Daily Headlines: Friday, April 1, 2011

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April 1, 2011 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National GE Unlikely to Face Liability in Japanese Nuclear Crisis The Japanese nuclear crisis has created a public-relations headache for General Electric, but the company so far has escaped any legal ... New Chartis CEO Hancock: Successor to Benmosche? American International Group reorganized its biggest unit and charged derivatives veteran Peter Hancock with turning around the struggling ... Special Report: Top 10 Innovative P/C Insurance Products A wave of new product offerings is jeopardizing the property/casualty insurance industry's image as uncool. Since the beginning of the ... Walking on Water Risky, Even in Big Plastic Balls The government is warning people to stay out of those giant see-through inflatable spheres known as "water walking balls'' because of the ... U.S. Traffic Deaths Dropped to New Low in 2010 U.S. traffic deaths dropped by 3 percent to a record annual low of 32,788 for 2010 even as motorists drove more in an improving economy, ... R-T Specialty Completes Acquisition of American E&S Chicago-based R-T Specialty, the wholesale brokerage unit of Ryan Specialty Group, reports it has closed on the acquisition of American ... Hartford Steam Boiler Addresses Farm Owners' EPL Exposures The current economy has led to an increase in employment practices liability claims for businesses of all description, not just commercial... More National News East Boston Transit Worker Rescued After 30-Foot Fall A veteran electrician with Boston's transit system who was trying to make work conditions safer for others fell into a 30-foot deep shaft ... New Jersey Dwarf Couple Sues Cable Channel for Defamation A dwarf couple from southern New Jersey has filed a defamation lawsuit against a cable television channel that used a doctored photo of the ... Virginia Governor Vetoes $1M Increase on MedMal Cap Gov. Bob McDonnell has vetoed bills that would have increased the maximum damage award for a medical malpractice lawsuit from $2 million to ... Massachusetts Ex-Prison Worker Gets Probation for Workers’ Comp Fraud A former Massachusetts prisons worker has been sentenced to five years of probation for defrauding the state by running long-distance races ... GCube Makes Expands Underwriting and Business Development Team Newport Beach, Calif.-based GCube has announced that Michael Durning has been named executive vice president of client relations and ... More East News Understanding E&O Coverage Join us for a breakdown of the E&O policy form and learn how to properly insure your client's exposures. Live training Thursday, April 7.. Plus get the recordings so you don't miss anything! Reserve your seat today Midwest Officials Look to Curb 'Rebating' in Sales of Federal Crop Insurance Farmers and insurance agents who sell them federal crop insurance policies may soon be required to certify that they are not participating ... Red River Flood Mitigation Plan Requires State, Local Approvals The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it needs formal approval from state and local officials in two states by April 11 to keep alive the ... North Dakota Flood Helpline Now Operating Fargo officials have yet to deliver sandbags to residents along the Red River, but the North Dakota city's flood hotline is up and running. ... More Midwest News Southeast Florida Lawmakers Advance Plan to Shrink State Insurer Citizens Florida lawmakers have approved a plan designed to move more property owners into the private insurance market by restricting what ... South Carolina Moves Forward with Construction Defect Bill Insurers in South Carolina may find themselves on the losing side over a battle to prevent construction defects from being covered under a ... Brown & Brown to Acquire Tennessee Bank’s First Horizon Insurance Brown & Brown has agreed to acquire First Horizon Insurance Group Inc. from First Tennessee Bank. The acquisition is expected to close ... More Southeast News South Central Arkansas House Passes Budget with Insurance Department Funding The Arkansas House, on its fourth try, passed a $4.6 billion state budget that includes operating funds for the state insurance department. ... Defining Standards in Texas for the Duty to Defend and Indemnify After years of maintaining that the duty to defend and the duty to indemnify were independent duties in a liability policy, the Texas ... Health Overhaul Insurance Bill Advances in Arkansas Arkansas lawmakers moved ahead on a plan to enable the state insurance department to create a framework for a health insurance exchange, ... Texas Sets Workers' Comp Discount, Interest Rate for Q2 at 3.74% The Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers' Compensation has determined that the workers' compensation discount and interest ... More South Central News Registrations are now open: Perpetual Pipeline - The 4 P's of Success In this webinar we will explore the psychology that prevents you from asking for introductions. You will discover and learn to describe your ideal prospect. You will learn to apply the 6 degrees of separation process to uncover key client relationships. Join us this Wednesday, April 6 for this live class online. Plus get the recordings so you can listen and review again later. Reserve your seat today! West