Getting the Most Out of Auto Coverage
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Auto coverage is something people don't take pleasure in paying for, but we do it as a necessity. Savvy consumers want the best bang for their buck, so they shop around for the best coverage and the best service, all for the best rates possible.There are many factors insurance companies use to determine premiums including age, driving record, credit rating, safety devices and geographical location....
KNOCK NAMES ; Drivers Called Gabriel in More Crashes Than Archies or Dylans
Friday, November 10, 2006
MOTORISTS named Gabriel are no angels when it comes to being involved in collisions. They both have more than a one-in-five risk of crashing their cars - around three times the rate of any Archies or Dylans or Isabellas or Eleanors, according to new statistics. If you want to be the safest vehicle handler on the road, be called Elliot or Ellis - as they have just a six per cent chance of a prang....
KNOCK NAMES ; Drivers Called Jamie and Lydia Are Most Accident-Prone Scots
Friday, November 10, 2006
MOTORISTS named Jamie are more likely to have a crash than any other driver, a study claimed yesterday. They have a 16 per cent risk of being in a collision compared to just two per cent of Ryans - who are the safest men behind the wheel in Scotland. If you are offered a lift from a Lydia, think twice - they top the accident-prone list for Scots women as they have a 14 per cent chance of having a shunt....
Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2006 Net Income of $4.9 Million, or $0.27 Per Diluted Share
Friday, November 10, 2006
FORT WORTH, Texas, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hallmark Financial Services, Inc. reported record quarterly net income of $4.9 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006, representing a 97% increase from the $2.5 million in net income for the third quarter of 2005. In the absence of this non-cash expense, the Company's net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2006, would have been $10.5 million, representing a 67% increase over the similar period of 2005, and its diluted earnings per share would have been $0.66 for the nine months ended September 30, 2006.During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2006, Hallmark reported total revenues of $56.4 million and $148.1 million, representing 124% and 145% increases, respectively, over the $25.2 million and $60.4 million in total revenues for the comparable periods of 2005....
Just in Time for the Holidays --Tax Bills!
Friday, November 10, 2006
Well, boys, this is the season to get your real estate tax bill in the mail.Go inside and nuke some of that tea your wife claims to be a kind of tranquilizer and then faint with nobody but Max, the hypertensive boxer, watching.Max won't care if you faint and recover long enough to feed him a couple of Breath Busters....
Jury Awards Motorist $1.25 Million in Lawsuit Against Insurance Company
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Nov. 8--DENVER - A jury last week awarded a paralyzed Walsenburg man $1.25 million in damages after concluding his auto insurance company in bad faith did not properly offer him coverage as the law required. The federal court jury last week concluded that American Family Mutual Insurance Co. was liable for not doing what it should to offer Whitehead enhanced personal injury (no-fault) coverage as part of his auto insurance policy. In Whitehead's case, he was entitled to have been offered coverage up to $200,000, but instead American Family limited his coverage to $130,000, the minimum, said Garrison, whose firm represented Whitehead....
Admiral Abroad
Thursday, November 09, 2006
CAR insurance group Admiral said its first overseas operation in Spain, trading under the name of Balumba.es, had opened in Seville.(c) 2006 Evening Mail; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning....
RECORD Money: DON't BE SO SURE ; Complaints Prompt the FSA and OFT to Probe Payment Protection Plans
Thursday, November 09, 2006
PAYMENT protection insurance is being tipped as the next big financial mis-selling scandal.The PPI industry rakes in around pounds 5.5billion worth ofBut only 20 per cent, or just over pounds 1bn, is paid out to customers - meaning the rest is commission for the sales people and profit for providers....
Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation Announces Fall Job Fair
Thursday, November 09, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation , headquartered in Birmingham, AL and the nation's third largest writer of nonstandard auto insurance through independent agents, today announced plans for its Fall 2006 Job Fair. The event will take place on Monday, November 13th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Birmingham Marriott, 3590 Grand View Parkway, Birmingham, AL 35243.Already a large employer in the Birmingham area, Infinity plans to add additional career opportunities in a variety of fields including Claims, Accounting, Customer Service, Human Resources and many more....
Insurance CEO Says Consumers in Driver's Seat
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Empowered by the Internet and bombarded by ever-increasing auto- insurance advertising, consumers are shopping more aggressively for insurance, and prices are coming down, according to the CEO of Progressive Corp. "There is a power shift to the consumer," Glenn Renwick said Friday during the third-quarter conference call of the country's third-largest auto insurer. He called the pricing atmosphere "deflationary" and said that for customers facing renewal in particular, pricing is an important factor....
Turning DVD Extras into Cash
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Some car chases in movies are so over the top that you might find yourself mentally trying to add up the cost of all the wreckage.The calculator is labeled "Progressive Direct: Insurance Damage Estimates." This digital gauge is the first in what Universal and other studios hope is a stream of branded interactive features on their new DVDs. Like those released in the rival Blu-ray format by Disney, Fox and other studios, the HD DVD discs issued by Universal, Paramount and Warner Brothers have about six times as much data capacity as standard DVDs....
A Five-Night Fling in the Highlands
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
ENJOY five nights in the Scottish Highlands with The Mail on Sunday Travel Selection. Visits to Balmoral, the Royal Family's favourite summer retreat, and Inverness, capital of the Highlands, are included in our itinerary. The price from Pounds 369 per person includes return flights to Edinburgh, transfers, coach travel in Scotland, five nights' accommodation with dinner, bed and breakfast, entrance to Balmoral Castle, visits to Cawdor Castle (entrance extra), Loch Ness, Inverness and Aviemore, and a tour of Royal Deeside....
