Property casualty insurance news from Insurance Journal

Alaska Division of Insurance has launched a search for a new director now that Linda Hall, who ran the division for nine years, is retiring this spring. “I will continue working through the legislative session, will assist with the transition, …

Los Angeles, Calif.-based Poms & Associates Insurance Brokers Inc. has named John Rossetti vice president of the employee benefits group in the firm’s Albuquerque, N.M. office. Rossetti was previously an account executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, …

Warwick, R.I.-based agency Affiliated Insurance Managers is expanding its commercial insurance division and appointed industry veteran Heidi Forte to the new position of commercial insurance marketing manager. With over 25 years of experience in the commercial insurance industry, Forte will …

A Christian college in western Pennsylvania has sued the federal government saying regulations that require employers to offer birth control coverage that includes drugs that abort fertilized embryos are “directly at odds with the religious message it wishes to convey,” …

The long-awaited implementation of the Free Trade Pact between the Republic of Korea, or South Korea, and the U.S. (KORUS) is scheduled to go into effect on March 15. The date will see the conclusion of negotiations that began in 2006, …

Hartford Financial Services Group announced three senior management appointments, including Tom Tucker as chief underwriting officer of commercial markets and head of specialty casualty. He will start his post at The Hartford on February 27. He will report to Doug …

The European Union’s executive said on Wednesday it would refer a disputed global agreement to tackle online piracy to the bloc’s highest court to check whether it complies with EU fundamental rights. The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which also aims to …

SOS SaveOurSeafarers has issued the following statement following a conference in London on Somali piracy, organized by the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office, held at the London headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Giles Heimann, Chairman of the Group …

The Government of Belgium has appointed Marie Gemma Dequae, currently a scientific advisor to the Federation of European Risk Management Associations (FERMA) and a past president of the federation, as an independent director of Dexia Bank Belgium and its subsidiary …

A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has assigned a financial strength rating of ‘A-’ (Excellent) and issuer credit rating of “a-” to Assurances Mutuelles de France (AM), both with stable outlooks. AM is a mutual reinsurer member of Covéa, …

OneBeacon Insurance Group said today it completed the sale of its AutoOne business to Interboro Holdings Inc. of of New York. The transaction, which was announced on Aug. 31, 2011, included AutoOne Insurance Company and AutoOne Select Insurance Company, along …

Isle of Wight County and the city of Suffolk in Virginia have been declared as primary disaster areas because of damage caused by excessive heat, storms and excessive rainfall in 2011. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said …

A Louisiana woman who was a cook on the BP PLC-leased drilling rig that was rocked by a deadly explosion in 2010 has settled her personal-injury claims against the oil giant and other companies involved in the disaster. Oleander Benton’s …

USI Insurance Services, an insurance brokerage and financial service firm in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., acquired most of the assets of The Pinnacle Group. Based in Virginia Beach, Va., Pinnacle is a full-service employee benefits consulting firm specializing in middle-market business …

A judge in has ordered the operators of a popular pornographic website to pay $4 million for copyright infringement to an Iowa-based adult film company – a ruling that should serve as a deterrent to others who pirate content online, a …

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones marked his first full year in office last month by looking back on his and the California Department of Insurance’s accomplishments during 2011. Insurance Journal wants to know from those in the industry: Is Jones an …

The Missouri Senate has passed legislation that would prohibit employees from suing co-workers for injuries they sustain on the job. Senators voted 28-6 in favor of the bill last week. Majority Leader Tom Dempsey, who sponsored the measure, says the …

Police in Helena say they have issued 27 citations in a little over a month following a cellphone ban making it illegal to use hand-held electronic devices while driving or bicycling within city limits. Lt. Steve Hagen told the Independent …

Thirty wells are being installed in Burbank and Glendale in an effort to determine the extent of groundwater contamination. Small amounts of cancer-causing chromium 6 left behind by the San Fernando Valley aircraft industry have been detected in local water …

UnitedHealth Insurance Company has paid a $250,000 penalty in Vermont this month to resolve charges brought by financial regulators. The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) imposed the penalty on UnitedHealth as part of a …