Latest Washington Headlines

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

Cosette R. Simon to Head New Swiss Re Washington D.C. Office

Jan 28 2004 // International reinsurer Swiss Re announced the opening of a new branch office in Washington D.C., establishing a closer physical presence to policymakers and associations in the nation’s capitol.Cosette R. Simon, a...

Anonymous Tip, Employer Cooperation Solve Pair of Wash. L&I Fraud Cases

Jan 12 2004 // Washington has ordered a 62-year-old woman from Okanogan to pay back $117,004 after an investigation reportedly showed that she had collected survivor benefits illegally. And a 52-year-old Olympia man, Richard Sundblad,...

Wash. L&I Adopts 9.8 Percent Rate Increase for 2004

Jan 12 2004 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced a 9.8 percent general rate increase in workers’ compensation premiums, effective Jan. 1, 2004.Even with this rate increase, next year’s average rates...

Wash. State Leaders Aim to Control Med-Mal Insurance Premiums

Jan 7 2004 // Washington Gov. Gary Locke, House Speaker Frank Chopp, Senate Democratic Leader Lisa Brown and state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler recently unveiled a proposal to help improve the safety of medical patients and...

Wash. Tort Reform Proposal Reportedly Lacking

Dec 19 2003 // Dr. Jeff Collins, president of the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA), issued the following statement on the release Thursday morning by the Governor, and House Majority Leaders of their “tort reform”...

Wash. L&I Adopts 9.8 Percent Rate Increase for 2004

Dec 3 2003 // The Department of Labor and Industries announced a 9.8 percent general rate increase in workers’ compensation premiums, effective Jan. 1, 2004.Even with this rate increase, next year’s average rates will be...

Hearing to Discuss Proposed Merger of Wash.-based Eagle Pacific Insurance with American Protection Insurance

Nov 26 2003 // The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner will hold a hearing Dec. 3, 2003, to consider the proposed merger of Eagle Pacific Insurance Company, a domestic Washington insurer, and American Protection Insurance...

Kibble & Prentice Expands Medical Liability Practice

Oct 9 2003 // To address the increased difficulty health practitioners are having obtaining liability insurance, Seattle-based Kibble & Prentice has expanded its medical liability insurance practice. To this end, Philip Dyer has...

Communications, People and Technology Ride High on Canter’s ‘To Do’ List

Oct 6 2003 // Louise “BeBe” Canter, senior vice president of Patterson/Smith Associates, Falls Church, Va., was installed as president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Inc. (IIABA) during the...

Communications, People and Technology Ride High on Canter’s ‘To Do’ List

Oct 6 2003 // Louise “BeBe” Canter, senior vice president of Patterson/Smith Associates, Falls Church, Va., was installed as president of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Inc. (IIABA) during the...

Wash. L&I Proposes 19.4% WC Increase for 2004

Sep 18 2003 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) proposed increasing workers’ compensation premiums by 19.4 percent in 2004. Assuming the economy holds steady, the rate increase will bring revenues in...

Response Insurance Acquires National Merit Insurance from Unigard

Sep 16 2003 // Response Insurance Company, a direct-to-the-consumer auto insurer based in Meriden Conn., announced it has signed a stock purchase agreement to acquire National Merit Insurance Company from Unigard Insurance Company, a...

Employers, Workers, Happy with Wash. L&I’s Claims Handling Practice

Sep 8 2003 // Most employers and injured workers are reportedly happy with how the Washington Department of Labor and Industries handles workers’ compensation claims, according to a recent customer satisfaction survey.The Gilmore...

Brown & Brown Acquires Washington Operations

Sep 5 2003 // Florida’s Brown & Brown Inc. went on a buying spree recently and acquired three insurance operations in the state of Washington: Canfield and Associates Inc. and Canfield Insurance Services Inc., of Ephrata,...

Employers, Injured Workers, Happy with Wash. L&I’s Claims Handling Practices

Aug 21 2003 // Most employers and injured workers are happy with how the Washington Department of Labor and Industries handles workers’ compensation claims, according to a recent customer satisfaction survey.The Gilmore Research...

CDS Business Mapping Expands Wildfire Coverage to Ariz., Colo., Wash.

Aug 11 2003 // CDS Business Mapping, a provider in online hazard mapping, announced the launch of its Wildfire Hazard Model for Arizona, Colorado, and Washington. The Wildfire Hazard Model consists of highly detailed maps that identify...

Wash. Contractor Fined for Exposing Workers to Lead

Aug 8 2003 // The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has cited and fined a King County contractor $148,700 for allegedly exposing workers to health hazards caused by lead exposure. Diamaco Inc. of Bellevue, Wash....

Wash. DOI Unveils New Agent/Broker E-Newsletter

Jul 24 2003 // The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner recently unveiled a new quarterly Agents and Brokers E-Newsletter to replace the former paper newsletter that has been out of circulation for a while. The...

Wash. Man Ordered to Pay $20,300 for WC Fraud

Jul 14 2003 // A 52-year-old Olympia, Wash. man, Richard Sundblad, has been ordered to pay $20,300 in penalties and Wash. Department of Labor and Industries benefits he collected while secretly working. An investigation into Sundblad...

ABD to Acquire Wash.-based Sullivan & Curtis

Jul 8 2003 // ABD Insurance and Financial Services (ABD), in conjunction with its parent company, Greater Bay Bancorp announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sullivan & Curtis Insurance Brokers of Washington,...