Auto

• California Auto Insurance Rates Decrease, Bucking U.S. Trend

  By Mark E. Ruquet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  June 14, 2013

  California auto insurance buyers are paying less for coverage than they were two decades ago while rates rose substantially for the rest of the country, says the Consumer Federation of America.

• May Tornado Claims Top $470M in Oklahoma

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  June 13, 2013

  Insurance payments on May claims related to severe tornadoes in Oklahoma have eclipsed $470 million, and Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak this is “just the beginning.”

• P&C Carriers Lose Jobs in April; Agent & Broker 2013 Employment Slide Continues

  By Phil Gusman, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  June 11, 2013

  Property and casualty insurers shed 1,400 jobs in April compared to March, an unusual occurrence that bucks the recent trend of employment gains for April, according to Insurance Information Institute President Robert Hartwig.

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  What ICD-10 Portends for Injury Claims Assessment

  By Michele Hibbert-Iacobacci  |  June 11, 2013

  ICD-10 enhances communication between physician and insurer, allowing both to better assess injury severity, causation and proper treatment.

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  Party Crashers: Vulnerable Vehicle Conversions

  By Peter R. Thom, William J. Woehrle  |  June 5, 2013

  Modified vehicles, whether they are vans for the disabled or stretched luxury limos, are vulnerable to litigation.

• Insured Cost of North Texas Hailstorm to Reach $400M

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  June 4, 2013

  Hail is said to cause an average of $1 billion in damage to crops and property each year. A recent hailstorm in North Texas is quickly approaching half that amount on its own.

• Fuel Leak Risk Causes International Recall on Ford Vehicles

  By Anya Khalamayzer, PropertyCasualty360  |  June 4, 2013

  Ford is recalling 465,000 vehicles worldwide resulting from complaints about fuel leaks that can pose a fire hazard on several 2013 model year cars.

• NHTSA: U.S. Highway Fatalities Rose In 2012

  By Christina Bramlet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  June 1, 2013

  Effectively putting an end to 6 consecutive years of declines, auto crash fatalities increased 5.3 percent in 2012.

• 8 New Yorkers Indicted for Staging Accidents

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  June 1, 2013

  Authorities nabbed 8 people with alleged ties to a staged accident ring that defrauded insurers out of millions.

• Putting Consumers in the Driver’s Seat

  By Neal Lowell  |  June 1, 2013

  The concept of self-service is evolving as auto consumers, particularly those of the Gen Y era, desire more control and better access to the claims process, from FNOL to resolution.

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  Hail Pelts Texas Panhandle; Insured Losses Nearing $200M

  By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 31, 2013

  Insured losses from large hail in the Texas Panhandle late May 28 are already approaching $200 million, says a state insurance trade association.

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  Texting While Biking: Darwin Would Not Approve

  By Christina Bramlet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 30, 2013

  TWD bans are rosier in theory than in practice, as they are difficult to enforce. But what about other distracted behaviors and the dangers they pose?

• Third of Five New Yorkers Sentenced in $1M Auto Scam

  By Christina Bramlet, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 30, 2013

  A man who copped to his role in a staged accident scam that defrauded five insurers out of more than $1 million may spend the next 15 years in prison.

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  Self-Service in a New Era of Auto Claims

  By Neal Lowell  |  May 29, 2013

  Consumers, especially Millennials, desire more control of the auto claims process, from FNOL to resolution.

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  10 Steps to Accurate Low-Impact Injury Assessments

  By Christopher Tidball  |  May 28, 2013

  Insurers will be able to conduct more consistent investigations and achieve accurate claims outcomes by following some relatively simple steps.

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  Where’s the First Notice of Loss?

  By Robert Regis Hyle, PropertyCasualty360.com  |  May 28, 2013

  I needed to conduct a deeper investigation of the claims process—particularly on personal auto claims—so I spent my Memorial Day in a crowded movie theatre watching Fast & Furious 6.