Latest Insurance News

An Unfair Contract ; No-Sue Clause: Hazardous to Patients' Rights

MORE THAN a dozen New Jersey doctors have begun requiring patients to sign a contract promising not to sue for malpractice. This is an alarming trend. It threatens the constitutional right of patients to a jury trial. It also highlights the need for reform of the malpractice insurance industry. As Record Staff Writer Mary Jo Layton reported Sunday, at least three North Jersey gynecologists and 10 other obstetricians and gynecologists around the state are having patients sign the contracts a...

RECORD Money: CASE STUDY

JENNIFER Gallagher organises all her bill payments to make maximum savings - which in most cases means direct debits. The 31- year-old solicitor, a partner in Lanark firm Smail and Ewart, says: "I use direct debits for my gas and electricity, BT andmobile phone bills, and my mortgage. I'm with Scottish Gas for gas and electricity, so I also get a dual fuel discount plus an extra discount because I opted for paperless billing." Jennifer pays for her car insurance up front, avoiding unnecessary...

County Joins State's Low-Cost Auto Insurance Program

By Allison Bruce, Ventura County Star, Calif. May 2--For less than $300 a year, good drivers who meet low-income requirements can get insurance in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The counties were added to the state's Low Cost Automobile Insurance program at the end of March. The program is now available in 22 counties statewide. Rates vary by county based on what it takes to cover losses and expenses. In Ventura County, the rate is $280 a year. It usually takes about two to three mo...

Auto Claims Dent Safeco's Showing

By Amy Martinez, Seattle Times May 2--Shares of Safeco tumbled Tuesday after the Seattle-based company released first-quarter financial results showing weakness in its auto-insurance business. First-quarter profit declined 12 percent to $182.5 million, or $1.71 a share, from $208.2 million, or $1.69 a share, a year ago. The results disappointed Wall Street, and the stock fell nearly 3 percent in regular trading to $64.93, then to $64.50 after hours. "We did have challenges in the auto...

Official Warns of Cost Growth

By Walter C. Jones ATLANTA - Drivers could be paying 10 to 20 percent more for their car insurance if a bill pending in the Legislature passes, according to Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine. He estimated Georgia drivers would pay an added $400 million annually in premiums. He hand-delivered a letter Tuesday to the members of the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee that's considering the proposal. "It really concerns me," Mr. Oxendine said. "It's a prime example of the Legislature ...

Auto Insurance Rate Wars Call for Shopping

By IRIS TAYLOR Have you heard the auto insurance advertisements trumpeting lower rates in Virginia? Don't get baited into switching or locking in an annual rate without shopping around. Rates are dropping industrywide, and you might wind up paying too much. Hundreds of insurers write policies in Virginia. Here are some things you should know and do before switching: *************** Of the top 10 insurers based on market share, these companies lowered their statewide rates in 2007,...

Editorial ; Rate Drop is Nice, Reform Even Nicer

April brought rare good news in the mail for Massachusetts motorists, many of whom saw their auto insurance rates drop big- time when their renewal forms arrived. So the pressure to reform the system should be off, right? Nope - not by a long shot. Yes, the rate reductions are a welcome change for drivers who've grown accustomed to annual increases (to say nothing of the shrinking pool of insurance carriers from which they must choose). Insurers say a crackdown on fraud and a correspo...

Ab Fab, the New Fabia

By Chris Russon It's a bigger, better and cheaper Skoda than it was in 2000 If ever a car can lay claim to being Bargain of the Year it has to be Skoda's new Fabia. Not only is it bigger and better in every way than the original, it's also cheaper. When it goes on sale on May 17 the new Fabia will be available from pounds 7,990 - and that's pounds 9 less than the price of the first Fabia back in 2000. Couple that to group one car insurance and low exhaust emissions and the entry-level...

MOTORING: Absolutely Fabulous Fabia

IF EVER a car can lay claim to being Bargain of the Year, it has to be Skoda's new Fabia. Not only is it bigger and better in every way than the original, it's also cheaper. When it goes on sale on May 17, the new Fabia will be available from pounds 7,990 - and that's pounds 9 less than the price of the first Fabia back in 2000. Couple that to Group One car insurance and low exhaust emissions and the entry-level Fabia 1.2 is set to become the cost-conscious driver's dream. It's going to...

Brought to Justice

The following cases were heard at Cardiff Magistrates' Court: Luke Anthony Peachey, 19, of Station Road, Llandaff North, Cardiff, was fined pounds 150 with pounds 50 court costs and disqualified from driving for two months after pleading guilty to driving without the correct licence and using a car without insurance. Karen Rhodes, 50, of Old Church Street, Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil, was fined pounds 100 with pounds 50 court costs and had three penalty points added to her driving licence, af...