Latest Washington Headlines

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

Microsoft’s Home State’s Facial Recognition Privacy Bill Could Be Model for Others

Feb 8 2019 // Two months after calling for laws to regulate facial-recognition software, Microsoft Corp. is lobbying on behalf of a first-of-its-kind bill in its home state of Washington. The question is whether cross-town rival...

Court Ruling Against ‘Law of Nature’ Patent Riles Biotech

Feb 7 2019 // A way to diagnose a severe neurological disorder can’t be patented as it covers a law of nature, a U.S. appeals court ruled Wednesday in a closely watched case that sought to clarify the patenting for medical...

Former Agents in Washington Charged with Theft for Writing Fake Policies

Feb 5 2019 // Three Pierce County, Wash. residents were charged with crimes related to insurance fraud in Pierce County Superior CourtThe charges follow investigations by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal...

Washington D.C.’s Ensurise Merges with Maryland’s Reese, Yeatman & Associates

Jan 24 2019 // Independent insurance agency Ensurise LLC has merged with the property and casualty insurance brokerage operations of Reese, Yeatman & Associates Inc.Founded more than 40 years ago by Michael G. Reese Sr., Reese...

U.S. Privacy Regulation Tested by Facebook Scandals

Jan 24 2019 // Facebook Inc.’s repeated privacy scandals have infuriated users, lawmakers and data-security advocates who are clamoring for a forceful government response. That job mainly falls to Joe Simons, who is under pressure...

Insurers Advised Political Volatility, Economic Slowdown, Floods Among Top Risks

Jan 24 2019 // As insurers track both old and new risks heading into 2019, here’s one that carriers don’t typically consider: The White House.David Wessel, director of The Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, cited...

M&T Insurance Agency Hires Batt in Washington D.C.

Jan 22 2019 // M&T Insurance Agency (MTIA) has hired Jeffrey Batt to its Washington, D.C., office as the cyber insurance practice leader.In this role, he will manage client relationships by providing cyber insurance and risk...

First States to Legalize Marijuana See Rise in Car Insurance Claims, Research Shows

Jan 7 2019 // Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that haven’t legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance...

20 Indicted in Washington for Staging Crashes to Defraud Auto Insurers

Jan 7 2019 // Twenty people have been indicted by a grand jury in Spokane, Wash., for allegedly staging vehicle crashes to defraud insurance companies.Defendants are accused of staging a series of automobile, boating, pedestrian/vehicle...

Workers’ Lawsuit Against Washington Farm Given Class-Action Status

Jan 7 2019 // A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle, Wash., has certified a class-action lawsuit on behalf of some 600 Mexican workers who have alleged labor abuses at a Whatcom County blueberry farm.The suit alleges the company...

2019 Insurance Industry Meetings & Conventions Directory

Jan 7 2019 // 2019 CIWA Industry DaysJan 6-8 Hilton La Jolla Torrey PinesLa Jolla, CACIWAwww.ciwa.net2019 Big ‘I’ Winter MeetingJan 9-12 Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the ArchSt. Louis, MOIndependent Insurance Agents &...

Maryland Warehouse Fire Causes Estimated $1.5M in Damage

Jan 2 2019 // A warehouse fire in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., has caused damage to a business that supplies temporary bleachers and scaffolding. Prince George’s County fire department spokesman Mark E. Brady told the...

Data Show Car Accidents Up in States That First Legalized Marijuana

Dec 28 2018 // Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that have not yet legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance...

Workers’ Lawsuit Against Washington Farm Given Class-Action Status

Dec 27 2018 // A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle, Wash. has certified a class-action lawsuit on behalf of some 600 Mexican workers who have alleged labor abuses at a Whatcom County blueberry farm.The Seattle Times reported the...

Ineffective Anti-Drone Systems Leave U.S. Airports Facing Risks Like London’s

Dec 27 2018 // U.S. airports may be just as vulnerable as London’s Gatwick airport to the kind of illegal drone incursions that shut down the U.K.’s second-busiest hub this week.Counter- drone technology performed so poorly...

20 Indicted in Washington for Staging Crashes to Defraud Auto Insurers

Dec 21 2018 // Twenty people have been indicted by a grand jury in Spokane, Wash., for allegedly staging vehicle crashes to defraud insurance companies.Defendants are accused of deliberately staging a series of automobile, boating,...

Neon Underwriting Promotes Butt to CEO, Washington to Managing Director

Dec 21 2018 // Neon Underwriting Ltd. (NUL), Neon’s Lloyd’s managing agency, announced the promotions of Theo Butt to chief executive officer and Matthew Washington to managing director with immediate effect.The appointments...

Rare Tornado Touches Down in Washington, Damages Homes

Dec 20 2018 // A rare tornado touched down in a Seattle suburb on Tuesday, the National Weather Service confirmed.The tornado damaged several homes and toppled trees, authorities said. Based on radar imagery and video evidence, a tornado...

Worldwide Facilities Adds Ives as Broker, Cannabis Specialist in Washington

Dec 18 2018 // Worldwide Facilities has named Norman Ives to the management and brokerage team in its NutraRisk division, which specializes in cannabis, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements insurance coverage. Ives, who is based out of...

Harassment Suit Against Washington Prosecutor Settled, $350K to be Paid Out of Insurance Pool

Dec 17 2018 // A former Clallam County employee’s sexual harassment lawsuit against a county prosecuting attorney has been settled for $350,000.The Peninsula Daily News reported Tina Hendrickson, and Prosecuting Attorney Mark...