IN BRIEF: Car Insurer Branches Out
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
CAR insurance group Admiral said its first overseas operation in Spain, trading under the name of Balumba.es, had opened in Seville.(c) 2006 Daily Post; Liverpool. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning....
Auto Insurance Sticker Shock Common for Parents of Teenagers
Monday, November 06, 2006
Luling resident Renee Helmstetter called State Farm to ask about auto insurance for her 15-year-old son Nicholas, who will have a learner's permit until next year when he turns 16.Auto insurance sticker shock is common for parents of teenagers as the age group pays the highest insurance rates nationwide because they are the leading cause of injury and fatality crashes every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Using a 2001 Accord LX in New Orleans as an example, State Farm spokesman Morris Anderson said the standard package of insurance coverage with no applied youth or student discounts costs the 16- year-old male driver three times more than a 35-year-old married driver....
Woman's Trial Date is Set in Schoolboy's Death: Seven Months After the Death of an 8-Year-Old Boy Who Was Struck By a Car on His Way to School, a Criminal Trial Date is Set for the Woman Accused of His
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Nov. 5--For a city in its infancy, the death of an 8-year-old boy struck by an out-of-control car as he walked to school, sparked an outpouring of emotion and anger among Doral residents. In the months since the youngster's death, additional traffic signs have sprouted around Eugenia B. Thomas Elementary School, school zones have been increased, and traffic citations have nearly doubled in the city. On Wednesday, a trial date was set for Ali Landdahetta-Ortez, 33, the driver of the 2004 black Volkswagon Jetta that struck Shaye as he walked along Northwest 114th Street near 59th Avenue, 200 yards away from the school....
Money People: Christmas Switching Mortgages
Sunday, November 05, 2006
YOU can save pounds 1,000 by Christmas switching mortgages, credit cards, loans, savings, plus home and car insurance, say Mon eys uper market.com.(c) 2006 People, The; London. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning....
Auto Insurance Scam Will Cost State Drivers
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Some New York and New Jersey drivers like calling North Carolina home just long enough to get cheaper auto insurance. Lower rates and lax registration laws have stoked the latest scam that could cause rates to rise for North Carolinians.An investigator for the N.C. Department of Insurance told The Charlotte Observer that rate evasion often begins at an insurance office....
PERSONAL FINANCE: Competition Brings Benefit for the Motorist in Spite of Premium Fears
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Consumers will continue to benefit from fierce competition in the car insurance market, despite fears of a widespread hike in premiums, it was claimed this week. Firms trying to both raise premiums and maintain market share would find it "almost impossible", Defaqto said. Its report, Motor Insurance in the UK - Adapting to Survive, said average premiums, particularly for comprehensive cover, were almost static....
Safeco Shares Tumble As Results Miss Estimate
Friday, November 03, 2006
Nov. 1--Safeco reported a $255.7 million third-quarter profit Tuesday, but the more closely that investors examined the Seattle-based insurer's numbers, the less they liked them. With one-time factors stripped out -- mainly the $122.6 million Safeco gained from selling real estate including its University District headquarters complex, and $22.9 million in net realized investment gains -- Safeco's core earnings worked out to $1.46 a share, short of the Wall Street consensus estimate of $1.52. That shortfall, plus evidence of declining premium revenue in Safeco's auto and business-insurance lines, helped push the insurer's shares down $1.51, or 2.5 percent, to close at $58.19....
Missouri Needs to Track Insurance
Friday, November 03, 2006
My wife was killed in an automobile crash caused by an uninsured motorist. Our family's loss was compounded by the knowledge that the state of Missouri does not have a system in place to remove uninsured vehicles from our highways.The Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles, which oversees licensing and registration of motor vehicles, seems to assume that all vehicles operating on our state's roads and highways have automobile insurance....
Britain is the Most Expensive Place to Run a Car
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
DRIVERS in Britain spend more on running their cars than their European neighbours, a survey reveals today. The average cost of running a family saloon here is Pounds 4,997 a year, Pounds 642 a year more than in Spain, Pounds 513 more than in France, Pounds 465 more than in Italy and Pounds 320 more than in Germany. In addition, new cars often cost up to Pounds 2,000 more here than in other European countries, according to the survey by Prudential Car Insurance....
Taxing Drivers
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
More than two thirds of North East motorists are unaware of the high costs of UK motoring. A survey by Prudential Car Insurance found 67% of drivers in the region underestimate the average pounds 416 per month running costs and put them at only pounds 100. Former race car driver Tiff Needell said: "The difference in costs between the UK and the rest of Europe are considerable."...
London is Paying Pounds 300m in Traffic Fines Every Year
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
RECORD numbers of motorists are being fined in London, a new study reveals. Half the fines were issued by just two councils, Ealing and Camden, which collected more than 100,000 penalties between them. Today experts warned that these figures were set to soar as more councils erect CCTV cameras to monitor traffic violations....
A.M. Best Special Report: Canadian Auto Insurance Industry Undergoes Dramatic Ups and Downs
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
During the past 10 years, the Canadian automobile insurance industry's underwriting results have changed dramatically as reflected by the significant variations in the direct loss ratio according to a special report by A.M. Best Co.From 1996 to 1998, the industry direct loss ratio remained flat at around 75. Alberta, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces were experiencing above-average loss ratios; however, the direct loss ratio in Alberta was heading in the right direction....
VIDEO From Medialink: Why You May Need Gap Insurance
Monday, October 30, 2006
People carry auto insurance, in part, to protect themselves if their car is stolen or if it's damaged or destroyed in an accident. But, sometimes basic insurance coverage isn't enough and you may need something called "gap insurance."(See video at: http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=32462)...