you to its 2004 Form 10-K and September 30, 2005 Form 10-Q for a description of the Company's business environment and important other factors that may affect its business, including its language regarding forward-looking statements....

 `Reject' Ads' Failed Attack on Insurance Bill
Friday, November 11, 2005
If you think the new commercials attacking Mitt Romney over car insurance sound desperate, you should hear the defense of the people behind them."I have a blue-collar job: Governor Romney thinks I'm a reject," says another. The ads are put out by something called "The Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Auto Insurance for All."...

 Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation to Present at the Credit Suisse First Boston Insurance Conference
Friday, November 11, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation , today announced Mr. James R. Gober, Chairman, President and CEO will speak at the Credit Suisse First Boston Insurance Conference in New York on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 11:30 a.m. (ET). A live webcast will be available at http://ir.ipacc.com/. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days, beginning on November 16, 2005....

 Your View: Your Texts
Thursday, November 10, 2005
ANYONE who doesn't have car insurance should be banned for life....

 CLAMPED ; A Million Uninsured Rogue Drivers Are Warned: We Will Take Your Car Away and You'Ll Have to Pay to Get It Back
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
CAR insurance dodgers will be clamped in a campaign to clear the roads of the 'motoring underclass'. The Lord Chancellor ordered the crackdown yesterday as he stepped up the war on hundreds of thousands of rogue drivers, often in deathtrap vehicles. Sophisticated databases linking insurance companies with the DVLA, and smart cameras which log number plates will help tighten the net....

 EXCLUSIVE; Study: Mass. Drivers Paying Too Much
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Massachusetts motorists pay 27 percent more in auto insurance than average Americans as a result of a flawed system that encourages frivolous claims and even insurance fraud, according to a new study commissioned by an industry group seeking major regulatory reforms.About 87 percent of Massachusetts motorists also subsidize the rates paid by the remaining 13 percent of drivers due to the current regulatory setup, according to the report, conducted by a former Clinton administration economist for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America."By virtually every measure, the regulatory arrangements adopted by Massachusetts to achieve these goals have failed."...

 Pet Insurance: Keep Pet Costs on a Tight Leash ; Insurance Policy Will Pay Off in the Long Run
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
PET insurance can save you thousands of pounds in vet's bills.Mike Hall, of Braid Vets Hospital in Edinburgh, says: "Unless you've won the pools or the lottery it's very important to have cover."It's extremely likely at some stage during your pet's life that you're going to have to pay vet's fees."...

 'I Find These Firms Insulting'
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
"that's outrageous," Sally Siggers [OK] says when told older female car drivers face higher insurance premiums. "It doesn't seem fair women should be penalised when they hit 40 just because the statistics show they have more accidents. The 23-year-old events and fundraising assistant, of Heaton, Newcastle, who drives a Renault Clio, has just seen her car insurance drop dramatically....

 POLS & POLITICS; Election Insurance?
Monday, November 07, 2005
Perhaps you've seen the new political ads urging support for Gov. Mitt Romney's auto insurance reform bill that would deregulate the industry.Oddly, the ads quote Attorney General Tom Reilly, who hasn't exactly been a political ally of Romney. A Herald review found that during the past three years, Reilly has taken $5,775 from executives of insurance companies that paid for the political ads sponsored by the Massachusetts Insurance Federation....

 Money People: NOT ON YOUR TELLY ; Don't Get Caught By Rip-Off Warranties
Sunday, November 06, 2005
BUY a TV, fridge or washing machine and the chances are you'll be offered an extra three-years insurance by a pushy salesman. For example, if you buy a pounds 400 Zanussi fridge freezer from Comet, you'll be offered a three-year extended warranty for pounds 140. And you can save similar amounts on washing machines and fridges from Currys, Comet and most High Street stores....