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California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has approved a 17.9 percent reduction in insurance premiums for Fireman’s Fund California homeowners. This reduction will bring a total of $30 million in savings to policyholders. Under the rate reductions, homeowners will save an average of $505 per year, per policy. Fireman’s Fund is the 9th largest homeowners insurer in California, with 58,740 policyholders, CDI said. San Francisco County Fireman’s Fund customers will enjoy a total of $1.7 million in savings. Los Angeles policyholders will save a total of $5.3 million. The new rates will take effect on Aug. 1, 2008 and apply to… Read More »California Homeowners’ Premiums Reduced with Fireman’s Fund

Every structure located in one of the more than 20,400 NFIP-participating communities is in a “flood zone;” the insured’s house or building just may not be in one of the more hazardous ones. “Flood zone” is over-simplified attempt to describe special flood hazard areas (SFHA’s). read full story: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/07/02/91073.htm

Auto thefts reported to police in Colorado dipped 40 percent between 2005 and 2007, partly because of a stronger focus on preventing and solving those crimes and tougher penalties in at least one community. Auto thefts, which totaled 25,315 in 2005, dropped to 16,353 in 2007, according to statewide crime figures released by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.The drop in auto thefts led to an overall 19 percent drop in major crimes across the state over the same period. Homicides have dipped 12 percent since 2005, burglary is down 17 percent, while forcible rape is down 1 percent over the… Read More »Auto Thefts in Colorado

Want to save money? Our professional insurance brokers share their lifetime experience with you.Here are ten suggestions to help you save on your auto insurance policies: Comparison shop. Get quotes from several captive agents (Mercury, Farmers, State Farm, All State, etc) and/or one broker who is appointed with multiple insurance companies. Note that there should be no broker fees added to your premium, unless standard markets decline your application due to number of points or accidents you have on your record. Consider higher deductibles. It will not help you save much, but higher deductibles lower your annual premium. The difference… Read More »Ten Ways to Save on Your Auto Insurance Premium

Mass. State police are crediting an increased number of sobriety checkpoints for a 70 percent rise in drunk driving arrests since 2005. Last year, state police arrested 4,879 people for operating under the influence, compared to 2,869 in 2005.During that time, police have increased the number of sobriety checkpoints from 14 during all of 2005 to 82 last year.State police Colonel Mark Delaney said troopers set up sobriety checkpoints somewhere in the state nearly every Friday and Saturday night.Police announce in advance the county where they’ll be setting up a checkpoint, but not the specific location.Fatalities involving at least one… Read More »70% More Drunk Driving Arrests

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that global climate change will worsen food shortages and disease exposure in sub-Saharan Africa over the next two decades, creating operational problems for the Pentagon’s newest overseas military command. Overall, the assessment found that while the United States “is better equipped than most nations to deal with climate change,” the impact on other countries has the “potential to seriously affect U.S. national security interests.” Humanitarian disasters, economic migration, food and water shortages — all caused by climate change — will pressure other countries to respond. Such demands “may significantly tax U.S. military transportation and support… Read More »U.S. Security tied to Climat Issues

An undocumented worker is not entitled to certain workers compensation benefits, New York’s highest court ruled Thursday in the case of a printer who suffered four crushed fingers in a 1995 accident.After his injury, Ronnie Ramroop received temporary disability benefits until 2000, court records in the case of Ronnie Ramroop vs. Flexo-Craft Printing Inc. show. Two years later, he applied for additional benefits for impairment of wage earning capacity, which required he participate in a rehabilitation program. But the New York State Education Department’s Office for Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities said Mr. Ramroop was ineligible for… Read More »New York Highst Court Rules: Illegal Worker Ineligible for Comp Rehab

Electronic Health Record Rules – We Need an Agree A major consumer group, insurers together with Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday they have agreed to standards intended to speed adoption of personal electronic health records. Experts say the fragmented nature of the health care system, in which most doctors still use paper records and most patients do not have access to their own personal health information, has stalled adoption of digital health records.But Microsoft this month announced that Kaiser Permanente, the biggest U.S. health maintenance organization, will use Microsoft’s HealthVault platform to link Kaiser employees who volunteer to… Read More »Paperless Insurance – Paperless World – Green World

Following nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 wildfires across Northern California, a meterologist is predicting much worse conditions throughout the rest of the fire season. Thousands of firefighters battled the blazes this week from the ground and air. The lightning-caused fires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, though few buildings have been destroyed, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. From San Francisco to Los Angeles, cities have only seen a tiny fraction of the rainfall they normally receive at… Read More »California Fire Season Update

An employee got into an argument with a supervisor at a western Kentucky plastics plant early Wednesday, then shot and killed five people before killing himself, police and a company official said.What coverage will be triggered : Worker’s Compensation or Employer’s Liability?If it will be proven than the argument started because of employer – than employer’s liability coverage may be triggered; however, it is not clear whether Director’s and Officer’s coverage shoul apply to such loss.