Daily Headlines: Thursday, April 7, 2011

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April 7, 2011 News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West Video Today's Headlines National House Flood Insurance Reform Bill Wins Bipartisan Support A House subcommittee yesterday approved a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and reform the nation's flood insurance program. The 10 ... ‘Above Average’ 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season Forecast The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season will be above average with nine hurricanes, five of them major, with a more than 70 percent chance that ... Transocean Executives Donating Safety Bonuses to Oil Spill Victims Executives at the offshore drilling contractor at the center of last year's Gulf of Mexico oil spill are donating bonuses they got for the ... Ratings: Madison Mutual, Lyndon Property, Great Northwest, Ocean Harbor A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength rating to 'A-' (Excellent) from 'A' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating to "a-" ... Allied World U.S. Enhances Management Liability Product for Healthcare Organizations Allied World Assurance Co. has introduced Allied World U.S.'s new ForceField management liability package product for U.S. Healthcare ... By-Peril Rating Plan Advances More Precise Homeowners Rating The pricing of homeowners insurance, traditionally a matter of averaging all risks, is becoming more precise and customized to the... More National News The Future of Insurance Production and Distribution The new insurance distribution system is not your daddy's distribution system. Did you know that 80% - 90% of all purchasing decisions START on the Internet? What does that mean for you and your business' future? Live training Thursday, April 14. Plus get the recordings so you don't miss anything! Space is limited. Learn more and reserve your seat today! East Little Support for Marriage Alternative in Rhode Island A proposal to extend some of the rights of marriage to same-sex couples and others who can't legally marry, such as siblings, is winning ... The Hartford Targets Homeowners with Electric Vehicles The Hartford has added electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at three of its major campuses in Connecticut, an effort tied to the ... Long Island Agent Accused of Stealing Premiums A Long Island insurance agent is being accused of stealing almost $8,000 in premiums. Police say complaints by several clients led to the ... Jimcor Hires Boyd as Pennsylvania Branch Manager New Jersey-based Jimcor Agencies has named Kristoffer Boyd branch manager for its office in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. Boyd joins ... More East News Unraveling the Mysteries Behind Excess and Umbrella Liability Insurance (2-Part Series) Learn how to prevent gaps in coverage between the excess and umbrella liability policy and the underlying liability insurance policies to minimize potential E&O exposures. Live training Wednesday, April 13 and April 20. Plus get the recordings so you don't miss anything! Space is limited. Learn more and reserve your seat today! Midwest Enbridge Says Michigan Oil Spill Cost $550 Million Enbridge Inc. says the spill of at least 800,000 of oil into the Kalamazoo River system near Marshall cost the pipeline company $550 ... Iowa Couple Sues Ex-Landlord Over Fatal Fire A Des Moines, Iowa, couple says their former landlord is to blame for the death of their granddaughter and their own disabling injuries in ... Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Workers' Comp Fraud A North Baltimore, Ohio, man has pleaded guilty to one count to workers' compensation fraud. An investigation by the Ohio Bureau of ... More Midwest News Southeast Allstate Looking to Open 50 New Agencies in Florida Allstate Insurance says it wants to open nearly 50 new agency offices in Florida. About half of those openings will be in north Florida, ... Tennessee Governor Urged to Sign Personal Lines Flexible Rating Bill Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill allowing property/casualty insurers to implement rate adjustments for personal auto and home ... Alabama Governor to Form Coastal Insurance Panel Alabama Governor Robert Bentley is creating a commission to address the rising cost of insurance for the state's coastal homeowners. ... Mississippi Governor Signs School Bus Safety Bill Mississippi  Gov. Haley Barbour has signed into law a school bus safety bill drafted in response to a Jones County child's death. The ... More Southeast News South Central Oklahoma Tells Actuary to Cease Insurance Company Business Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has told an actuary in his state to stop acting like an insurance company. An emergency cease and ... Wildfire Danger Critical in Oklahoma, Texas Bulldozers and airplanes have been put on alert as Texas faces an increased threat for wildfires. In Oklahoma, that state has experienced ... 