BayStateBanner.com, December 27, 2007
If 2007 was any indication of what we can expect in the fight over car insurance rates, 2008 is sure to be a heavyweight brawl.

In one corner: former Superior Court judge Nonnie S. Burnes, appointed state insurance commissioner in February by Gov. Deval Patrick.

In the other corner: state Attorney General Martha Coakley. Her office warned Burnes that allowing insurers to set their own market rates could mean higher price tags for drivers — especially those in urban areas.

Thanks to the help of Frank Mancini at MAIA, a group of us will be meeting with CAR to discuss ways to improve the MAIP assigned risk submission workflow. 

After seeing the MAIP tutorial/demo at the CAR offices (December 12-14th), it became clear that agents will have to deal with a number of obstacles when submitting and managing MAIP business.   (I outlined a few of them in a previous post.)

If you attended one of the tutorials or watched it online, please let me know what your concerns and questions are.  I will try to have them addressed at this meeting.

This is important!

BostonHerald.com, December 24, 2007
The winner of a growing turf war between Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes and Attorney General Martha Coakley may turn out to be Massachusetts drivers. After all, the skirmish appears to center on which one can deliver the lowest auto insurance rates.

InsuranceJournal.com, December 21, 2007
The 2008 rates for eight auto insurers in Massachusetts have been cleared by state insurance officials, while those of at least 11 others remain subject to further review.

Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes has given the green light to rates with average decreases filed by State Farm (-1.6%), Fireman’s Fund (-2.5%), Quincy Mutual (–10.0%), Safety (-6.3%), OneBeacon (-7.2%), Amica (-7.9%) and Farm Family (-8.2%).

Boston.com, December 20, 2007
Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes yesterday approved the 2008 rate filings of eight insurance companies, including Safety Insurance, which Attorney General Martha Coakley is challenging because Coakley says it includes millions of dollars in customer overcharges.

Salem News, December 18, 2007
In the old days, the attorney general played a starring role in the state’s annual auto insurance rate-setting ritual. But Martha Coakley is finding that under the state’s new “managed competition” system, defining that role is proving far trickier.

BostonHerald.com, December 17, 2007
Attorney General Martha Coakley has ordered two more auto insurers to defend their proposed 2008 rates at public hearings. Coakley wants Arbella Insurance and Hanover Group to explain their plans as the state shifts toward a system where the market sets rates, rather than regulators. A week ago, Coakley called for similar hearings involving three other insurers: Commerce, Premier, and Safety.

Coakley says the proposals from Arbella and Hanover would overcharge consumers by a combined $25 million.

So I attended the tutorial/demo at CAR last week for their MAIP processing system. It looked good to me — pretty straightforward and easy to navigate. Agents can enter all the application data on a series of 6-8 screens and the system will assign the policy to one of the MAIP carriers.

Instead of keying in the application data, agents can upload to the system via WinRater or an agency management system. My sense is that agents will be pleased overall.

However, after seeing the system in action and absorbing the proposed workflow, it left most of us in the audience concerned. The reason is because CAR simply is not going to handle a lot of what agents need (after the policy has been assigned).

(more…)

Boston.com, December 14, 2007
Sounding a combative tone, the state’s largest automobile insurer says it intends to vigorously defend its 2008 rate plan at a hearing before state regulators on Jan. 9.

Boston.com, December 11, 2007
Attorney General Martha Coakley claimed yesterday that three of the state’s biggest automobile insurers filed rates for next year that would overcharge customers by a total of more than $100 million.