insurance news stories on Newser

Dog Bites Cost $29K Each

John Johnson — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:17:57 CDT

Dog bites are costly things: The nation's insurers paid out about $479 million in claims in 2011, reports AP , which rounds up a hodge-podge of related nuggets: State Farm alone paid $109 million to settle 3,800 dog bite claims in 2011, and both figures were up from 2010. The...

Could Iran Be Brought to Its Knees by ... Insurance?

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 07:56:32 CDT

Could the decisive blow in the West's struggle with Iran involve insurance salesmen? An upcoming European ban on providing maritime insurance for Iran's oil tankers may be the most vexing sanction Tehran has ever faced, experts tell Reuters . That's because 90% of the world's tanker insurance is based in the...

Obama to Get Crocodile Insurance

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:37:07 CST

Barack Obama will soon be free to wrestle alligators with peace of mind: Should tragedy befall him, Michelle and the girls will be provided for, by way of a $51,000 insurance payout. The new insurance policy—which covers crocodile attacks—will be presented to him tomorrow on his visit...

Aruba Suspect Tried to Redeem Insurance Policy

Kevin Spak — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:09:25 CDT

Just two days after telling Aruba police that his traveling companion Robyn Gardner was missing, Gary Giordano tried to collect on the accidental death provision in the $1.5 million travel insurance policy he’d taken out for the trip, a source tells the AP . Giordano has since been detained as...

Due to 1886 Law, UK Police to Foot Bill for Riot Damage

Rob Quinn — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:20:57 CDT

As the dust settles from days of rioting in London and other English cities, it turns out that police finances may have suffered the heaviest damage of all. An 1886 law specifies that police authorities are required to compensate victims when damage is caused by people "riotously and tumultuously assembled"...

EU to Women: Sorry, No More Cheaper Car Insurance

Rob Quinn — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:26:55 CST

European women will no longer enjoy cheaper car insurance because of their sex's safer driving habits. A European Union court has made it illegal for insurance companies to base premiums on gender-based risk assessment, CNN reports. Millions of women drivers, who previously enjoyed car insurance up to 50% cheaper than...

Veteran Loses Insurance Over 2-Cent Mistake

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:40:18 CST

Ronald Flanagan already has the donor for a potentially life-saving stem cell transplant, but he can’t have the surgery—because a $0.02 mistake left him without insurance. The Vietnam veteran’s wife, Frances, accidentally paid $328.67 instead of $328.69 when paying November’s bill online, she tells ABC Denver...

1 in 3 US Households Has No Life Insurance

Jane Yager — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:24:57 CDT

As increasing financial pressure bears down on middle-class families, ever more are cutting life insurance from their household budgets. About 35 million US households, almost a third, now have no life insurance whatsoever, up from 24 million households in 2004. Many households have recently lost employer-sponsored coverage due to layoffs...

10 Ridiculous iPhone Insurance Claims

Evann Gastaldo — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:46:16 CDT

Most iPhone owners are so addicted, they take the gadgets everywhere—which may explain how so many get dropped into toilets or, you know, blenders. Yes, that’s how one guy claims his broke, but it’s not the most bizarre story insurance firms have ever heard. Online insurance company Protect Your...