Wisconsin

• Insurance Regulator Amends Ambac Note-Purchase Approval

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 24, 2012

  Wisconsin’s commissioner of insurance amended his decision from last week and will now allow Ambac to purchase just two of three bank notes.

• Ambac Gets Approval to Purchase Notes

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 18, 2012

  Bond insurer Ambac Assurance Corp. received permission from its Wisconsin regulator to purchase surplus notes the company issued in 2010, but did not get permission to pay interest on the notes.

• MGIC Sues Freddie Mac in Insurance Dispute

  By Reuters  |  May 18, 2012

  Mortgage insurer MGIC Investment Corp has sued mortgage financier Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Finance Administration to settle a dispute over coverage limits on certain insurance policies.

• ‘Fast’ is Only a Dream

  By Ken Brownlee, CPCU  |  April 25, 2012

  Faster anything, from trains to claims services in a disaster, represents a long-term goal. Except for short runs or small claims, it is a dream of what might be.

• First Lawsuit Filed Regarding Salmonella Outbreak

  By Julie Beck  |  April 24, 2012

  The widespread salmonella outbreak that has affected 141 people across 20 states spawned its first lawsuit last week.

• Wisconsin Passes NRRA-Related Surplus-Lines Legislation

  By Staff Writer  |  April 16, 2012

  Wisconsin, which did not take action on implementing the federal Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act last year, has now passed such legislation, a National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices bulletin states.

• Austin Mutual to Become Main Street America Affiliate

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  April 9, 2012

  The Main Street America Group looks to increase its georgraphic footprint by entering into an agreement to make Austin Mutual an affiliate.

• Study: Workers’ Comp. Fee Schedules Control Medical-Cost Increases

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  April 2, 2012

  Workers’ compensation medical-cost increases can be better controlled when states have fee schedules in place, suggests a report from the Workers Compensation Research Institute.

• Ambac Reports $963 Q4 Net Loss

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  March 23, 2012

  Ambac Financial Group Inc. reports a 2011 fourth-quarter net loss of more than $963 million as a combination of financial factors negatively impacted the company’s earnings.

• American Family Yearly Income Falls 39% on Record Catastrophe Claims

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  March 7, 2012

  The mutual insurance company paid a record $1.2 billion in catastrophe claims during 2011, mostly from Midwestern wind and hail storms in April and May.