Search Results for: dog liability

The cost of dog bite insurance claims is steadily increasing

dog bite

Over one in three homeowners insurance liability claim payments are a result of these suits. According to data from the Insurance Information Institute, in 2011, more than a third of all of the claims paid out for homeowners liability coverage had to do with a dog bite. In fact, those filings made up almost $479 million in payments in that year alone. The largest American writer of homeowners policies, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, paid out over $109 million to people who were bitten by dogs. It received almost…

State Farm Insurance paid out $109 million for claims relating to dog bites

California Insurance News

Last year, there were a tremendous 3,800 claims filed relating to these pet attacks. Though the incidents may not make the front page of the newspaper, claims from dog bites have been costing insurance companies millions of dollars each year, as was the case for State Farm last year. The insurer has released its statistics regarding the animal attacks showing they were far higher than 2010. According to a spokesperson from State Farm Insurance, Eddie Martinez, this number was up to $109 million in its payouts, from the $90 million…

Consumer Watchdog proposes new ballot initiative to curb health insurance rate hikes

S.Vagus

California health insurance industry being eyeballed Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit advocacy group focused on the insurance industry, has proposed a new ballot initiative to the California Legislature that would put a stop on rising health insurance premiums. The organization claims that the state’s largest insurance companies have increased premiums by 20% since April 1, 2012. Consumer Watchdog suggests that these companies will raise rates a second time in May, and increase that will likely be 20% again. These higher rates have affected more than 1 million Californians, many of whom…

Middletown Common Council chambers hear strong opposition to dog insurance proposal

Pet insurance liability issue grows in Middleton The Middletown Common Council chambers were filled to the limit on April 3, when, one after the next, individuals representing themselves or various organizations spoke up against a proposed law that would force renters to obtain insurance if they own a dog that weighs over 50 pounds. The opposition to the proposal was very strong and brought up a number of different objections to it. Among them, for example, were that it would cause landlords to be less accepting of tenants who own dogs.…

New Mexico town requires “potentially dangerous” dog breed owners to take out $100,000 in insurance

Elephant Butte, a town in New Mexico is now requiring the owners of certain dog breeds – including Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds – to purchase a special form of liability insurance policy. Regardless of the training and past behavior of the animals, as of March 1, 2012, the dogs in those breeds were considered by the city to be potentially dangerous, and their owners had been given 90 days in which to take out a personal property liability policy, worth a minimum of $100,000, to cover them. Alan…