Insurance

California’s Portable Persistency Discounts Heat Up Ahead of November Elections

October 16, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>LOS ANGELES, CA -- A consumer advocacy group in California has fired another salvo of public complaints against Mercury Insurance Group, accusing the personal lines insurer of raising automobile insurance rates ahead of an election that will decide the fate of a ballot measure the consumer group said will directly benefit Mercury.<br /> <br />

Funded by Billionaire Auto Insurance Exec, Prop 33 Misleads Voters Over Rate Regulations

October 15, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://uprisingradio.org/home/2012/10/16/funded-by-billionaire-auto-insurance-exec-prop-33-misleads-voters-over-rate-regulations/">Click here to listen to the audio of this radio program broadcast</a>.</p>

Live from DMA2012: DMA Launches Institute To Challenge Regulation Of Consumer Data

October 15, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.dmnews.com/live-from-dma2012-clone-modeling-full-loop-listening-and-program-predicting/article/263761/">The Direct Marketing Association (DMA)</a> announced the launch of the <a href="http://www.the-dma.org/ddmi/">Data-Driven Marketing Institute (DDMI)</a> – an initiative put forth to provide research, consumer education, and advocacy to stand up to data-regulating legislation.</p>

Prop. 33 Revives Fight Over Auto Insurance

October 13, 2012  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p>For a dozen years, the 91-year-old founder of a leading Los Angeles insurance company and an early disciple of consumer advocate Ralph Nader have been fighting over the right to offer many motorists a new discount.<br /> <br /> Now these two adversaries are at it again. This time the fight is over Proposition 33 on California's Nov. 6 ballot, and it's all about price breaks that auto insurers offer to longtime customers.<br /> <br />

Prop 33: Auto Insurance Rules

October 11, 2012  ·  Consumer Watchdog

<p><em><strong>We continue our look at next month’s California election ballot with Proposition 33. It would change state laws on auto insurance premiums.</strong></em><br /> <br /> If you've been with the same car insurance company for five-straight years or more, you're probably getting some type of "continuous coverage" discount. But let's say you wanted to switch to a different company. Right now in California, you can't take that discount with you.<br /> <br />

Auto Insurance Discounts At Issue With Proposition 33

October 8, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>In the wake of the attacks on the American Consulate in Libya, Consumer Watchdog told the “Yes on Proposition 33” campaign to stop running misleading ads.</p> <p>Just after the anniversary of Sept. 11, the “Yes on Prop. 33” campaign ran ads promoting the auto insurance reforms in Proposition 33 as patriotic. The ads stated that the proposition will help the military by allowing by allowing active-duty personnel to keep their auto insurance discounts — even if they have gaps in their coverage while serving overseas.</p>

Mercury Insurance Chairman Dumps Another $8 Million Into Prop. 33

October 8, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO -- Insurance billionaire George Joseph has poured another $8 million into his self-funded campaign to pass Proposition 33, a change in California insurance law he's been trying to get for a dozen years.<br /> <br /> Joseph's latest contribution was posted on the secretary of state's website Monday. In all, he has given 99.5% of the $16.2 million that the Yes on 33 campaign has raised for the contest on the Nov. 6 California ballot.<br /> <br />

Mercury Insurance Executive Gives Another $8M To Promote Continuous-Coverage Ballot Initiative

October 8, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Billionaire insurance executive George Joseph has donated another $8 million to his November ballot initiative.<br /> <br /> The weekend contribution brings his total to $16 million in support of Proposition 33, which would let insurers charge drivers based on their history of maintaining coverage.<br /> <br /> Joseph on Monday said campaign officials had asked for another $10 million, but he made a slightly smaller donation because he thought "with 16 or so million, you ought to be able to run a pretty good campaign."<br /> <br />

Prop. 33: Insurance Discount Measure Stirs Controversy

October 8, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>For a decade now, Mercury Insurance founder George Joseph has been trying to get one big change made to California's landmark insurance law: a discount for customers who switch auto insurance carriers.</p> <p>Gov. Gray Davis vetoed a Mercury-backed bill in 2002. The voters rejected Mercury-backed Proposition 17 in June 2010 by 4 percentage points.</p> <p>Now Joseph has returned with Proposition 33, which would allow discounts for people who switch carriers without a lapse in coverage in the previous five years.</p>

Mercury Insurance Promotes Another Initiative To Boost Rates On Drivers Who Dropped Coverage

October 5, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Billionaire insurance executive George Joseph has been fighting with consumer advocate Harvey Rosenfield for two decades over California's landmark automobile insurance law.<br /> <br /> This November, the two are squaring off again over a ballot initiative that would roll back a provision of the 1988 law and let insurance companies charge drivers based on their history of coverage.<br /> <br />

Health Insurance PACs Have Love-Hate Relationship With Health Care Reform

October 4, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden clearfix" itemprop="description"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"> <p>The health insurance industry presented itself as a key ally of President Barack Obama’s health care law while at the same time making hefty contributions to members of Congress who are trying to get rid of it, according to contribution records.</p>

Extending Insurance Discounts

October 3, 2012  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Call it a rematch. Proposition 33 is Los Angeles insurance executive George Joseph's plan for liberalizing the rules on auto premiums.</p> <p>For years Joseph has been trying to extend "good-driver" discounts to more motorists, with no luck.</p> <p>In 2010 his company, Mercury Insurance Group, bankrolled an initiative similar to Proposition 33 but was defeated. What's wrong with more discounts?</p> <p>Critics say they create winners and losers. For every motorist who gets a discount, someone else pays more.</p>