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GEICO announced recently that it is planning to hire 100 associates for its regional office in Virginia Beach, VA by May, 2011, and add another fifty on top of that by the end of the year.
GEICO is the second largest insurer of automobiles in Virginia, and is offering a wide array of job opportunities, including customer service and claims representatives and sales agents.
Many different schedules are available.
Tags: GEICO, hiring, Virginia Beach
While most auto insurance companies offer commercial insurance, that’s normally limited to commercial trucks, or passenger vehicles driven for business purposes. It’s great news, then that Liberty Mutual Agency Corporation’s specialty branch, Liberty Agency Underwriters, is now expanding it’s Limousine program to California.
The limo product will be underwritten by ProTrans, Inc., and will include commercial automobile liability with maximum coverage limits of $1,500,000 and physical damage coverage with the lowest deductible being $1,000. This product is being targeted toward experienced limo drivers whose vehicles seat up to eight passengers, and who require reservations before providing transportation.
Independent insurance companies throughout California will be able to offer the coverage. It’s also available in parts of Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In a statement to the press, Andrew Bender, director of National Business Development for Liberty Agency Underwriters said, “We’re excited to work with ProTrans to offer fleets the very best in limousine underwriting and coverages. Our organization is actively pursuing further national program opportunities to bring additional industries the level of expertise and service our Limousine Program delivers.”
Coverage for Insurance Agents Errors & Omissions, Nonprofit, Self-Storage, and Sports & Fitness products are available through Liberty Agency Underwriters, as well.
The Texas legislature recently filed two separate bills that would require insurance companies to be more forthcoming with customers with regard to rate increase information, and would also expand consumer resources for shopping the insurance market.
In the words of Representative Armando Walle (Houston), House Bills 2723 and 2724 would, “…help consumers fully understand the premium increases imposed by insurance companies and will give consumers information on how they can shop around.”
According to the website for the Texas House of Representatives, HB 2723 addresses accident and health insurance policies. The measure stipulates that insurers must give policyholders sixty days’ notice of rate increases, and the notification has to include the amount of the increase, and how consumers can file complaints. The measure also requires that rate increase information be post to the web, and consumers notified of where it can be found, what the justifications for the increase are, and what alternative coverage options may exist.
HB 2724, according to the same website, includes similar stipulations addressing residential property and personal automobile insurance. At the time of policy renewal, the policyholder’s existing insurer would be required to provide a side-by-side comparison of new and old rates, provide information on any changes in coverage, and offer resources on how consumers can shop around for different coverage. In addition, deductibles must be stated as a dollar amount, and not as a percentage of the policy’s total value.
Tags: auto insurance, health insurance, home insurance, insurance reform, texas
Okay, we know that insurance fraud – whether it’s related to health insurance, auto insurance, or both, is a serious subject, and is costing many people a lot of money in increased premiums, but sometimes you just have to laugh, so we’re celebrating the first Monday in Spring with a little levity.
Here as reported to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, are four of the dumbest insurance fraud cases in recent history. Enjoy!
- A correction officer and native of Naugatuck, Conn. was defrauding his place of business by fraudulently collecting $5,000 in workers compensation, claiming he was injured on the job. That was until he showed up on TV in drag running a 40-yard dash trying to win tickets to a Hannah Montana concert. He had almost got away with it, until a photograph of him running in drag to win concert tickets showed up in the local paper.
- Most believe this type of behavior is nothing more than an urban legend… but think again. Carla Patterson, a woman from Virginia, allegedly found a rodent in her soup while having dinner at Cracker Barrel restaurant. Naturally, she demanded the restaurant give her a $500,000 business liability insurance payout for her emotional trauma. Following an autopsy of the renegade rodent, it was discovered the mouse did not have soup in its lungs, so it did not perish from drowning in Patterson’s vegetable soup. Patterson was charged with insurance fraud and spent a year in jail.
- A couple in Massachusetts, Ronald and Mary Evano, took to glass eating in order to scam grocers, restaurants, bars and hotels out of insurance money. In almost every instance, the establishments involved in the case, simply paid up in order to avoid a lawsuit. When it was all said and done, the duo collected nearly $200,000 in fraudulent claims using bogus identification and social security cards. While Ronald was incarcerated in 2006 for the scam, Mary was on the lamb until recently. She was finally arrested in 2010 and charged with insurance fraud.
- Loose lips do indeed sink ships… Just ask Michael Paul Schook, a Suffield, Conn. ex-con who decided to evade his mounting debt and a home that was going into foreclosure by burning it to the ground. In order to collect $250,000 in homeowners insurance money, Schook left a fat-filled pan on the stove before he left the house for an outing with his family. The house burned down, but unfortunately Schook was so impressed by his own brilliance, he told all the locals about his plan to burn down his house. Even his children told schoolmates of the deed. In no time, school officials called the authorities and Schook was charged with insurance fraud and spent seven years in prison for the staged fire.
Progressive’s Pet Insurance has existed for over a year now. Here’s one of their earlier commercials mentioning it:
Tags: friday filmstrip, pet insurance, Progressive
Thanks to Progressive, “Take Your Dog to Work Day” just got a little safer.
Progressive Insurance, the first company to include specific pet coverage for animals traveling in their owners’ vehicles, has extended their pet insurance coverage. Now, business owners with auto insurance from Progressive can have their pets protected as well.
Under their Pet Injury coverage, Progressive will pay up to $1,000 in vet bills if a dog or cat is injured in a car accident. The coverage is free with collision coverage, and applies to cats and dogs traveling in a vehicle and injured in a crash, theft, flooding, or a fire.
Why extend this to business customers?
Cory Fischer, Progressive’s product manager, explains: “With one in five companies allowing dogs at work, Fido or Fluffy are more likely to tag along in our commercial customers’ vehicles.”
Progressive’s Pet Injury coverage is also available with RV and boat insurance customers.
Tags: commercial auto, pet insurance, Progressive
A proposed texting-while-driving ban has been approved by Oklahoma’s House of Representatives.
Under the conditions of the ban, texting would be disallowed for anyone driving in school zones, and prohibits motorists below the age of eighteen no matter where they are.
The measure, which was written by Representative Danny Morgan (Prague) was approved in a 9-7 vote by the House Public Safety Committee and sent on for consideration by the full House.
According to Morgan, the use of hand-held devices to compose, read, or send text messages has been statistically proven to be dangerous when it’s done at the same time as driving a car. Law enforcement data says it has caused many fatal auto accidents throughout the state.
Nevertheless, some members of the committee are concerned about how police and highway patrol officers will enforce the measure. Representative Fred Jordan (Jenks) believes laws already on the books allowing officers to pull over cars for weaving already cover the texting issue.
