| Katrina insurance lawsuit
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An eight-member federal jury has been seated to hear claims by a Louisiana couple who say Allstate Insurance didn't pay them enough after Hurricane Katrina. Allstate and other insurers say their policies cover a hurricane's wind but not its rising water. Robert and Merryl Weiss were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for coverage under their flood policy. But they got less than $45,000 for structural damage and additional living expenses. They say at least two of their neighbors were paid the full limits and have accused Allstate of bad faith for not paying their own claim in full. Allstate says the couple misrepresented their claim by demanding that the company pay for a boathouse that Allstate says wasn't on the insured property. Comments Submit a comment about this story No comments yet.
Cross Plains residents pleased
CROSS PLAINS - After sitting dark for nearly two years, the building that once housed a Lands' End call center was buzzing Wednesday morning with smiles, applause and optimism as local and state leaders welcomed an insurance giant to this village of 3,000. With a construction crew toiling in the background to update the building, Gov. Jim Doyle said that Allstate Insurance Co. will soon fill the space with its own call center and about 200 jobs while receiving up to $750,000 in state tax credits. "I know this community well and you are going to find the best, hardest-working people," Doyle told Allstate representatives. "The Department of Commerce worked hard to help the community find a new use for this facility." Leo Fansler, Allstate assistant vice president for claims, said the planned Cross Plains office, which will be one of eight Allstate express-claims call centers in the United States, will help the company achieve its goal of providing the best customer service in the insurance industry.
Allstate Insurance Appoints Sari Macrie As VP, Corporate Relations ...
(RTTNews) - Allstate Insurance (ALL | charts | news | PowerRating) said it has appointed Sari Macrie as vice president of corporate relations. In this role, Macrie will oversee internal and external strategic communications for the enterprise. Macrie is replacing Peter Debreceny, who is retiring from Allstate after nine years with the company and more than 35 years in the public relations field. Macrie joins Allstate with more than 20 years of financial and strategic communications experience both as a corporate officer and a consultant. Macrie has been the senior vice president of Corporate Communications at Cardinal Health and the vice president of Investor Relations at Ameritech. Copyright(c) 2007 RealTimeTraders.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved .
Insurance agency opens in Dallas
The Dawn Wilson Allstate Insurance agency has opened at 877 S. Main St. in Dallas. The agency offers a complete line of insurance products and services. Wilson has 11 years of insurance experience, most recently as an Allstate assistant to her husband. Wilson is a graduate of Western Oregon University. The office is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and evenings by appointment. Call (503) 623-7393. -- Kathie Hodges .
Florida drivers face changes as PIP could expired
If current no-fault insurance law isn't replaced or extended, Florida drivers may need to buy extra coverage to be sure medical payments are covered in case of accidents. BY BEATRICE E. GARCIA bgarcia@MiamiHerald.com TALLAHASSEE - Come October, the way Floridians buy auto insurance could change dramatically. That's when the state's current no-fault insurance law is set to expire. Along with it would go the required $10,000 personal injury protection drivers now buy to cover medical expenses and lost wages when there's an accident, regardless of who is at fault. Several major insurers including State Farm Insurance of Florida and Allstate Florida are lobbying hard to let the no-fault law sunset because it breeds massive fraud and runs up charges for often unnecessary and expensive medical procedures to exhaust the $10,000 that's provided in every accident.
Allstate Accuses Couple of Misrepresenting Claim after Katrina
Allstate Insurance Co. says a Louisiana couple misrepresented their claim after Hurricane Katrina damaged their home and is asking a federal judge to throw out their lawsuit against the insurer less than a week before trial. Allstate, in court papers filed April 4, said policyholders Robert and Merryl Weiss of Slidell are seeking at least $34,000 from the insurer for a boathouse the company says wasn't located on the insured property when Katrina hit Aug. 29, 2005. A lawyer for the Northbrook, Ill.-based insurer argues the couple voided all coverage under their policy when they allegedly misrepresented their claim. A lawyer for the Weisses declined to be interviewed. Allstate made the same argument in February during the first federal trial for a Katrina insurance case in Louisiana.
Allstate to revive vacant call center
CROSS PLAINS -- Nearly two years after Lands' End closed a telephone center here -- eliminating some 375 full- and part-time jobs -- a replacement employer has been found. Gov. Jim Doyle announced today that Allstate Insurance would be moving in and potentially bringing some 200 jobs back to Dane County. Allstate will receive up to $750,000 in state tax credits to establish an Express Claims Office in Cross Plains. The new office could create more than 200 jobs by 2008, Doyle said. "Wisconsin has always been home to some of the greatest workers, the greatest universities and the greatest companies in the world," Doyle told those gathered for the event. "It's a real pleasure to welcome a great company like Allstate to Wisconsin." Allstate said it will be retrofitting the 35,500-square-foot building interior with new furniture and furnishings.
Where are the safest drivers in the country?
But the cities that follow on the list from Men's Health Magazine may be somewhat puzzling. After Des Moines are Jersey City, New Jersey; New York City; Yonkers, New York, and San Francisco. And where are the worst drivers? Columbia, South Carolina,leads the list, followed by St. Louis; Greensboro, North Carolina; Jackson, Mississippi, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The survey used data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Allstate Insurance and the Governors Highway Safety Association to rank 100 cities. .
