Homeless man testifies in LA murder-for-profit trial of 2 women

LOS ANGELES
- A homeless man testified Friday he was befriended by an elderly woman who is now charged with killing two other homeless men for profit and was pressured to sign documents with his personal information %26mdash; papers he now believes involved insurance policies.Jimmy Covington, 48, took […]

Ambac rating still on review for downgrade: Moody’s

Ambac is in talks with banks and others to raise about $3 billion of capital, according to people familiar with the matter.
If successful, Ambac is expected to meet Moody’s target level for the top rating, the rating agency said in a statement.
Ambac’s ratings are on review as rating agencies view its capital as insufficient due […]

U.S. insured mortgage defaults up 31 pct to record

NEW YORK, Feb 29 (Reuters) - Defaults on privately insured
U.S. mortgages rose 31.3 percent in January to the highest
level on record, as more homeowners failed to keep up with
their loan payments.
The Mortgage Insurance Cos of America said on Friday 68,950
insured borrowers were at least 60 days late on payments in
January, up from 52,528 […]

Allianz sees Asia buys after market rout

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Allianz (ALVG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), Europe’s top insurer, believes market turbulence has created acquisition opportunities in Asia, and predicts Asian sales will climb to 10 percent of total group income, or 10 billion euros ($15 billion).
The Munich-based firm generated 8.8 billion euros from selling life insurance and property and casualty cover in […]

Supreme Court rejects Katrina victims’ flood insurance case

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to offer help to Hurricane Katrina victims who want their insurance companies to pay for flood damage to their homes and businesses.
The justices rejected appeals from Xavier University and 68 other individuals and businesses seeking to allow their lawsuits […]

Rate-cut expectations boost nervous markets

NEW YORK - Wall Street finished higher in an uneasy session Monday as retail and homebuilders stocks rose on expectations for more interest rate cuts, but banks and insurers fell on worries about further mortgage debt troubles.
The Federal Reserve has been in rate-cutting mode this year and it is expected to lower the federal funds […]

Nick Coleman: Health care ills close to heart of riled legislator with a mission

Shelley Madore has lived through the health care crisis. Even though she had health insurance, Madore was nearly bankrupted when her kids became ill. And the financial and emotional strains of the ordeal helped lead to the end of her marriage, too.
But Madore didn’t take her troubles lying down. She stood up. And ran for […]

Editorial: This session can yield better health care

Legislators return today to the Capitol, where the forecast is for a contentious election-year session with considerable chance of gridlock. But the table’s been set for one major exception: Lawmakers can and should agree this year to set in motion cost-saving, quality-improving changes in health care that lead to affordable health insurance coverage for every […]

Supreme Court rejects Katrina victims’ flood insurance case

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to offer help to Hurricane Katrina victims who want their insurance companies to pay for flood damage to their homes and businesses.
The justices rejected appeals from Xavier University and 68 other individuals and businesses seeking to allow their lawsuits […]

Nick Coleman: Health care ills close to heart of riled legislator with a mission

Shelley Madore has lived through the health care crisis. Even though she had health insurance, Madore was nearly bankrupted when her kids became ill. And the financial and emotional strains of the ordeal helped lead to the end of her marriage, too.
But Madore didn’t take her troubles lying down. She stood up. And ran for […]