Latest Wisconsin Headlines

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

OSHA Cites Wisconsin Excavation Firm for Cave-In Hazards

Feb 27 2009 // A northern Wisconsin excavating company purposely risked workers to potential trench cave-ins and was cited for safety violations that carry nearly $700,000 in fines, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration...

Swimming Downstream: How a Regional Insurer Buy Others Through Demutualization

Feb 22 2009 // Even in a good economy, mutual insurers face challenges trying to raise the capital they need to grow since they don’t have any stock to sell. But one insurer has figured out a way to overcome this...

Industry Questions Wisconsin Gov.’s Hike in Auto Insurance Limits

Feb 20 2009 // A proposal in Wisconsin Gov Jim Doyle’s budget would increase mandatory auto insurance limits and drive up costs for many drivers as much as 40 percent, according to the insurance industry.The governor would raise...

Wisconsin Streamlines Insurance Complaint Filing, Agent Licensing

Feb 11 2009 // Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg announced improvements to the state’s complaint and agent licensing processes intended to simplify access to agency services for consumers and insurance...

Swimming Downstream: How a Regional Insurer Buy Others Through Demutualization

Feb 8 2009 // Even in a good economy, mutual insurers face challenges trying to raise the capital they need to grow since they don’t have any stock to sell. But one insurer has figured out a way to overcome this...

Study Unveils Target Areas for Flood Policy Sales

Feb 8 2009 // There are a number of communities across the country where more flood insurance policies should be sold given their populations and flood risk. They include dozens of counties that have had multiple flood disasters but are...

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Liberty Mutual Appeal in Asbestos Case

Jan 30 2009 // An insurance company might have to pay big money to people claiming asbestos-related injuries under a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled in a dispute between Plastics Engineering Co. and its insurer, Liberty...

Wisconsin Court Sides with Insurer on Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Jan 28 2009 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the insurance company in a closely-watched case involving a farmer’s business auto policy and whether its underinsured motorists endorsement applies to a family...

Wisconsin Court Bars Cheerleader’s Injury Suit Against Teammate

Jan 28 2009 // The Wisconsin Supreme Court says a former high school cheerleader cannot sue a teammate who dropped her while practicing a stunt in a case closely watched in the cheerleading world.Brittany Noffke was a cheerleader at...

Wisconsin Verdict Against Insurers on Fox River Pollution Upheld

Jan 26 2009 // A jury verdict that nine insurance companies are liable for costs of cleaning up PCB pollution of the lower Fox River in Wisconsin has been upheld by a Brown County judge.The jury had found that the insurance firms were...

Wisconsin Insurance Chief Dilweg Honored by Consumer Advocates

Jan 16 2009 // Consumer representatives to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) presented Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg with their Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award at recently.The NAIC Consumer...

Judge Upholds Legality of Transfer from Wisconsin Malpractice Insurance Fund

Dec 22 2008 // Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature legally used $200 million from Wisconsin’s medical malpractice fund to help balance the state budget, a judge has ruled.The decision, if it stands, spares the state from immediately...

Wisconsin Agents Name New Director of Education and Membership

Dec 3 2008 // Martha Lester-Mittenzwei recently joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin (IIAW) as its new director of Education and Membership.Mittenzwei began her insurance career in the agency ranks, working her way from...

Wisconsin Emergency Plan Calls for Secret Succession List

Nov 19 2008 // Wisconsin lawmakers would submit secret lists of emergency successors under a bill a state disaster committee adopted Wednesday.The Legislative Council Special Committee on Emergency Management and Continuity of Government...

Wis. Northwestern Mutual Agrees to Settle Lawsuit up to $92 Million

Nov 17 2008 // Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit for up to $92 million.The lawsuit accused Northwestern Mutual of failing to pay dividends on certain term life policies and using improper...

Voters Shuffle Deck of State Legislatures; Both Parties Claim Gains

Nov 5 2008 // Voters on Tuesday left their mark on the state political landscape, shifting the partisan control of state government in a dozen states.According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Democrats gained control...

Wisconsin Dilweg: State Regulation Best for Agents, Consumers

Oct 30 2008 // From flooding and tornado catastrophes to the impact of the AIG bailout or the federal versus state regulation debate, Sean Dilweg has a lot on his plate as Wisconsin’s insurance commissioner. Appointed by Wisconsin...

Wisconsin Parents Win $11.4 Million in Malpractice Suit

Oct 27 2008 // A Wisconsin jury has awarded the parents of a brain-damaged boy $11.4 million in a medical malpractice case. Chad and Amy Jelinek of Eastman claimed in a 2006 lawsuit that negligent care by a nurse and nurse midwife at...

Wisconsin Insurance Commissioner Sean Dilweg

Oct 20 2008 // From tornadoes, hail and flooding to the impact of the AIG bailout and the federal versus state regulation debate, Sean Dilweg has a lot on his plate as Wisconsin’s insurance commissioner. Appointed by Wisconsin...

Wisconsin Appeals Court Overturns Ruling Now in State Farm’s Favor

Oct 17 2008 // A Wisconsin appeals court says the estate of a police officer killed in a car crash six years ago cannot collect on his insurance policy.The ruling overturns a judge’s decision awarding Robert Etter’s estate...