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NEW YORK - Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. home and auto insurer, said Thursday it will stop writing new homeowner policies in New Jersey on Feb. 5, citing concern a hurricane might strike the state. The state's second-largest home insurer after State Farm said the change will not affect 230,000 homeowners who already have policies with the company. Allstate will no longer write new policies for owners of homes, condominiums, mobile homes and landlords. It said it will also not renew policies for about 300 commercial customers in eight coastal counties.

Allstate dropping earthquake coverage in Washington 06:52 PM PDT on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 By GLENN FARLEY / KING 5 News SEATTLE - A major Washington insurer will stop offering coverage for earthquakes in the state, a decision that will affect about 50,000 property owners. Allstate insures nearly 250,000 homeowners in the state and about one in five has quake insurance. The move by Allstate has state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler concerned that other carrier may follow suit. "I'm very concerned, because you never know, if Allstate is just the first of several that are going to take this step,"...

NORTHBROOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 2005--Residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rank as the safest drivers in the U.S. according to the Allstate Insurance Company's (NYSE:ALL) inaugural "America's Best Drivers Report." The first-of-its kind ranking of U.S. cities with populations 100,000-plus, revealed that the average driver in the central Iowa city will experience an auto collision every 15 years, compared to the national likelihood of a crash every 10 years - making them 33.28 percent less likely to have an accident than the national average. Allstate researchers analyzed internal data to determine the likelihood drivers in America's largest 196 cities would experience...

Christian settles with Allstate Ex-employee claimed firm fired him due to anti-homosexual column Posted: February 22, 2006 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Ron Strom © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com A Christian former employee of Allstate has settled a lawsuit with the company he had filed claiming he was fired because of an anti-homosexual, anti-same-sex marriage column he wrote on his own time. As WorldNetDaily reported, J. Matt Barber was a manager in Allstate's Corporate Security Division, its investigative arm, at the Fortune 100 company's headquarters in Northbrook, Ill. Besides working for the insurance provider, Barber was and is a professional heavyweight boxer, a...

Allstate and ex-worker settle online-essay suit By Michael Higgins Tribune staff reporter Published February 17, 2006 A Villa Park man who claimed he was fired from Allstate Corp. for writing an online essay that denounced same-sex marriage has settled his lawsuit against the company, ending a legal battle that caught the attention of religious conservatives nationwide. Neither J. Matt Barber, 36, a born-again Christian, nor an Allstate spokesman would comment, but lawyers for both sides appeared Thursday before U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve to report that the case had been resolved. The terms were not made public.

BEAUMONT, Texas (Dec. 14, 2005) -- An Airman from the Houston, Texas, area who has already won many accolades for his quick thinking and actions received yet another award from Insurance company Allstate Dec. 7 for potentially saving hundreds of lives in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. Faced with a new mission as a result of the hurricane, Master Sgt. Lynn Bailey, 147th Fighter Wing fuel superintendent, completed a task others might have thought impossible. The task garnered him the nickname “The Nozzle Man” because his nozzle was indirectly responsible for the getting vehicles carrying sick and elderly back on the...

Foes on the left, friends on the right Employee who lost job after criticizing same-sex marriage in online essay says he"s a victim of reverse discrimination By Robert Sanchez Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2005 To insurance giant Allstate Corp., former employee J. Matt Barber is simply “one guy disputing his termination.” But to same-sex marriage opponents, the circumstances behind Barber’s dismissal from the Northbrook-based company have made him a 36-year-old cause celebre. Barber, a born-again Christian, says he was fired for writing an online article defending marriage and criticizing homosexuality. The Villa Park resident later filed...

Daily Herald Foes on the left, friends on the right Employee who lost job after criticizing same-sex marriage in online essay says he"s a victim of reverse discrimination By Robert Sanchez Daily Herald Staff Writer Posted Wednesday, November 23, 2005 To insurance giant Allstate Corp., former employee J. Matt Barber is simply “one guy disputing his termination.” But to same-sex marriage opponents, the circumstances behind Barber’s dismissal from the Northbrook-based company have made him a 36-year-old cause celebre. Barber, a born-again Christian, says he was fired for writing an online article defending marriage and criticizing homosexuality. The Villa Park resident...

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Allstate, the largest publicly traded homeowners and auto insurer in the U.S., said it plans to scale back its exposure to the Gulf Coast homeowner's market following the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita this summer. Speaking at the company's third quarter earnings conference call with analysts earlier Thursday, Chief Executive Edward Liddy said Allstate would continue to provide assistance to those affected by the deadly hurricanes but would curb its exposure, a company spokeswoman confirmed. Liddy didn't provide an estimate of how much the company would scale back in the region. The news came as...

Insurer's operating chief responds to Mississippi suit... Allstate Corp. won't pay flooding claims stemming from Hurricane Katrina, Chief Operating Officer Tom Wilson said on Tuesday, in a direct challenge to a lawsuit filed last week by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. Controversy has emerged surrounding the devastating flooding that followed the storm. Standard homeowners' insurance policies typically exclude flooding, partly because a national, government-run program covers those risks. However, many homeowners hit by Katrina may not have bought this extra coverage. Mississippi's Hood sued Allstate and four other leading insurers in the state on Sept. 16, arguing that their flood...

