October 30, 2009 brought several noteworthy developments to the enforcement of the Red Flags Rule and finalization of the Massachusetts security regulation, all of which may affect what you must do to comply. 


Read More Recent Developments: The FTC Red Flags Rule and Massachusetts Security Regulation

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently granted an insurer’s motion for summary judgment, finding no coverage on the ground that the underlying complaint alleged solely intentional conduct that was not covered under the Errors and Omissions insurance policy at issue. 


Read More U.S. District Court Grants Insurer’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Finding No Coverage Where the Underlying Complaint Alleged Solely Intentional Conduct

By orders dated September 1, 2009 and October 15, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted in part, and denied in part, the defendants motion to dismiss in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank et al v. Morgan Stanley et al, which names as defendants Moody’s Corporation (“Moody’s”) and McGraw Hill Companies (“McGraw Hill”) (collectively, the “Rating Agencies”). 


Read More Southern District Grants in Part and Denies in Part the Rating Agencies’ Motion to Dismiss in Subprime Suit

The House passed its $1 trillion healthcare reform bill over the weekend, following a week-long flurry of behind the scenes activity by Democratic leaders, as they worked to line up the 218 votes necessary for passage.  Across the Capitol, the Senate remained in a holding pattern, and many Senators have begun to acknowledge that a vote on healthcare reform may not occur in their chamber before the end of the year. 


Read More Last Week in DC: The Healthcare Reform Debate – November 9, 2009

On October 27, 2009, the House Financial Services Committee and the Treasury Department released draft legislation, titled the Financial Stability Improvement Act of 2009 (the “Bill”), to address systemic risk issues, particularly in connection with financial institutions that are considered “too big to fail.” 


Read More House Financial Services Committee and Treasury Department Release Draft Financial Stability Improvement Act of 2009

In a meeting this week with Democrats from the Florida House of Representatives, Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty stated that, in his opinion, damages associated with allegedly toxic Chinese drywall are not covered damages under homeowner’s insurance policies. 
Read More Chinese Drywall – Florida Insurance Commissioner States that Chinese Drywall Damage Not Covered By Homeowner’s Policies

H.R. 2609, the Insurance Information Act of 2009, was reintroduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on May 21, 2009 by Representative Paul Kanjorski (D-PA).  The act would establish the Office of Insurance Information (the “OII”).  A revised discussion draft of H.R. 2609, released on October 1, 2009, was the subject of a recent Congressional hearing and debated in the House Financial Services Committee on October 27, 2009. 
Read More Representative Kanjorski Attempts to Form an Insurance Information Office with Regulatory Powers

On Tuesday, October 29, 2009, New York State Insurance Department (“NYSID”) Superintendent James Wrynn announced that the NYSID entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with the Superintendencia del Sistema Financiero de El Salvador (“SSF”), El Salvador’s insurance regulator. 


Read More New York State Insurance Department Announces Cooperation Agreement with El Salvador