Mag rates Charlotte drivers worst
An analysis in Men's Health magazine ranked Charlotte's drivers among the nation's worst.Charlotte ranked 93rd out of 100 cities in the magazine's analysis. Greensboro was 98th. Both cities got an "F." Men's Health's ranking used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the rate of fatal accidents, deaths caused by speeding, and seat belt use; data from Allstate Insurance on accident frequency; and the Governors Highway Safety Association's data on speeding drivers. -- associated press Catawba County Repaving set for this year for 26-mile stretch on I-40 Driving on Interstate 40 in Catawba County is going to get smoother.The N.C. Department of Transportation recently appropriated $26.3 million to repave 26 miles of the interstate from the Burke County line to Stamey Farm Road in Iredell County.
Ex-agent accused of stealing premiums
A former Allstate insurance agent has been accused of keeping money that was to have been applied to several clients' insurance policies. According to court documents, John A. Newbury, 66, of Angola, was charged with a single count of theft, a Class D felony, after an investigation revealed that he had accepted and deposited his clients' checks without applying the funds toward their policies between September 2003 and May 2004. Fort Wayne police first began investigating Newbury when an insurance investigator with Allstate called them to report a theft. According to police, Newbury received a check from a customer for an insurance premium and instead of applying the money to the customer's account, he kept it for himself. An internal audit later revealed that Newbury had misappropriated funds from at least four of his customers, keeping $2,953.47 for himself, police said.
Report says Greensboro drivers among worst in nation
Similar drivers were found in North Carolina's largest city, Charlotte, based on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Allstate Insurance and the Governors Highway Safety Association. Greensboro, N.C., was ranked 98th out of 100 cities, while drivers in Charlotte were ranked 93rd. Both cities' drivers received an "F." Men's Health's ranking used the NHTSA's data on the rate of fatal accidents, deaths caused by speeding, and seat belt use; Allstate's data on accident frequency; and the Governors Highway Safety Association's data on speeding drivers. Columbia, S.C., had the worst drivers in the ranking, followed by St. Louis; Greensboro; Jackson, Miss.; and Cheyenne, Wyo. Kansas City, Mo., and Orlando also received F grades. The cities with the safest drivers were Des Moines, Iowa; Jersey City, N.J.; New York; Yonkers, N.Y.; and San Francisco.
Hurricane suit against Allstate starts
Allstate Insurance Co. owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Louisiana couple who lost their home to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the couple's lawyer told an eight-member federal jury Monday. Acknowledging that Robert and Merryl Weiss have already received more than $350,000 in insurance payments, attorney Richard Trahant opened arguments in the Weisses' lawsuit against Allstate by telling the jury Allstate owes a lot more. "The purpose of insurance is to make people whole. My clients have not even been made half," Trahant said. The Weiss lawsuit is believed to be only the second homeowners' suit over Katrina damage to be tried in a Louisiana federal court. At issue in this and other cases is whether damage was caused by wind or storm flooding.
N. Huntingdon Township insurance agent faces sexual harassment charges
An agent at a North Huntingdon Township insurance office is facing indecent assault charges for allegedly sexually harassing a 70-year-old female colleague. North Huntingdon police charged Robert L. Rebb, 54, of 3425 Lake Ridge Drive, Murrysville, with four counts of indecent assault, and one count each of indecent exposure, harassment and open lewdness in connection with incidents that allegedly occurred at his Allstate Insurance office on Route 30 between Jan. 31 and March 14. According to the criminal complaint, the victim told police she has worked at the office for six years and Rebb "got increasingly rude and crude" after his Jan. 30 birthday. The victim alleged Rebb showed her offensive jokes and pictures of naked men and women despite her objections. The victim alleged Rebb called her into his office during lunch when the other agent was out and exposed his genitals, forcing her to touch him and masturbating in front of her.
The Allstate Corporation at Raymond James Institutional Investors ...
GREG PETERS, ANALYST, RAYMOND JAMES: My name is Greg Peters. I am the property casualty insurance analyst for Raymond James. Most everyone that's familiar with the Allstate brand and what they do for business, it's a large cap company. We have it rated strong buy. What's striking to us is how even though a company of this size with an excess of 10% market share of auto and home in the U.S. can be thought of by so many on Wall Street as just an average player. We think, actually, that viewpoint on Wall Street is beginning to change. We think the Company has established not only a superior pricing capability that we think the street is finally beginning to recognize but also some of its other advantages, including its captive distribution we think are poised to potentially be more appreciated by Wall Street than they currently are.
Insurance Industry's Profits Rose In 2006
NEW YORK -- The headline numbers were eye-popping: Allstate reported a record $5 billion profit for 2006. State Farm Insurance's profit climbed 65 percent for the year. St. Paul Travelers' earnings rose sixfold in the fourth quarter, American International Group's rose eightfold. A year and a half after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, profits at the nation's major property-casualty insurance companies soared -- and are expected to be strong again in 2007, according to estimates by the A.M. Best Co. rating agency. Critics charge that the insurers are doing well financially by shorting the people who bought their products -- including hundreds of consumers who still haven't gotten settlements for their Katrina claims. The industry, in turn, denies taking advantage of consumers, crediting its growing profitability instead to fewer storms last year and improved business procedures.
Commission reviews insurance, departmental reports
Mike Reilly with Reilly and Sons Insurance met with the Leavenworth County Commission on Thursday to discuss county liability coverage. Reilly and Sons is the local insurance agent for the county's coverage with EMC Insurance.According to Reilly, the Leavenworth County Courthouse is insured for $8.2 million. The county has a total insured value of $54 million for every facility location."Our concern with the courthouse is that we need to do more appraisals with the reconstruction costs," Reilly said. .
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