| The Hanover Insurance Group Launches Connections(TM) Home in ...
WORCESTER, Mass., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE:THG) , a leading super regional property and casualty company, today announced the launch of a new homeowners insurance product, Connections(TM) Home, in Indiana and Wisconsin. This announcement follows the launch of Connections Home in Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, New York, Ohio and Tennessee, where the product has increased homeowners' quotes for The Hanover since its launch.
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Connections Home makes it easier for agents to sell and retain more business by providing a total account solution, competitive coverage packages, enhanced premium choices, an expanded appetite and reliable, more convenient service.
Citizens Insurance Company of America Launches Connections(TM ...
HOWELL, Mich., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens Insurance Company of America today announced the launch of a new homeowners insurance product, Connections(TM) Home, in Michigan. This announcement follows the launch of Connections Home by its affiliate, The Hanover Insurance Group, in Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, New York, Ohio and Tennessee, where the product has increased homeowners' quotes for the company since its launch. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/NEM023LOGO ) Connections Home makes it easier for agents to sell and retain more business by providing a total account solution, competitive coverage packages, enhanced premium choices, an expanded appetite and reliable, more convenient service. The introduction of Connections Home completes Citizens' total account solution for personal lines, giving the company's agent partners the products they need to sell and retain more business.
Unlicensed contractor affordable but risky
Q: I am planning a kitchen remodel. Based on all the bids, I have short-listed two contractors. One is a licensed general contractor who has given me good references; the other is an unlicensed one who says he will get the job done by himself and his family members. His bid, for the exact same materials that I want him to buy from my chosen wholesale suppliers, is almost 30 percent less than the licensed contractor's. The unlicensed guy has given me good references as well. If I employ the licensed guy, he is willing to do all the permit work himself and has given me a full quote including those costs. The unlicensed guy says I can get the homeowner-builder permit myself, and he will ensure full building-code compliance and that the work passes inspections. If I go with the cheaper alternative of the unlicensed guy, apart from the risk that I am taking for his lack of liability, and the fact that he is not bonded, am I breaking any California law? Also, the law says a contractor undertaking work for more than $500 has to have a contractor's license.
Getting better insurance cover needn't cost the earth
Home insurance is boring. But not as boring as being burgled, flooded or burned out and losing half your most prized possessions. Home insurance really is one of the most important things you might never need. But that doesnt mean you should just to accept your insurance companys renewal quote without checking to see if there are better deals on offer. Not only could you save yourself well over 100 a year by changing provider, you might also find that you end up with better quality insurance cover. Shopping around has also become pretty painless these days, especially if you use our insurance wizards to do the legwork for you. Track down the best insurance providers for you in a few clicks Compare the cover as well as the price For the vast majority of people, their home is the most expensive possession they will ever own, so protecting it - and everything inside - against unforeseen circumstances is really a no-brainer.
Aging trailer park’s final days?
The Community Development staff noted the city's only obligation under state law is to make sure tenants are properly notified and informed of other places they may move their mobile homes and the how much it would cost to move the unit. Senior Manteca Planner Mike Meissner in a report to the commission noted, "Staff is not recommending requiring payment of relocation costs. Staff finds the issue of relocation and the determination of what is a reasonable cost is a matter that should be resolved between the landlord and tenants. Tenants have sent letters to the city noting that no nearby trailer parks have space for them and most of the mobile homes are too old to move and — in some cases — to old to be accepted in mobile home parks anywhere else. The sentiment of the tenants is reflected in a letter to the city penned by Susanne Worcester whose trailer is 47 years old and who spent two years remodeling it.
NYMAGIC, INC. Names Lowenthal SVP And CIO
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NYMAGIC, INC. (NYSE:NYM) announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Craig S. Lowenthal Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, effective April 2, 2007. Mr. Lowenthal has been a technology professional in the insurance industry for more than 19 years. Most recently, he was the Managing Principal and Chief Information Officer for Integro Insurance Brokers. Prior to joining Integro, Mr. Lowenthal was with Hartford Financial Products, a unit of The Hartford, where he was Vice President and Chief Information Officer. During his tenure there, Mr. Lowenthal led the effort to reestablish Hartford Financial Products' business after the offices at 7 World Trade Center were lost on September 11, 2001. Before joining The Hartford, Mr. Lowenthal held a senior leadership position with Reliance National Insurance Company, where he was Managing Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for ten years.
