Live Insurance News

Life insurance dispute to be settled as AIG agrees to pay over $300 million

October 23, 2012April 30, 2013

This money will go to the U.S. states involved in the massive disputes. According to the finance office in California, American International Group (AIG) will be making payouts totaling over $300 million in order to settle a dispute with several different states regarding unclaimed life insurance payments. The payment will be split among 39 different U.S. states as well as Washington D.C. This single agreement regarding property that remained unclaimed from AIG will require the life insurance company to pay more than $300 million that is owed on a tremendous…

Texas insurance regulatory system may be seized by federal regulators if the state’s Department of Insurance is not granted more authority

February 8, 2012May 5, 2013

The Texas Department of Insurance has been reviewing health insurance rate proposals since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. Regulators have been scrutinizing any insurer that aims to raise rates by 10% or higher, but their efforts may be in vain. According to the Department of Insurance, regulators do not have the authority to block any rate proposal that they deem excessive. They also do not have the means to distribute information regarding rate hikes amongst consumers. This is because the state does not have the laws to…

Imperial Holdings targeted by federal insurance regulators after allegations of fraud

January 10, 2012January 10, 2012 Marc

Imperial Holdings has become the target of a federal criminal investigation after insurance regulators caught wind of allegations concerning the life insurance branch of the company – Imperial Finance and Trading. The investigation applies only to the company’s life insurance premium finance business and no other aspect of the company. A multitude of class action lawsuits have been filed against Imperial Holdings since September of last year. Many of these lawsuits are coming from shareholders who claim that the company is committing fraud. Federal regulators seized control of the company’s…

Insurance regulators pass controversial resolution to amend the Affordable Care

November 23, 2011May 7, 2013

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) gathered this week to vote on a controversial resolution that would have drastic effects on a consumer protection clause of the Affordable Care Act. The provision would have saved consumers nationwide approximately $1 billion in premiums while offering them protections from future rate hikes. The provision is also part of the controversial medical loss ratio provision of the health care law – which requires insurers to pay no less than 80% of their premium money on medical care. Regulators have been divided on…

Delaware insurance regulators recover $1.8 million in premiums after nine-month investigation

October 26, 2011May 7, 2013

Delaware residents are in for some good news as Insurance Commissioner Karen Stewart declares the recovery of more than $1.8 million in premiums. The money was recovered from a number of insurance companies that have been under investigation for the past nine months. These companies had been the subject of consumer complaints, which were funneled to Stewart through the Department of Insurance. The funds will begin being issued to consumers next year. Fraud and malpractice have been a problematic issue for the state’s insurance industry for some time. In order…

Regulators seize control of Arizona’s PMI mortgage insurance branch

October 24, 2011 Nordstrom

Arizona insurance regulators have seized control of a subsidiary of PMI Group, an international private mortgage insurance company. The seizure comes as the latest development in the ongoing struggle between regulatory authorities and the insurers involved in the 2008 mortgage crisis, which was a major factor in the recent economic recession. According to the Arizona Superior Court, regulators have full control of the company and will begin refunding 50% of claims beginning this week. PMI is the second mortgage insurer to be subject to such action in the U.S. When…

Changes to annuity regulation spur more transparency in the insurance industry

October 17, 2011October 17, 2011 Nordstrom

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a national standard-setting and regulatory support organization comprised of insurance regulators from across the country, have passed new amendments to the Annuity Disclosure Model Regulation. The regulation determined how insurers released information regarding annuity payments to consumers. Previously, such information was withheld as much as possible by insurers, but the new amendments require that this information be put into the limelight for all to see. Changes to the rule will also require insurers to detail the practices they use in determining annuities and how…