Insurance Review articles from September 1991

Insurance Review archives from September 1991

Reversal of fortune. (revival of antitrust cases against insurance companies who allegedly conspired to reduce or eliminate commercial general liability and pollution coverage for cities and businesses in the U.S. from 1984 to 1987)(Upfront)
September 1, 1991... REVERSAL OF FORTUNE * "The mother of all antitrust cases" against the insurance industry appears to be headed for a Supreme Court showdown. Attorneys general of 19 states have alleged that Hartford, Aetna, Allstate, CIGNA, the Insurance...

Legal knock-out for Texas comp? (legal opinions on Texas workers' compensation market)(Upfront)
September 1, 1991... LEGAL KNOCK-OUT FOR TEXAS COMP? * Already beset with serious problems, the Texas workers' compensation market is facing an unexpected threat: legal opinions. In two separate but related cases, Wyatt's Cafeterias--a company without workers'...

Realtors seek shelter from suits. (real estate agents; home buyers' lawsuits regarding property defects)(Upfront)
September 1, 1991... REALTORS SEEK SHELTER FROM SUITS * Real estate agents say they're mad as you-know-what and they're not going to take it anymore. When a home seller fails to tell a buyer about such defects as termite damage, radon, asbestos or structural...

Responding to repeated requests. (U.S. Senate approves legislation making fraud within an insurance company a federal crime)(Washington In Brief) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... Responding to repeated requests from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the Senate has approved legislation making fraud within an insurance company a federal crime. The proposal was offered as an amendment to the Violent...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (will require school buses sold after Aug. 31, 1992 to be equipped with a left-side stop signal arm)(Transportation Safety) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will require school buses sold after Aug. 31, 1992 to be equipped with a left-side stop signal arm. The signal arm, which automatically swings out to halt traffic as children board or...

Insured property damage. (loss payments paid out by insurance companies for property damages from natural catastrophes)(Industry News) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... Insured property damage from 27 natural catastrophes in the first half of 1991 topped $2 billion, the highest total for any January-June period on record, according to the Property Claim Services division of American Insurance Services Group...

The property/casualty. (return on net worth of property/casualty insurance companies; 1990)(Industry News) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... The property/casualty insurance industry's return on net worth declined in 1990 for the third consecutive year to its lowest level since 1985, according to a report by Insurance Services Office Inc. The 1990 figure was 8.4 percent, while 1985's...

The Federal Insurance Administration. (has begun collecting a $25 surcharge on flood insurance policies)(Industry News) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... The Federal Insurance Administration has begun collecting a $25 surcharge on flood insurance policies. The fee, mandated by legislation enacted last year, is intended to cover the administrative costs of the National Flood Insurance Program...

California. (compromise on workers' compensation reform in California)(State Watch) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... * CALIFORNIA * Key Democratic legislators and Gov. Pete Wilson reached a compromise on workers' compensation reform. Under existing law, workers can receive disability benefits for stress if they can show 10 percent of the stress was...

Connecticut. (state legislature enacts workers' compensation reforms)(State Watch) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... * CONNECTICUT * A number of workers' compensation reforms were enacted before the conclusion of the legislative session. Among the changes is a shift from compensating workers at 66 2/3 percent of their gross weekly wage to compensation at...

North Dakota. (state Supreme Court rules on issue of who is liable in case a dog bites someone while it is aboard a pickup truck)(State Watch) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... * NORTH DAKOTA * The state Supreme Court has ruled that if a dog uses the back of a pickup truck as a platform from which to bite a passerby, the claim can be covered by auto insurance. Because the incident did not arise out of "ownership,...

South Carolina. (state Insurance Commissioner approves a workers' compensation rate increase compromise)(State Watch) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... * SOUTH CAROLINA * Insurance Commissioner John G. Richards has approved a workers' compensation rate increase compromise agreed to by the industry and the state's consumer advocate. The plan increases voluntary market rates an average of 2...

Tennessee. (workers' compensation insurance rate increase approved)(State Watch) (Brief Article)
September 1, 1991... * TENNESSEE * Gov. Ned McWherter has signed an overall 13.1 percent workers' compensation insurance rate increase. The increase also contains a new tabular surcharge plan for the state's assigned risk pool. The rate increase and the...

Big John. (chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee John Dingell)(Profile) (Cover Story)
September 1, 1991... Big John Washington insiders regard Rep. John Dingell as a cutting-edge populist with a canny sense for the political center and a championship hunter's sense of timing and stealth. Don't joke about gun control with John Dingell, avid...

Executives, start your disk drives! (computers in the insurance executive's workplace; includes related article)(Technology)
September 1, 1991... EXECUTIVES, START YOUR DISK DRIVES! More and more top insurance managers are using computers to aid in decision-making. The computer has never been considered a compulsory component of executive offices in most insurance companies....

Do you want to know a secret? (new state regulations curtailing secrecy agreements in civil lawsuits; includes related article)(Civil Justice)
September 1, 1991... Do You Want to Know A Secret? Insurers are alarmed at new rules curtailing secrecy agreements in civil lawsuits. As far as Frederick Barbee is concerned, his wife is dead because a dangerous product defect was concealed from the...

Be a news source for your local media. (media relations can be good for your business; includes related article)(Industry Communications)
September 1, 1991... Be a News Source For Your Local Media The insurance industry's greatest communications resource is its people--the 1.2 million employees of companies and agencies in cities, towns and hamlets around the United States. But insurance...

Data bank, heal thyself. (complaints against the National Practitioner Data Bank)(Liability)
September 1, 1991... Data Bank, Heal Thyself After a year of operation, the malpractice data bank has managed to rile doctors, insurers and consumers. Dr. Chester Danehower is still hopping mad. "I equate this with what happened in Nazi Germany!" fumes the...

Let's quash the banker's folly. (keeping banks out of the insurance business)(Viewpoint) (column)
September 1, 1991... Let's Quash the Bankers' Folly Why the banking industry would funnel so much energy and money into grabbing power to sell insurance is mindboggling. After all, with bank failures occurring at a pace not seen since the Great Depression,...