Latest California Headlines

All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.

QBE Selling U.S. Agency Businesses to Alliant for $300M

Jan 19 2015 // QBE Insurance Group Ltd. of Australia is selling its U.S. agency businesses to California-based Alliant Services Inc. for about $300 million and exiting the distribution business.The agencies being bought by Alliant...

Immigrants’ Prior Licenses to be Checked by California DMV

Jan 15 2015 // Immigrants in the country illegally who fraudulently obtained a California driver’s license before it was legal won’t get a new card until state authorities review their driving record.The Department of Motor...

California Surplus Lines up Considerably in 2014, Report Shows

Jan 14 2015 // Premiums for California wholesalers rose considerably in 2014 from a year earlier, showing that segment of the industry outperformed the rest of the state’s economy, according to a report from the Surplus Lines...

Panzera Joins Woodruff-Sawyer in California

Jan 14 2015 // Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. has named Kevin Panzera vice president and private client growth leader. Panzera will be based in the firm’s San Francisco, Calif. headquarters, and will be responsible for working with all...

Barney & Barney in California Names Berk Chief Financial Officer

Jan 14 2015 // San Diego, Calif.-based Barney & Barney Insurance Services LLC has named Steven Berk its new chief financial officer. Berk assumes CFO responsibilities from Hal Dunning, who has served as both CFO and Chief Operating...

California Wholesalers Stress Opportunity Theme at Convention

Jan 13 2015 // Opportunity was a theme that came up often at the annual California Wholesaler Industry Days convention from Sunday through today in La Jolla, Calif. at Hilton Torrey Pines.The three-day conference organized by the...

Cooperative of American Physicians in California Names Pacini CEO

Jan 12 2015 // The Cooperative of American Physicians Inc. has named Sarah E. Pacini its new chief executive officer effective Feb. 1.Pacini most recently was vice president of risk management and insurance, president of Advocate...

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires e3 Financial in California

Jan 12 2015 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has acquired e3 Financial in Newport Beach, Calif.Terms of the deal were not disclosed. e3 provides employee benefits brokerage, human resource administration and financial benefits...

Mercury in California Ordered to Pay $27.5M for Unapproved Broker Fees

Jan 12 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones ordered Mercury Insurance to pay a fine of $27.5 million because Mercury auto insurance consumers were allegedly charged unapproved broker fees.Mercury did not obtain...

Stone Creek in California Names Garcia Agency Specialist

Jan 12 2015 // Andrea Garcia was named an agency specialist with Stone Creek Insurance Agency. Garcia’s focus will be to increase new personal and commercial lines business as well as help the service team accomplish a 95 percent...

California Insurance Commissioner Sponsored Bills Signed into Law in 2014

Jan 12 2015 // During the 2014 legislative session California Gov. Jerry Brown signed nine bills sponsored by California Department of Insurance and Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.A bill that adds protections for small businesses has...

Former California Highway Patrolman Convicted of Workers’ Comp Fraud

Jan 12 2015 // A former California Highway Patrol officer has been convicted in a case involving workers’ compensation insurance fraud.A Sacramento County jury in December convicted Tony Yao on felony charges of failure to disclose...

Business Moves

Jan 12 2015 // Brown & Brown, Global Benefit StrategiesFlorida-based national insurance broker Brown & Brown Inc. announced that its New Jersey-based subsidiary Brown & Brown Metro Inc. has acquired certain assets of...

IICF Targets $250K to California and Colorado Charities

Jan 8 2015 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation is awarding $254,000 in grants to 29 local nonprofits in California and Colorado for the kickoff of 2015.The causes supported include child abuse prevention, disaster...

How States Rate on Insurance Regulation, ‘A’ to ‘F’

Jan 8 2015 // Vermont gets a grade of “A+” and California and North Carolina get grades of “F” in the annual report card on state insurance regulation issued by the free market think tank, The R Street...

Munich Re’s 2014 Nat Cat Review Highlights Low Loss Levels

Jan 7 2015 // Munich Re’s review of losses caused by natural catastrophes in 2014 confirms that it was indeed another benign year for the re/insurance industry. “The absence of very severe catastrophes and a quiet hurricane...

Clark Named President of Gorst & Compass in California

Jan 6 2015 // Gorst & Compass Insurance has named Bryan Clark president.Michael F. Heagerty, who was president and CEO, will assume the position of chairman and CEO. Clark began his insurance career in 1997 when he joined Gorst as...

West Named CEO and Chairman of Dealey, Renton in California

Jan 5 2015 // Morgan West Jr. has been named CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Dealey, Renton & Associates.West has been DRA’s president since Jan. 1, 2013 and will continue in this role as well. Al Chinn,...

Pacific Specialty in California Taps Roth, Forster

Jan 5 2015 // Pacific Specialty Insurance Co. has hired Cindy Roth as senior vice president of sales and distribution. Roth spent 10 years at The Hartford, the last three as the Southwest division executive. Among her first moves is the...

Earthquake Strikes off Coast of Northern California

Jan 2 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a 5.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast of northern California. The USGS says the quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean, about 70 miles west of Ferndale, California, and struck...