Latest Legislation Headlines

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

S&P Warns EU Insurers Not to Ignore Solvency II

May 31 2007 // Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has issued a report – “Beware Solvency II: As The 2010 Implementation Date Looms Closer, European Insurers Should Ignore It At Their Peril” -, warning the...

N.Y. Gov. Spitzer Vows to Modernize State’s Financial Services Regulation

May 31 2007 // New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has created a commission to identify ways for New York to enhance its status as a world financial capital by modernizing its regulatory scheme and perhaps merging state regulation of...

Risk Managers Take Strong Stand Against Contingent Commissions

May 30 2007 // The largest association of commercial insurance buyers has stepped-up its opposition to the acceptance of contingent compensation by any agent or broker, calling such compensation “an inherent conflict of...

CSFI Report Finds Regulatory Burdens Top List of Industry Concerns

May 30 2007 // “Too much regulation” tops the list of industry concerns according to a recent survey compiled by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (CSFI) in association with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The...

La. Legislative Session at Mid-point with Most Bills Still Hanging

May 30 2007 // Halfway through the legislative session, spending plans and tax cut proposals are at odds, insurance relief proposals in post-hurricane Louisiana are under negotiation, and most major bills still are awaiting...

Texas Legislature Passes Bill to Protect Ports from Lawsuits

May 29 2007 // The Texas Legislature unanimously passed House Bill 1602, by Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale (Tomball). The legislation is designed to protect Texas ports against frivolous lawsuits that threaten the state’s economy,...

R.I. House Members to Introduce Hurricane Insurance Bills

May 29 2007 // The leaders of a special Rhode Island House commission studying the effects of natural disasters on property insurance costs plan to introduce legislation next week on insurance practices connected to hurricane...

Judge Approves Class Action Deal Against Kentucky Chemical Firm

May 29 2007 // A federal judge has approved a class-action settlement between a chemical company and the residents of a southwestern Louisville, Kentucky neighborhood.Under the settlement approved by U.S. District Court Judge John...

Sens. Sununu, Johnson Reintroduce Optional Federal Charter Legislation

May 25 2007 // United States Senators John Sununu, R-NH, and Tim Johnson, D-SD, reintroduced “The National Insurance Act of 2007,” legislation that aims to modernize insurance industry regulation by providing an optional...

Ill. Lawmakers Toughen Graduated Teen Licensing with New Provisions

May 25 2007 // Some are already calling the new provisions to the teen graduated drivers licensing law passed by the Illinois legislature as the toughest in the country.The measure, SB 172, passed by the Illinois legislature, addresses...

Summary Judgement Dismisses Taser Product Liability Lawsuit

May 25 2007 // A Maricopa County, Ariz., Superior Court judge has dismissed a product liability lawsuit against Taser International Inc., which makes electronic control devices to stun people. The lawsuit involved John Gerdon who claimed...

N.C. Legislative Leaders Support Speeding Crackdown

May 24 2007 // Leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly say legal loopholes that allow speeders to avoid punishment should be changed immediately, including the practice of judges who allow high-speed offenders to keep their...

Ill. Judge Seeks to Reopen $10.1 Million “Light” Cigarette Lawsuit

May 23 2007 // A judge whose $10.1 billion judgment against Philip Morris USA in a lawsuit over light cigarettes was thrown out on appeal is asking a court whether he can revive the case.Madison County Circuit Judge Nicholas Byron this...

Federal Judge in Fla. Rejects Fraud Plea by Asbestos Attorney

May 23 2007 // A once high-flying asbestos litigation attorney was ready to plead guilty Monday to fraud involving thousands of clients, but a federal judge in Miami has rejected the deal and set a date for trial, saying he was unhappy...

Miss. Commissioner Dale Defends Hiring Insurance Lobbyist as Lawyer

May 23 2007 // Mississippi Insurance Commissioner George Dale says he sees no conflict in his having been represented in a ballot dispute by Greg Copeland, an attorney who is a longtime lobbyist for the insurance industry.“Yes, he...

House Passes Bill Blocking Giant Retailers’ Entry into Banking

May 22 2007 // The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a measure closing a loophole and blocking giant retailers like Wal-Mart and The Home Dept from owning industrial loan corporations, or ILCs.For ILCs already owned...

Insurers Ask Colo. to Veto UIM Coverage

May 22 2007 // The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies is urging Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter to veto Senate Bill 256, legislation concerning uninsured and underinsured motorists. In a letter to the governor, NAMIC warned...

Delaware Judges Want Say in Private Equity Liability Cases

May 22 2007 // Judges in Delaware’s famed business court are keeping a close eye on legal issues cropping up amid the recent wave of private equity buyouts of public corporations.In recent rulings, Court of Chancery judges have...

Okla. Commissioner Flexes Regulatory Muscle in Marketing Flap

May 22 2007 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland is flexing her regulatory muscle in an investigation of Medicare marketing that has uncovered misconduct by some insurance agents,The probe led to an appearance before a U.S....

Insider trading plans: A new D&O underwriting concern?

May 21 2007 // For several years, directors and officers underwriters have viewed corporate insiders’ adoption of so-called “Rule 10b5-1 plans” as evidence of good corporate governance and as a positive underwriting...