Latest Wisconsin Headlines

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

Lawyer for Wisconsin Abuse Accuser Says Vatican Refuses Lawsuit

Feb 2 2011 // The attorney for a man who says he was sexually abused decades ago by a now-deceased priest at a Wisconsin school for the deaf says the Vatican has refused to be served with a lawsuit over the matter.St. Paul attorney Jeff...

Ambac Wins Court Approval to Overhaul Insurance Unit

Feb 2 2011 // Ambac Financial Group won a court ruling allowing it to overhaul its insurance unit, a decision that its bankrupt parent greeted as a ‘gigantic step” forward.The plan, which a Wisconsin state judge approved,...

Wisconsin Workers’ Comp Medical Costs Per Claim Increasing

Jan 31 2011 // The increased cost and more frequent use of medical care provided to injured workers in Wisconsin drove up the average medical payments per workers’ compensation claim in recent years, according to a new study by the...

Wisconsin Assembly Committee Sends Auto Insurance Bill to Full Chamber

Jan 31 2011 // A Republican-controlled Assembly committee has approved a bill that would repeal minimum automobile coverage levels, sending the bill to the full chamber for a vote. The GOP-authored proposal would wipe out minimum...

Wisconsin Legislature Passes Lawsuit Reform Bill

Jan 25 2011 // The Wisconsin Legislature has passed a bill that would make it more difficult to sue companies and collect damages.The Assembly passed the bill on a partisan 57-36 on Jan. 20, two days after it cleared the Senate also with...

Auto Insurance Changes Targeted for Repeal in Wisconsin

Jan 24 2011 // Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature are aiming to repeal most of the auto insurance coverage increases mandated by Democrats, which industry and state regulators blame for higher premiums.Drivers would still be...

Critics Blast Bill to Reduce Wisconsin Auto Insurance

Jan 21 2011 // A Republican plan to scale back mandatory car insurance levels would make driving in Wisconsin riskier and leave injured motorists holding the bag, the proposal’s critics said.The GOP has introduced a bill that would...

Debate on Repeal of Wisconsin Auto Insurance Changes Begins

Jan 20 2011 // Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature are aiming to repeal most of the auto insurance coverage increases mandated by Democrats, which industry and state regulators blame for higher premiums.Insurers are supporting the...

Catlin U.S. Completes Purchase of Blue Ridge Insurance

Jan 18 2011 // The Bermuda-based Catlin Group Limited has purchased Blue Ridge Insurance Co. (BRIC) from the QBE Insurance Group.Catlin will rename BRIC as Catlin Indemnity Co. and expects to begin writing business through this company...

Auto Insurance Changes Targeted for Repeal in Wisconsin

Jan 13 2011 // Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature are aiming to repeal most of the auto insurance coverage increases mandated by Democrats, which industry and state regulators blame for higher premiums.Drivers would still be...

Nickel Named Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner

Jan 5 2011 // Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has appointed Ted Nickel, an insurance company veteran, as commissioner of insurance and Dan Schwartzer, an association executive, as deputy commissioner.Nickel replaces Sean Dilweg. Nickel has...

Wisconsin Settlement with Time Insurance Co. Includes $280K Fine

Dec 22 2010 // Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg announced a regulatory settlement with Time Insurance Co., a health insurer headquartered in Milwaukee, that includes a forfeiture of $280,000 for failure to correct previously...

Exiting Wisconsin Governor Proud of Health Insurance Achievement

Dec 21 2010 // Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, who served as governor longer than any Democrat in the state’s history and along the way expanded health insurance access to nearly every state resident, didn’t always play well in the...

A.M. Best Upgrades Wisconsin’s 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Co.

Dec 1 2010 // A.M. Best Co. has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and issuer credit rating (ICR) to “bbb” from “bbb-” of 1st Auto & Casualty Insurance Company (1st...

Republicans Gain Control in State Houses, Governor Offices

Nov 14 2010 // Republicans were not only victorious in the U.S. House but also in state houses across the country.The new GOP power will give the party its largest number of seats in state legislatures since the Great Depression,...

Bond Insurer Ambac Files for Bankruptcy

Nov 14 2010 // Ambac Financial Group Inc., which was the second-largest U.S. bond insurer before suffering huge losses on risky mortgages, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Nov. 8. The filing cements Ambac’s decline from a company...

Elections Stir Up Political Mix in Midwest

Nov 14 2010 // Republicans made big gains across the United States – and the Midwest was no exception – in the November 2 midterm elections. Across the country, GOP gains gave the party its largest number of seats in state...

GOP Adds Governorships in Midwest

Nov 4 2010 // Midwestern states were among those that added to Republican gains in governor’s offices across the country on Nov. 2.Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin are among the states that voted to replace Democrats in...

Medical Cost per Worker High in Wisconsin; Utilization Low

Oct 29 2010 // Higher medical costs per claim in Wisconsin are offset by much lower utilization of medical services in the state’s workers compensation system. As a result, medical payments per workers’ comp claim in...

Wisconsin Regulator Files Plan for Seized Ambac Policies

Oct 12 2010 // The Wisconsin regulator for Ambac Financial Group has filed a plan to wind down the more than $50 billion remaining of insurance policies related to securities that it seized in March.Under the plan, holders of allowed...