Business briefs.
COLUMN: BUSINESS BRIEFS TELEGRAM & GAZETTE Bloomberg Index Central Massachusetts -1.14 195.46 Volume: 40,809,135 Up: 7 Down: 19 Unchanged: 3 Gainer: Double-Take Software Inc. $24.94 +$0.94 (Volume of 221,924...

Claimjumpers.
What are the problems confronting local governments, and how are they solving them? A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T TRUST insurance companies--for good reason. Insurance companies are notorious for taking customers' money and then finding creative ways to avoid paying claims. They price-gouge the black community and drop...

Officials joust over auto rates; Commerce's filing scrutinized by state.
Byline: Bob Kievra BOSTON - Two state regulators squared off yesterday over how auto insurers prepare their rates under the new managed competition structure, clashing over how the recipe is interpreted and what ingredients can be used. The tug-of-war between Insurance Commissioner Nonnie S. Burnes...

Drivers warned about insurance; Working with agents better than shopping on Internet.
Byline: Martin Luttrell SUTTON - With managed competition now allowing Massachusetts drivers to shop around for auto insurance, consumers shouldn't rely on the Internet for the best deal, said Francis A. Mancini, president and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents. In...

Business briefs.
COLUMN: BUSINESS BRIEFS Telegram & Gazette Bloomberg Index Central Massachusetts +2.80 178.56 Volume: 171,572,170 Up: 13 Down: 10 Unchanged: 6 Gainer: Hanover Insurance Group Inc. $47.13 +$3.83 (Volume of 1.21 million...

Make reform work; Auto insurers' lawsuit is premature at best.
COLUMN: IN OUR OPINION A lawsuit filed Friday in Suffolk Superior Court to overturn a key provision of the state's new "managed competition" approach to auto insurance, while not wholly without merit, regrettably illustrates Voltaire's maxim that "the perfect is the enemy of the good." ...

Review IDs ways to help finances; State delivers report to town.
Byline: Stephanie McPherson UXBRIDGE - The state Department of Revenue recently delivered its financial management review to Uxbridge, and said the town overall is well-managed but fiscally strained. The report supplied Uxbridge with recommendations to improve its financial situation and to ease the running of...

Extended warranty? Phooey! Repair policies are frequently a rip-off.
Byline: Martin Luttrell Vitaly Rozenman thought he was doing the prudent thing when he paid $1,800 for an extended warranty service contract for his Jeep Grand Cherokee. The software engineer received a call from a representative of Ultimate Warranty Corp. three years after he purchased the vehicle,...

Commissioners Extol the virtues of a healthy competition.
Perhaps it was the venue--sharing ideas in the presence of some of the most powerful insurance executives in the land--or perhaps it was the shock at the federal government's ineptitude at helping victims of Hurricane Katrina more than two years ago. But the talk from a handful...

Business briefs.
COLUMN: BUSINESS BRIEFS TELEGRAM & GAZETTE Bloomberg Index Central Massachusetts +3.06 166.84 Volume: 59,585,048 Up: 20 Down: 4 Unchanged: 5 Gainer: American Superconductor Corp. $22.85 +$1.67 (volume of 678,502...