9 Accused of Staging Auto Wrecks in Louisiana Nine people have been arrested in the Lafayette, La.-area and accused of staging auto wrecks to collect insurance proceeds. State police ... Designated Driver Services Steering Drinkers to Safety The evolution of the cab has come. Those who enjoy a night of drinking can now hire a company to give them rides home in their own car ... More South Central News West Calif. Workers’ Comp Rating Bureau To Skip Mid-Year Rate Filing California's Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau governing board has decided not to make a mid-year pure premium rate filing ... California Bill Forces Rental Firms to Pull Recalled Vehicles California lawmakers this week took a step toward enacting what would be the nation's first law forcing rental car companies to pull ... Baseball League Not Liable in Woman’s Death, Wyoming Jury Rules A Wyoming  jury has ruled that a youth baseball league is not responsible for the death of a woman at a Casper ball field in 2008. The ... Calif. Workers’ Comp Rating Bureau Could Recommend 40% Rate Increase The Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California is discussing a pure premium rate increase of up to 40 percent at today's ... Thomas Bergin Agency Joins ISU Network Thomas Bergin Agency of Woodland Hills, Calif., has joined the ISU Network. Founded in 1991, ISU Thomas Bergin Agency specializes in ... McCubbin Joins IMA of Colorado's Sales Team IMA of Colorado Inc., a retail insurance brokerage, has announced that Mike McCubbin joined IMA as a business development executive. IMA of ... More West News International Strong Earthquake Shakes Japan’s Ruined Northeast Coast Another Strong Earthquake Shakes Japan's Ruined Northeast Coast A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 shook the northeast of Japan late on ... ICC Warns Doha Failure Would Have Dire Consequences for World Economy The Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce  (ICC) has issued a bulletin strongly supporting a call from the World Trade ... New Zealand to Back Insurer AMI Despite Budget Pain New Zealand's government has agreed to provide financial support for AMI, the country's second-largest residential insurer, after two major ... Transatlantic Holdings Estimates Q1 Cat Losses at $355 Million Transatlantic Holdings (TRH) announced that it expects to incur total net catastrophe costs (net of reinstatement premiums and reinsurance) ... Aon Benfield Launches Cyprus Earthquake Model Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corp., has launched an earthquake model for the island of ... Ratings Roundup: Syndicate 382/Hardy, Samsung Europe A.M. Best Europe Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of 'A' (Excellent) and issuer credit rating ... 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 QQ Evolution/Solution Management System? Posted: Thu Apr 7 -- Well agent79, We're a small agency looking to graduate from doing stuff on excel and get a management system. I've checked out the demos... Brand Looking for an opinion Posted: Wed Apr 6 -- Thank you so much for the advise. I will follow it through as I know the business and I do know for a fact that... RKunz2 High value homes Posted: Wed Apr 6 -- What State is the property located on? if in California, I recommed Commerce West on the Elite Program, and if you insure the vehicles as... 805roper Continuing Education ... Masters Degree in Insurance? Posted: Wed Apr 6 -- I agree as well. In far less time, you can learn almost as much as there is to know about a subject by completing the right designations. An... alx730 National Agents Alliance? Legit or Keep Away? Posted: Tue Apr 5 -- The key to finding out more about a Cluster or Alliance type group is to talk to agency members of a given group. One member is only one... AgencyEquity Agency Management System Posted: Mon Apr 4 -- Have done demos of Partner XE and Hawksoft and am torn. Both seem to do what we need and expect with Partner XE having a leg up due to the... jbsmithtx Go to Forums Subscriber Tools Send this to a friend Subscribe Unsubscribe Submit News Contact Us Current Issue Big "I" Issue (with Young Agents Survey), Entertainment / Sports / Special Events, Directors & Officers Liability 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 Insurance Sales Agents Underwriting Manager Chief Information Officer (CIO) Have a job opening? List it on our Web site. 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