Declarations

Declarations

Saved by sprinkler

“It is almost certain that the entire building and possibly adjoining buildings would have been destroyed by a fire of enormous magnitude.”

— Hartford, Vt., Assistant Fire Chief Stephen Leinoff crediting a sprinkler with extinguishing an arson fire in the basement of the historic, downtown Gates-Briggs Building in downtown White River Junction, Vt. The Gates-Briggs Building makes up half of the main block in downtown White River Junction.

Public trust

“I regret violating the trust that they gave me as an elected official.”

— Alfred E. Steele, a former New Jersey Democratic state assemblyman who was among 11 public officials arrested last month on federal bribe-taking charge when pleading guilty last month to attempted extortion. Steele acknowledged accepting $15,500 between March and August to influence the awarding of insurance and roofing contracts.

No slack

“I live in a state where people are disinclined to pay for the way they drive and where people conduct their politics the way they drive. They cut other drivers no slack and then act highly indignant when others don’t cut them any.”

— U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., in remarks before the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America in Boston.

Collateral damage

“The current financial requirements help protect the solvency of U.S. primary insurers by ensuring that non-U.S. regulated reinsurers fulfill their promise to pay. The New York proposal … contains a number of significant concerns. The proposal exposes U.S. ceding companies to a lower level of security than under the existing collateral requirements, it contains too many provisions that appear not to be clearly defined and it should not be adopted.”

— Mike Koziol, assistant vice president and counsel for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, opposing a change in New York’s collateral requirements for non-U.S. reinsurers.

Fenway driver

“How much we pay for auto insurance should be based on how well we drive, period. Not whether we are; a landscaper or a CEO, married or single, a graduate of high school or grad school, or, for that matter, whether we’re watching tonight’s game from a local bar or a luxury box at Fenway.”

—Deirdre Cummings of the Massachusetts consumer group, MASSPIRG.