A new law has passed in Massachusetts that will ban insurers from pricing auto insurance based upon socioeconomic factors. Governor Deval Patrick signed the associated bill into law this week and believes that it will afford consumers with more protections against insurers constantly on the lookout for extra money. The ban was already enacted in the state some months ago but existed only as an administrative regulation. The bill’s passage comes after months of legislative struggle and conflict between consumer advocacy groups and insurance companies. Insurers opposing the measure claim…
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State Farm auto insurance remains outside of Massachusetts
Following the end of the state-set auto insurance rates in Massachusetts three years ago, there have been over a dozen new insurers that have rushed in to take their piece of that sector. However, the largest auto insurer in the country, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., has decided that it will be remaining outside of the state. Other insurers that have made their way in include Allstate, Geico, and Progressive. It’s believed that a fourteenth new auto insurer, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin-based General Casualty, will soon be joining that market.…
Read MoreMassachusetts insurance agents rally against use of socioeconomic factors to price insurance coverage
Massachusetts insurance agents have come together to oppose the use of credit score and other socioeconomic factors when determine the cost of auto insurance. The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents (MAIA) will be campaigning to bring the matter before Congress, where the group hopes legislators will ban what they call a “discriminatory practice.” More than 1,400 agencies representing MAIA are currently mobilized to gather signatures from registered voters for a petition that will bear their concerns to lawmakers. The campaign has won the support of Attorney General Martha Coakley, who…
Read MoreA check list of the last 30 days in car insurance news headlines for the U.S.
It looks like 2011 is going to be the year for several states to make all out changes to laws relating to car insurance requirements. Some of the states involved in making changes to existing legislation, are; New York, Oklahoma, and Nebraska. Also, in the car insurance news headlines…several states have decided to raise the minimum liability coverage required. Texas, for instance, has raised the minimum liability limits to 30/60/25. This means $30,000 for each injured person, up to $60,000 per accident. Property damage is staying at $25,000 per accident.…
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