Out to Grow in Oregon, GEICO Opens in Clackamas
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Nov. 24--CLACKAMAS -- GEICO, billionaire investor Warren Buffett's auto insurance company, wants to become a major force in the Oregon market. Hugh McClelland, director of western region sales, says GEICO has a plan for increasing those numbers. McClelland came from his Florida office to Clackamas last week for the opening of GEICO's first Portland-area sales office at 13031 S.W. 84th Ave., just off Sunnybrook Road....

 NEWS in Brief; Fraud Probe Hits Home for Lawrence's Top Cop
Friday, November 25, 2005
The auto insurance fraud investigation Lawrence Police Chief John J. Romero launched two years ago has hit close to home with the arrest of his girlfriend's daughter.Kelly A. Frazier, 34, of Salem, N.H., pleaded not guilty to insurance fraud and attempted larceny, The Eagle-Tribune reported. She allegedly allowed scammers to use her name on an accident form in exchange for $200 during a 2002 crash....

 Drinking & Driving Can Create Holiday Tragedies -- 21st Century Insurance Urges Safe Driving With Seasonal Campaign
Thursday, November 24, 2005
This holiday season is expected to be among the busiest ever on US roads. As drivers rush to check-off last-minute shopping lists and attend holiday parties, 21st Century Insurance (NYSE:TW) is urging motorists to remember the dangers of driving under the influence and reconsider the myths about drinking and driving."One way to reduce fatal traffic accidents is to not let common myths convince anyone that it's OK to get behind the wheel of a car after having a few drinks at a holiday party," said Joyce Prager, Assistant Vice President, Community Relations for 21st Century Insurance....

 Gizmo May Cut Premiums for Safe Drivers
Thursday, November 24, 2005
An insurer is trying out computerized car monitoring to identify low-risk -- and high-risk -- customers. Gene Mahoney considers daredevil drivers a major culprit in the high cost of auto insurance, and he doesn't want to pay for their recklessness. In six months, he'll transfer the monitor's data to his home computer and send it electronically to his auto insurer, Progressive Corp. Once he does, the company will provide an immediate $50 break on his semiannual premium....

 Reilly, Romney Square Off on Overhaul of Auto Insurance
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Patriot Ledger State House BureauBOSTON - Attorney General Thomas Reilly and Gov. Mitt Romney agree that Massachusetts' auto insurance system needs a change. In written testimony submitted at a Financial Services Committee hearing yesterday, Reilly lambasted the governor's plan, which Romney says would increase competition and attract such national insurers to the state as Geico and State Farm by giving them more power to set their own rates....

 MO Court of Appeals Rules Severance of Tort, Uninsured Motorist Claims Was Abuse of Discretion
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
(This article was originally published in Missouri Lawyers Weekly, St. Louis, MO, another Dolan Media publication.)A trial court's severance of tort and uninsured motorist claims arising from an auto accident was an abuse of discretion, the Missouri Court of Appeals held. [I]t does not appear that any Missouri appellate court has addressed the issue of exactly what circumstances make it unwise or unfair to try tort and UM claims arising out of a single automobile accident collision together, the Southern District stated in an opinion that examines the application of Rule 66.02....

 Play the CLAIM ; THE BENEFITS OF PAYING PROTECTION MONEY
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
SAFE drivers should grab the chance to protect the no-claims discounts offered by their car insurers. Her Citroen C2 car was dented in the school car park while she was teaching a music lesson. "Although one teacher noticed a van struggling to get out of the space next to my car, there were no witnesses," says Dawn of Ash, Surrey....

 Details of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance's Biz Results in April-Sept.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Tokyo, Nov. 22 (Jiji Press)--Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Tuesday reported a group net profit of 33,644 million yen for April- September, up 18.8 pct from the same period last year.Following are other key points in the firm's business report for April-September: Net Premium Revenue 628,698 M. Yen (Up 2.8 Pct Yr/ Yr) Loss Ratio56.4 Pct (55.2 Pct a Year Before)...

 So You Think You're British?
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
The NS is pleased to announce its own citizenship test to sort the true Brit from the chaff. 2) Name our leader: President Blair or Prime Minister Blair.7) In what year did Winston Churchill invent car insurance?...

