Latest Legislation Headlines

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

‘Bancassurance is on the Rise’ Says Swiss Re Sigma Study

Oct 19 2007 // Swiss Re announced that “according to a recent sigma study, bancassurance is on the rise, particularly in emerging markets. Worldwide, insurers have been successfully leveraging bancassurance to gain a foothold in...

House Joins Senate in Passing Rail Safety Bill with Hour Limits

Oct 19 2007 // he House acted this week to reduce the working hours of railroad crews, with lawmakers saying employee fatigue is a major factor in train accidents.The labor rule changes were part of a railroad safety bill that also...

Mich. Senate Okays ‘Opt-out’ Option for State’s Helmet Law

Oct 18 2007 // A Michigan Senate Committee passed legislation on Wednesday, Oct. 17 that would enable motorcyclists to ride without their helmets on Michigan roads. The bill is expected to be voted on by the State Senate in the near...

States Support Life Insurance Law Caught Up in N.D. Conflict

Oct 18 2007 // N.H. commissioner weighs in on North Dakota insurance legislation Received by Newsfinder from AP Oct 16, 2007 19:34 Eastern Time Editors Note NH angle in 4th graf. By DALE WETZEL Associated Press WriterBISMARCK, N.D. (AP)...

N.Y. Moves to Level Playing Field on Collateral for All Reinsurers

Oct 18 2007 // Non-U.S. reinsurers would no longer have to post collateral to operate in New York as long as they have the highest credit ratings.Also, all reinsurers — even U.S.-based — without the highest credit ratings would have...

Senate Panel Releases Compromise Terrorism Insurance Bill

Oct 17 2007 // Senate leaders have agreed on a bill to renew the federal terrorism reinsurance program, although without some of the added provisions and for not as long as the House of Representatives wants.The Senate Banking Committee,...

Lord Levene Castigates U.S. Failure to Reform Reinsurance Collateral Regs

Oct 17 2007 // He’s said it before, and he’s said again. In a forceful open letter printed in the Financial Times (FT), Lloyd’s Chairman Lord Peter Levene wrote that it is “extraordinary that the US does not offer...

N.J. Lawmaker Poised to Advance Health Insurance Mandate Plan

Oct 17 2007 // A state senator says he will soon announce plans to require all New Jerseyans to carry medical insurance, but the governor warned that the plan could cost more than $1 billion.“We are going to announce just after the...

Texas District Judge Allows Allstate Texas Lloyd’s Rate Increase

Oct 17 2007 // On Oct. 15, Travis County District Judge Margaret Cooper ruled in favor of Allstate Texas Lloyd’s in the company’s quest to preserve an already-implemented homeowners rate increase.Cooper granted the...

Senate Flood Insurance Bill Keeps Current Limits, Omits Wind Coverage

Oct 17 2007 // The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has approved legislation to reform the National Flood Insurance Program. The Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 will now move to the floor of the full Senate.The U.S....

Calif. Governor Refuses Again to Raise Benefits for Disabled Workers

Oct 16 2007 // For the second year in a row, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has refused to raise benefits for disabled workers that critics say were slashed too deeply by regulations his administration adopted in 2004.The Republican governor...

Taiwan Insurer Approved by Chinese Regulator for Mainland Operations

Oct 16 2007 // Two wholly owned units of Cathay Financial Holding Co. have obtained approval from Chinese regulators to enter the property insurance market on the mainland, the Taiwanese company has said.Cathay Life Insurance Co. and...

S&P Comments on Standardizing Global Insurance Accounting Rules

Oct 16 2007 // In a new report Standard & Poor’s states that the “International Accounting Standard Board’s (IASB) discussion paper on insurance contracts may well set the tone for a new global frame...

Florida Subpoenas Allstate Over Home Insurance Rate Increases, Industry Ties

Oct 16 2007 // Florida officials have subpoenaed Allstate Insurance and its subsidiaries to get the insurer to explain why it is not lowering homeowners insurance rates in the state and to defend its dealings with the industry’s...

N.D. Worker’s Comp Officials Get Trial Judge, Arraignment Date

Oct 15 2007 // The criminal case against two North Dakota state workers’ compensation officials has been assigned to the district judge who earlier dismissed some charges against one of the defendants.Sandy Blunt, the chief...

Fla. Judge Rules in Favor of Insurance Regulators on Subpoena Challenge

Oct 15 2007 // A Leon County Circuit Court Judge has dismissed petitions filed by the Cincinnati Insurance Co. and the Cincinnati Indemnity Co., according to The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.In the petitions, the companies were...

Kan. Lawmakers Propose Funding for Housing for Storm-ravaged Areas

Oct 15 2007 // A bipartisan group of state lawmakers want to provide $50 million to build new housing in Kansas communities still hurting from storms earlier this year.The Greensburg tornado in May and flooding in southeast Kansas...

Survey Reports Drop in New Lawsuits, Actions Filed Against U.S. Companies

Oct 15 2007 // It may be too early to say that conflict has become passé, but U.S. businesses report a distinct drop in the number of lawsuits filed against them in the past year, according to the latest Litigation Trends Survey...

Do Medical Malpractice Screening Panels Lower Costs or Save Time?

Oct 14 2007 // A two-year-old New Hampshire law that was supposed to speed up the processing of medical malpractice lawsuits has slowed things down instead.The law created special screening panels designed to encourage people to settle...

Judge Delivers Blow to Bush Plan to Crack Down on Illegal Labor

Oct 12 2007 // A federal judge in California has blocked a proposed rule requiring employers to fire workers whose names don’t match their Social Security numbers, dealing a major blow to the Bush administration’s crackdown...