Eight members of Congress have jumped into the fight between Allstate and a former manager who is suing the insurance giant for allegedly firing him because he wrote an anti-homosexual column on his own time. As WorldNetDaily reported, J. Matt Barber was a manager in Allstate's Corporate Security Division, its investigative arm, at the Fortune 100 company's headquarters in Northbrook, Ill. Besides working for the insurance provider, Barber was and is a professional heavyweight boxer, a jazz drummer and a Web commentator. His columns have appeared on TheConservativeVoice.com, MensNewsDaily.com and others. The column in question was written and posted in...

Not all Nationwide Insurance homeowners in Florida have to worry about a round of rate hikes going into effect starting this month. Thousands won't be renewed at all. Beginning March 1, Nationwide will not renew about 35,000 homeowners' and 4,800 mobile home policies across the state, the Columbus, Ohio, company said Wednesday. It also will no longer write mobile home policies starting today and won't renew about 12,000 commercial policies (mainly condominiums, apartments and rentals) starting March 1. After the cutback, the fourth-biggest property insurer in Florida will continue to carry about 570,000 policies in Florida, including 240,000 homeowners' policies....

The former Allstate manager who says he was fired for writing a column on his own time criticizing same-sex marriage and homosexuality has launched a new website to keep supporters up-to-date on his lawsuit against the insurance giant. As WorldNetDaily reported, J. Matt Barber was a manager in Allstate's Corporate Security Division, its investigative arm, at the Fortune 100 company's headquarters in Northbrook, Ill. Besides working for the insurance provider, Barber was and is a professional heavyweight boxer, a jazz drummer and a Web commentator. His columns have appeared on TheConservativeVoice.com, MensNewsDaily.com and others.

“The American Worker” is a series of papers developed around worker issues relative to the moral decline in America over the last 50 years. There is no better recent illustration of the importance of this issue then the story of “American Worker” J. Matt Barber. His dismissal from the Allstate Insurance Company for his opposition to same-sex marriage and his stand for one-man, one-woman marriage is a true indicator of where America stands in the cultural war today. Our culture has become loud, profane, disrespectful and in your face. In 2005, America now offers legalized on demand murder through abortion,...

Truth In Action has launched www.webtruth.net WebTruth.net is an informational website created on behalf of the Matt Barber Family. Webtruth.net is the only official website representing the Barber family. The website is intended to educate the public about Matt Barber's ongoing lawsuit against Allstate Insurance Company. As you may be aware, Allstate terminated Mr. Barber's employment for writing a pro-family/pro marriage article from his home, and on his own time. Please visit www.webtruth.netIf you have your own website, a link from your website to webtruth.net would be greatly appreciated

J. Matt Barber, a born-again Christian from Villa Park, hoped to get some reaction in December when he wrote a fiery online essay denouncing same-sex marriage and the "destructive nature ... of the homosexual lifestyle." But the strongest response, Barber said, came from his employers at Allstate Corp. He said two supervisors slapped the article down in front of him, told him he was suspended without pay and had him escorted from the company grounds in Northbrook. "I'm thinking, `What business is this of yours?'" said Barber, 36, who had worked for Allstate for five years, mostly in corporate security....

Attorney: Fired Allstate Employee's Trial Carries Implications for Religious Freedom By Jim Brown July 19, 2005 (AgapePress) - There's a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday (July 20) in the case of a former Allstate employee who claims the insurance company fired him for writing an article against homosexual "marriage." The outcome of the case will likely determine whether a Christian employee can be fired for expressing his religious beliefs while off the job. Former Allstate security manager Matt Barber recently filed a federal lawsuit against the company, alleging viewpoint discrimination. An investigation by the state of Illinois concluded that Barber was...

Join us this weekend for some racing on hallowed ground. God bless our troops, families and nation. ...... This thread is dedicated to the men and women in our country's armed forces defending our freedoms. Thank you for your service.

A former employee has sued Northbrook-based Allstate Insurance Company for discrimination, maintaining he was fired for writing an Internet-published essay that slams same-sex marriage and homosexual lifestyles. J. Matt Barber, 35, of Villa Park, said last week his Christian faith led him to write the essay in December 2004, on his own time and at home. His federal lawsuit alleges Allstate officials told him the following month that he was being suspended for writing the piece. He was fired three days later. Barber's lawsuit claims his dismissal violates his constitutional right to free exercise of religion and seeks an unspecified...

Allstate on list of top 10 pro-'gay' firms Insurance giant target of lawsuit over column critical of homosexuality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: July 15, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com Allstate, the insurance company being sued by a former employee who was fired after writing a column critical of homosexuality, is one of the top 10 firms supporting the "gay" lifestyle. The list, compiled by Diversity Inc., includes, in ranked order: Eastman Kodak, Ford Motor Company, Citigroup, D&T USA, PepsiCo, Merck & Company, Kaiser Permanente, Visteon Corporation, Allstate Insurance and The Coca-Cola Company. As WorldNetDaily reported, a former manager at Allstate's...