Allstate Insurance Appoints Sari Macrie As VP, Corporate Relations ...
(RTTNews) - Allstate Insurance (ALL | charts | news | PowerRating) said it has appointed Sari Macrie as vice president of corporate relations. In this role, Macrie will oversee internal and external strategic communications for the enterprise. Macrie is replacing Peter Debreceny, who is retiring from Allstate after nine years with the company and more than 35 years in the public relations field. Macrie joins Allstate with more than 20 years of financial and strategic communications experience both as a corporate officer and a consultant. Macrie has been the senior vice president of Corporate Communications at Cardinal Health and the vice president of Investor Relations at Ameritech. Copyright(c) 2007 RealTimeTraders.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved .
Who pays when illegal aliens drive without insurance?
What the hell are they thinking? That was my first response to hearing that our state representatives had just voted to approve a measure to give illegal immigrants a way to drive legally. Never mind that they entered the country illegally. Never mind that to work in this country they are using someone else's identity. Never mind that if they are getting paid in cash, they are avoiding the very taxes we all pay to maintain the roads. Our state representatives, who are supposed to not only uphold the constitution of the United States as well as our own State of Illinois constitution have decided that it is in the best interest of the state to allow illegal immigrants a driving certificate. As you can tell, I have very strong opinions about illegal immigration. Illegal is illegal.
LinkValu.com Debuts its Performance Based Affiliate Network at e ...
The focus of the LinkValu Affiliate Marketing Network is in the realm of financial services. One of the primary goals of the company during its trade show debut at e-Com Xpo will be to make new contacts with Advertisers and Publishers interested in health insurance, auto insurance, banking services, etc. Mission Viejo, CA (PRWeb) March 16, 2007 -- Based in Orange County California, LinkValu has its origination in internet based life insurance offers. As the founder of AmericanLifeDirect.com, renowned to be "The World's Fastest Life Insurance Policy," the company is the number one seller of ecommerce life insurance in the country. The continued growth and success of AmericanLifeDirect.com and related offers, with revenues that doubled annually since their conception in 1999, led to the launch of an already highly developed internal network: LinkValu.com.
AM Best Affirms Ratings of Unitrin Inc. and Its Subsidiaries
OLDWICK, N.J.-(Business Wire)-April 6, 2007 - A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the issuer credit ratings (ICR) of "a" of Unitrin Property and Casualty Insurance Group (Unitrin) and its members. A.M. Best has also affirmed the FSR of A (Excellent) and the ICRs of "a" of United Insurance Company of America (UICA) (Chicago, IL), Union National Life Insurance Company (Baton Rouge, LA) and The Reliable Life Insurance Company (St. Louis, MO), the three career agent life/health insurance subsidiaries of Unitrin's publicly-traded parent, Unitrin, Inc. (Chicago, IL) (NYSE: UTR). Additionally, A.M. Best has affirmed the FSR of A- (Excellent) and ICR of "a-" of Reserve National Insurance Company (RNIC) (Oklahoma City, OK), Unitrin, Inc.'s independent agent life/health insurance subsidiary.
Pets Under Cover
At least 16 pets are dead nationwide and countless others sickened according to the latest reports following a recall of about 60 million packages of wet dog and cat foods manufactured by Menu Foods.
Along with the devastating impact of having a beloved family pet face kidney failure, these pet owners are also faced with the staggering veterinary bills that come with treating such a serious condition. It's a double whammy of the worst sort.
"We've had a lot of calls and a lot of questions since the pet food recall started, and it really is a sad case of the unexpected happening to a pet," said Brad Iannessa, spokesperson for Veterinary Pet Insurance. "Who would think their pet is in danger from pet food? It's put a lot of people in the awful position of trying to choose between the best treatments possible and having to go with treatments they can actually afford."
