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December 6, 2007 News for property casualty insurers   Top Story    Scruggs firm withdraws from representing Katrina victims Mississippi attorney Richard Scruggs and his law firm have withdrawn from representing homeowners in disputes stemming from Hurricane Katrina. Three lawyers who are part of the Scruggs Katrina Group but not the Scruggs law firm announced the news to clients in a letter. Scruggs is under federal indictment on charges of attempting to bribe a Mississippi circuit judge. PropertyCasualty360.com (12/5) Mississippi attorney cooperates with prosecutors in Scruggs case: Mississippi attorney Timothy Balducci on Tuesday entered a plea of guilty to conspiring to bribe a judge, and he is assisting federal prosecutors. He was accused of delivering $40,000 to a judge at the request of attorney Richard Scruggs. Scruggs and other attorneys involved have pleaded not guilty. NYTimes.com/Associated Press (12/6) Streamline your commercial policy processing to increase your speed to market and empower your agents! Our robust commercial policy administration system, AQS/advantage, is in production and processing billions of dollars of DWP. Visit www.aqsadvantage.com to learn how AQS/advantage can boost productivity, lower costs and improve your bottom line.   Industry Trends    New site aims to help Florida homeowners find insurance information A former finance executive has created a Web site to help Florida homeowners shop for homeowners' insurance for a fee. The site, dubbed Home Insurance Buyers Guide, will help homeowners find data on companies that are still writing policies in their county. Florida Today (Melbourne) (12/6) Damage in Pacific Northwest could cost billions, officials say Residents of parts of Washington state are waiting for flood water to recede so they can assess damage to their homes. A storm that hit the Pacific Northwest this week left flooded homes and fallen trees, and state officials said damage could be in the billions of dollars. The Associated Press (12/5) Insurers praise new U.S. treaty with Peru Insurers believe a new free trade pact approved by the Senate on Wednesday will make it easier for them to do business in Peru. Lawmakers approved the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement by a vote of 77-18. PropertyCasualty360.com (12/5) Download a free paper to learn how new generation policy admin systems are giving P&C insurers the tools to compete and how to build the strategic business case that puts you ahead of the game. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.   Personal Lines    Martha's Vineyard homeowners face substantial deductibles Some homeowners on Martha's Vineyard insured under Massachusetts' state-run insurer are facing large deductibles for wind damage. One homeowner said he must pay the $33,000 to repair damage done to his porch before the state's FAIR plan covers the rest. A report by the Special Commission on Insurance recommended creating a state-run catastrophic event fund that would reduce risk for insurers. The Martha's Vineyard Times (Mass.) (12/6) Insurance 2020: Now What? Exploring initiatives for innovation. New IBM study explains why the power of innovation does not come simply from the use of a specific technology to overcome a problem, but from a willingness to try something different.   Commercial Lines  New Hampshire lawmakers hope to change workers' comp reform law Lawmakers in New Hampshire plan to change a recently passed reform that forces owners of small contracting firms to buy workers' compensation for themselves at construction industry rates. A proposed change would refund most of what contractors paid for policies for their owners. Concord Monitor (N.H.) (12/6) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Managing your account online is now even better because you can access PDF replicas of your claims correspondence. Request, save and print them from as far back as 15 years. Remember, managing your account online is Fast, Convenient, Accessible 24/7 and Environmentally friendly. To learn how Napersoft can help, call 1-630-416-4050 or visit www.napersoft.com. Interested in learning more about advertising in PCI SmartBrief? Contact Abiy Bekele at 212-450-7919 or abekele@smartbrief.com.     Policy and Law  House Dems aim for floor vote on revised TRIA bill House Democrats are looking toward a floor vote by next week on a revised bill on terrorism insurance that would, among other things, extend the 2002 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act by seven years. The House version of the bill differs from the Senate's version in a number of ways, including a lower trigger for when TRIA funds can be called upon. Business Insurance/Reuters (12/5) New rules increase workload for Louisiana levee districts Changes made in response to Hurricane Katrina have created mounting demands on Louisiana levee districts. Inspection documentation demands have quadrupled, and regulations now require that all deviations be put in writing, photographed and distributed to officials. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) (12/6)   SmartQuote  Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth." --Tom Barrett, public speaker, author and entrepreneur     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Abiy Bekele (212) 450-7919 Download Media Kit   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Grab our News Widget Get this RSS Feed Publish your Press Release Download the SmartBrief Android app       Recent PCI SmartBrief Issues: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 Tuesday, December 04, 2007 Monday, December 03, 2007 Friday, November 30, 2007 Thursday, November 29, 2007     Lead Editor:  Angela Giroux-Scheide Contributing Editor:  Karen Kantor     Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information