 EDITORIAL: No Car Insurance? Texas Might Finally Catch Up With You
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Nov. 21--Drive any expressway in Texas and, odds are, at least a couple of drivers in the other lanes are uninsured. Even if you never have an accident, uninsured drivers in Texas are costing insured drivers money - about $900 million annually in premiums for uninsured-driver coverage. They're in the process of taking bids from vendors to devise a massive insurance database of the state's 15 million drivers and their insurance companies....

 Secrets of the Best Auto Rates Revealed By AutoInsurancePlanners.Com
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
What many people don't realize is that auto insurers do not all offer the full menu of discounts, says www.AutoInsurancePlanners.com. Hey, it might even make you a more cautious driver -- which will keep your rates down in the long run.One carrier suggests dropping collision coverage if yourcollision premium equals 10 percent of the car's market value....

 Women Set the Pace to Cut Cost of Motoring ;Taxing Times at 72 ; ASK THE EXPERTS
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
TODAY'S experts are PAUL DICKSON of Dickson Insurance Brokers in Watford, Hertfordshire; RICHARD HUNTER at London stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown; VIVIENNE STARKEY of City-based adviser Equal Partners; PATRICK CONNOLLY of financial adviser JSP, based in Marlow, Buckinghamshire; and EILEEN DOHERTY of specialist tax adviser The Doherty Partnership, based in Catford, south London. Please send only copies of relevant documents, which, we regret, cannot be returned. N. W. writes: I have been told some insurers specialise in offering cheaper car insurance to women drivers....

 At-Fault Insurance a Pain, Physical Therapists Say
Monday, November 21, 2005
Because of the new at-fault auto insurance system, many of Colorado's physical therapists are not being paid within an adequate time frame. "If we see any of the money from a tort (at-fault ) case, it will be at a greatly reduced rate as compared to other payers," said Natty Nettesheim, office manager of Lyons Physical Therapy.In 2003, Colorado changed from its former no-fault auto insurance system to its present at-fault plan, in which only the atfault motorist (or his insurance) is responsible for costs....

 Gov, AG Clashing Over Auto-Insurance Reform
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Gov. Mitt Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly duked it out yesterday over auto-insurance reform proposals and Reilly's call to cut premium rates by 18 percent.The Republican governor said he couldn't endorse Reilly's rate cut because it's "just rhetoric" and won't be approved by Insurance Commissioner Julie Bowler, even though Romney said he would love to see rates fall in general.A better long-term way to cut rates would be to approve his reform package that calls for more market-driven competition within the insurance industry, Romney said....

 Property: Must Hell Freeze Over Before You Buy Rescue Cover? ; How to Find the Best Deals on Breakdown Insurance As the Winter Threatens a Spate of Conked-Out Cars
Sunday, November 20, 2005
As forecasters prepare us for sub-zero weather conditions, car- breakdown cover will be an essential if you don't want to be left stranded this winter. Along with the discomfort of sitting in freezing temperatures while you wait for help, you could face an average bill of pounds 65 if you break down without cover and have to call a local garage instead, according to research from Tesco Personal Finance. While many would think of turning to the AA and RAC, two brands that have long dominated the market, price-comparison website insuresupermarket.com reports that you can get standard roadside cover from as little as pounds 40 a year " against pounds 100 with larger rivals....

 Op-Ed; On Paper, Unfinished Biz; Gov Can't Yet Sign Off on Goals Realized
Saturday, November 19, 2005
This wiseguy advice - "don't speak when you can nod, don't nod when you can wink" - needs a coda. Gov. Mitt Romney met with the Herald before the start of this legislative session, to assess 2004 accomplishments and outline his 2005 goals. So it's only fair, now that the 2005 formal session is "done" (in that unique Beacon Hill meaning of the term) to use Romney's own words to measure the results, and try to glean their impact on his decision to run for president as a one-term governor....

 KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC.: Steady Insurer of North American Trucks, Cars and Profit Growth
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Until a recent decision to exit certain unprofitable lines of insurance, Kingsway's revenues grew at a very high rate, very consistently. With the stocks of such companies, there is always the risk of a sharp decline in: (1) the P/E ratio - and share price - resulting from a surprising decline in a company's actual (or expected) EPS growth; or, (2) the general stock market.To mitigate these risks, prudent investors would only consider purchasing such stocks using a series of modest purchases spread out over several months, quarters, and even years - rather than a single large purchase....

 Robbery
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Motorist robbed after early-morning accidentA man who was trying to exchange auto insurance information with another driver following a wreck told police he was robbed early Thursday.According to police spokeswoman Kristi Pankratz, officers were called at about 2:20 a.m. to S.W. 8th and MacVicar, where a 21-year- old man told them he had been driving north on MacVicar when he rear- ended a light green Ford Escort....

 Editorial; For Lawmakers, to-Do List is Long
Saturday, November 19, 2005
After a pitifully slow start, the Legislature actually managed to make some headway in the first half of this two-year session - most of it in that hurry-up style for which they are notorious.They didn't have much to show for the first half of the year but emergency contraception, stem cells and the state budget, but they have since adopted legislation aimed at cracking down on drunken drivers, improving benefits for veterans and call firefighters, and luring movie productions to the Bay State.They rejected Gov. Mitt Romney's good-faith effort to block retroactive taxation of those who earned capital gains in early 2002, and the House hastily dismissed the governor's death penalty bill....

 Ruling Could Raise Car Insurance ; N.J. Officials Dismiss Industry Group Study
Saturday, November 19, 2005
TRENTON - An insurance industry study says New Jersey's car insurance rates could increase due to a state Supreme Court ruling making it easier for accident victims to sue.A Supreme Court ruling in June allows people who suffer permanent injuries in car accidents to sue over pain and suffering, even if their injuries are minor. Assemblyman Neil Cohen, chairman of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, dismissed the study as insurance industry scare tactics....

 Accident Forgiveness, Auto Replacement Value Available, for a Price
Friday, November 18, 2005
What about demolishing your brand new car and discovering you are thousands of dollars in the hole because your insurance covers only the car's depreciated value? Pennsylvania's third largest auto insurer has been plastering billboards and blanketing the airwaves with promises of accident forgiveness, meaning the company won't raise your rates in an at-fault accident, plus a new car if yours is wrecked. The offerings are part of Allstate's new "your choice auto" program available in Pennsylvania and 20 other states....

 Net-Only Car Insurer Causes 5% Quote Cut
Friday, November 18, 2005
A new internet-only car insurer could cause the most significant shake- up in the market for motor policies since Direct Line's launch 20 years ago, a report from Deloitte will suggest today. The analyst's latest Quarterly Motor Insurance Market Report reveals the launch of Swiftcover this year has already resulted in a 5 per cent reduction in the average quote given by motor insurers for new policies. Catherine Barton, an insurance partner at Deloitte, said: 'Direct Line completely challenged the status quo by selling insurance directly to car owners, rather than through brokers, but it's fair to say Swiftcover may be moving that status quo on....

 Progressive Distributes October Results
Friday, November 18, 2005
The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) today reported the following results for October 2005:See the complete monthly release at http://investors.progressive.com/releases/2005/pdf/mreport_1005.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....

 GEICO Pursues Restitution From Auto Thieves; New Law Aids Recovery of Deductibles, Other Expenses
Friday, November 18, 2005
CHEVY CHASE, Md., Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- "Some auto insurance companies may be satisfied with cutting a check to settle matters when a policyholder's vehicle is stolen, torched or vandalized. For GEICO, the case doesn't end there anymore," said Seth Ingall, GEICO's vice president of claims.GEICO is aggressively using state criminal systems to go after people convicted of auto theft or auto damage so the court can order them to personally return lost deductibles and other expenses to GEICO policyholders....

 Reilly, Romney Spar on Auto Insurance Reform Bill
Friday, November 18, 2005
The attorney general says "all hell will break loose" if Governor Romney's plan is adopted. BOSTON - Governor Romney and Attorney General Tom Reilly sparred over auto insurance yesterday, 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. The Republican governor testified before a legislative committee yesterday, urging lawmakers to adopt his proposal to deregulate the auto insurance industry and allow more providers to do business in Massachusetts....