Mercury Insurance to raise rates in California, agitating consumer advocates

Mercury Insurance is looking to raise rates on homeowners and renters insurance policies in California. The company has plans to raise rates by an average of 8.8% for some 300,000 consumers in the state. If state regulators approve the proposal, the company will be generating an additional $19 million per year in profits. Consumer Watchdog, a non-profit organization concerned with fairness for insurance consumers, claims that the proposal is unreasonable because the insurer is already awash with profit. According to Consumer Watchdog, the company paid less than 50 cents on…

Read More

California 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…

Read More