Mercury is looking to raise its auto insurance rates by $89 million in California, a move that consumer advocates are calling “illegal.” Consumer Watchdog, a group concerned with making the California insurance industry more consumer friendly, claims that the insurer is looking to pass a new law that would allow it to raise rates for good drivers that have, simply, not driven for a period of time for any reason. Mercury Chairman George Joseph claims that the legislation the company is backing would save policyholders money, but Consumer Watchdog calls such…
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Improvements to CLCA underline the importance of insurance for California drivers
Officials in California made an announcement last week which explained a regulation change to help drivers to avoid expensive consequences when they are required to drive immediately after taking out a policy, as those who use the Low-Cost Automobile Insurance (CLCA) program will no longer have to endure the two week waiting period in order to receive their proof of policy. Currently, drivers who have just taken out CLCA coverage must either choose not to drive for the first two weeks of coverage, or they risk being caught behind the…
Read More2012 Automobile Insurance Discount Act had no problem obtaining the necessary signatures for qualification
The American Agents Alliance didn’t face any struggles in obtaining the over 800,000 signatures that they gathered in a period of only ten weeks for submission to counties in order to qualify their initiative called the 2012 Automobile Insurance Discount Act, which provides law abiding consumers with a new car insurance rate reduction in California. According to the American Agents Alliance executive director, Mike D’Arelli, the effort was much simpler than they had anticipated. He explained that people know that consumers will benefit from this reduction. Moreover the majority of…
Read MoreNew California legislation changes rules for unlicensed drivers
A new bill has been signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown, banning local police agencies at sobriety checkpoints from being able to continue to impound vehicles when they discover that a driver does not have a license. The reason for this decision is that impounding a vehicle can come with a very high price tag, especially when they can last as long as a full month. California Watch, an investigative reporting website, noted that for every impounded car, “up to $2,000 in fines and fees” is generated. However,…
Read MoreCalifornia auto insurance law is being challenged by Mercury General Corp
Mercury General Corp., one of California’s largest auto insurance providers, has taken a bold new step in confronting one of California’s most controversial auto insurance laws. Proposition 103, as it is known, was first passed in 1989, much to the chagrin of many insurance companies offering automobile policies. The law brought many changes to the industry, among which were new regulations regarding rates and limiting the power of insurers to deny claims. For the past decade, Mercury General has been campaigning to change the law. As California’s Legislative session nears…
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