Calif. Bill Would Give Insurance Commissioner Stronger Penalty Powers California Sen. Noreen Evans, D-District 2, has introduced legislation to grant explicit authority to the state Insurance Commissioner to ... Montana Workers’ Comp Claims Decrease 5% Montana workers' compensation claims have decreased by more than 5 percent in the past year, state Insurance Commissioner Monica J. Lindeen ... Washington Sees 44 Fewer Traffic Fatalities The year 2010 marked the safest year on Washington's roadways in history, with 44 fewer traffic-related deaths than the 492 in 2009, ... WIAA Insurance Adds Market Access for E&S Coverage WIAA Insurance Services, the general agency arm of the Western Insurance Agents Association (WIAA) has expanded their relationship with ... Oregon Proposes Relaxing Motorcycle Helmet Law Oregon legislators are considering a proposal that would relax the state's motorcycle helmet law, requiring only persons under 21 years of ... Idaho Rejects Uninsured Motorist Reporting Program Idaho legislators have rejected a bill that would have created an uninsured motorist database pilot program. If HB 311 had passed, insurers ... Insurance Wholesaler Socius Appoints Vu Assistant VP Socius Insurance Services Inc., a San Francisco-based management liability and property and casualty insurance wholesaler, announced the ... More West News International Lloyd's Director Luke Savage on 2010 Results, Japan, What’s Ahead His voice was a little husky, but Luke Savage -- Lloyd's Director of Finance, Risk Management and Operations -- was still pleased to ... Mexico Climate Change Deal to be Debated in Bangkok The following is a synopsis of the subjects for a debate on climate change and the proposals made at the Cancun summit last December. ... April 1st International News Ireland to become 1st U.S. State The Irish are fed up with European Union demands that they raise their corporate tax rate -- currently ... ABI Endorses UK Government’s Proposed Legal Reforms The Association of British Insurers has endorsed recently announced government proposals to reform the UK's civil litigation procedures. ... Ariel Re Estimates Q1 2011 Cat Losses between $35-$50 Million Bermuda-based Ariel Reinsurance Company, the reinsurance subsidiary of Ariel Holdings Ltd., announced that its initial estimate of losses ... Ratings Roundup: Insurance Barbados, SOLID A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating of 'A-' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of "a-" of Insurance Corporation ... More International News Join the Insurance Journal Network Insurance Journal TV Soft Market Is Finally Ending, Really, Says SNL Financial Could the long soft market really be over? Several recent reports concluded it is not over.... Watch Now Will Deficit Debate Affect Flood Insurance? Taxes? Following the November elections, Congress and the White House, as well as states, have... Watch Now Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv New Discussions in the Forums National Agents Alliance? Legit or Keep Away? Posted: Thu Mar 31 -- I'm just starting with National Agents Alliance, and getting free leads within 20 miles of home, and over half the appointments are closing... pontiac Which carrier is best for hotels? Posted: Thu Mar 31 -- Did you find a company to write your risk? I can quote traveler for you if you send me the information. Chelsea at PA Dog Liability to meet State Requirements Posted: Thu Mar 31 -- Traveler will not write it. I do not know any company will wirte dog with history of bitten pecosins Agency Appointment/ Agent Certification Posted: Wed Mar 30 -- Not sure about your state, but in my state, the insurance laws prohibit an agent from setting up shop merely to handle family... Island Girl Agent Philadelphia Insurance Company Posted: Wed Mar 30 -- I agree. Great company to deal with. MargieNY Using a recorder for CPCU study Posted: Wed Mar 30 -- From time to time I see people asking for the best way to study a CPCU test. Although there are numerous ways one thing I've done (currently... BrianBaughman Marketing Marketing Marketing Posted: Tue Mar 29 -- A large part of my success has come from direct mail. Post Cards on the Personal Lines Side and Letters to the commercial side. Also,... FFA cpcu woes Posted: Mon Mar 28 -- The fact that only 3-5% of those working in P&C get the designation will, in itself, make you a standout.If at all possible keep plugging... Dave Medvidofsky Commercial Auto in CA Posted: Mon Mar 28 -- Again, don't know what kind of auto risk you have but Mercury has great Commercial Auto rates in CA. jacot Go to Forums Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us Current Issue HOT New Markets & Programs, High Risk Property, Corporate Profiles, 2010 Mergers & Acquisitions Summary Report More Newsletters Choose Newsletters Daily Headlines Weekly Reader Picks Magazine Update Insurance Journal TV Classifieds Breaking News MyNewMarkets Daily Claims Daily Enter Your E-mail Market Directories Excess & Surplus Markets Programs Workers' Comp Markets New Insurance Jobs Underwriting Manager Chief Information Officer (CIO) Personal Lines High Net Worth Producer Have a job opening? List it on our Web site. How to Advertise For information about advertising on this newsletter and Insurance Journal magazines, contact Julie Tinney at (800) 897-9965 x148. 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