A proposed bill before the Maryland General Assembly would prevent insurance companies from practicing “forced bundling” was unanimously passed in the House last week and had its first hearing in the Senate March 29.

A San Diego, Calif.-based holding company has bought a managing general insurance agency and a private auto insurance company as it seeks to expand its national footprint.

An insurance association member questioned a “closed door” meeting among consumers groups and a National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) joint working group on automobile insurance.

A group of 36 people was accused of an alleged scheme to defraud New York insurers of more than $279 million in the largest alleged single no-fault automobile insurance fraud charge ever.

States that undertake regulatory rate reform of their auto insurance markets appear to see “long-term positive effects,” according to an Insurance Research Council study.

A New Orleans police officer committed suicide Feb. 7 after news reports indicated that he and two other officers were being investigated for insurance fraud by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

State-specific factors create a “wide fluctuation” of auto insurance premium rates across the country, making some states’ averages more than double the rates of other states.

Mercury Insurance, a multi-line insurance organization operating in 13 states, is offering a new commercial auto insurance product it says uses technology to enable its independent agents to more easily rate, qualify and issue new business.

The number of claims resolved through an inter-insurance dispute resolution organization’s services set a record in 2011, with nearly 520,000 claims resolved.

Home and auto insurance buyers were less interested in home-auto package discounts in 2011 than the year prior, and more aware of competitive premium rates, a new study says.