Though many people aren't familiar with pet insurance, it's been around for about 25 years and is growing in popularity.
Business insurance to adopt unified definition of diseases
Shanghai. April 4. INTERFAX-CHINA - The Insurance Association of China and the Chinese Medical Doctors' Association will implement a unified definition of what constitutes a major disease in order to provide greater clarity for health insurance policy holders, the two groups announced on Tuesday. .
Who's Buying What: Recent deals for technology software and services
The disability income insurance area of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (MassMutual), Springfield, Mass., upgraded to version 3.1 of Product Machine, a set of tools designed to enable users to build, design and publish products. Product Machine is distributed by New York-based FJA-U.S., a technology provider with expertise in actuarial science, business and technology. MassMutual licensed the Product Machine in 2001 to support product modeling of disability products. In addition to improving MassMutual's modeling capabilities, this implementation shortened the time and cost of bringing products to market, the company reports. EMPLOYERS DIRECT TO USE NEW PORTAL With the goals of improving customer experience, lowering insurance premiums and improving its bottom line, Employers Direct Insurance Co., a specialty direct writer of workers' compensation insurance will use Liferay Portal 4.1.1 technology, says the company.
General insurers may cut share of TPA business
MUMBAI: With big names in the insurance industry buying equity interest in third party administrators (TPAs), general insurance companies are planning to withdraw their business from them.
This could blow a Rs 500-700 crore hole in revenues of TPAs like Paramount, Family Health Plan and Medi Assist say experts. A third party administrator works on behalf of an insurance company to manage claims and customers.
Sources said United India and National Insurance have sent out circulars to these TPAs informing them of their decision.
Others like New India Assurance, Oriental Insurance and private players like ICICI Lombard and Iffco Tokio are also expected to follow suit.
At present, TPAs earn over 75% of their business from the public sector companies, with the balance coming from private players.
Finally, some good news about health insurance
For the first time in six years, Colorado's health insurance market is showing signs of improvement. More employers are offering insurance coverage and more working families are being covered. From 2005 to 2006, 1,289 more businesses offered coverage to their employees and dependants, according to a report from the Colorado Division of Insurance. That seems like a very modest improvement until it's compared to the previous five years. From 2000 to 2005, nearly 23,902 businesses discontinued coverage — an average loss of 4,780 businesses per year. A key contributor to this improved climate is something called “rating flexibility." In plain English, that means forcing insurance companies to compete for your businesses. Unfortunately, a handful of special-interest lobbyists at the Capitol now want to go back to the “bad old days" by rolling back reforms that helped Colorado turn the corner toward a stable health insurance market.
State to audit exit pay at FAU
One week after praising former FAU fund-raiser Lawrence Davenport, who resigned with $577,950 in severance pay, school President Frank Brogan acknowledged that he wanted Davenport out. Brogan, who has faced criticism from trustees, legislators and foundation members over the amount of Davenport's severance, said in a six-page letter released late Monday that he had different "leadership philosophies and communication styles" than the man who in 2004 he handpicked to help transform Florida Atlantic University. .
Gazette Opinion: Lawmakers must CHIP away kids' care barrier
U.S. Sen. Max Baucus and a ballroom full of parents, health-care professionals and policy makers this week turned the spotlight on national efforts to insure American children. Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, held a hearing in Billings to get ideas on improving the federal Children's Health Insurance Program, which will expire in September. Baucus said reauthorizing and expanding CHIP is his No. 1 health-care priority and he pledged to have it accomplished well before the Sept. 30 deadline.In Montana, the state's Children's Health Insurance Plan faces a tighter deadline. Any improvement of the program for the next two years must be authorized by the Legislature before it adjourns in the next three weeks.Senate Bill 22 sponsored by Sen. Dan Weinberg proposes to expand eligibility by raising the maximum family income from 150 percent of poverty to 175 percent of poverty ($36,177 annual income for a family of four).
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