ITASCA, Ill., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG - News) today announced the acquisition of S. P. Tarantino Insurance Brokerage, Inc. of San Francisco, California. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1979, S. ... [full story]

WASHINGTON, July 12 /U.S. Newswire/ -- In written testimony submitted to the House Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, the National Association of Realtors (r) urged Congress to consider tightening the loophole that permits commercial firms to control federally ... [full story]

HOUSTON - Former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara, were among the mourners Wednesday at a memorial service of Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay. Lay's memorial service drew some of the high-profile guests who were close to him before he ... [full story]

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2006--Fitch assigns ratings to the following Vermont Student Assistance Corporation's (VSAC) education loan revenue bonds, senior series 2006: Ratings for New Issuance: -- $58,450,000 senior series 2006TT, 'AAA'; -- $58,400,000 senior series 2006UU, 'AAA'; -- ... [full story]

(ARA) - You scraped and saved. You worked hard and made sacrifices. Now you're finally ready to buy your dream house or car. But first you need a loan. It's time for fantasy to face reality - in the form ... [full story]

When two of Florida's largest insurers requested huge rate hikes recently, they also asked for profit margins of about 15 percent, much higher than the industry average. That has the state's insurance consumer advocate asking whether the insurers are inflating ... [full story]

As politicians and bureaucrats debate the role of government in our health-care system, and as concerns by U.S. citizens and employers about rising health-care costs and lack of control and satisfaction are raised, millions of American health-care consumers -- without ... [full story]

The debate over health care in America continues to rage. While everyone agrees something should be done to provide health care to the 45 million uninsured Americans, no one can agree on the best way to achieve it. Should Americans ... [full story]

KGO - Here are the notes that our '7 On Your Side' research staff compiled in regards to life insurance companies and their policies on offering standard insurance. Please note that these are listed in alphabetical order. Those listed as giving ... [full story]

LONDON (Reuters) - The life insurance and pensions industry is losing billions of pounds a year as firms splash out to attract clients but fail to keep them long enough to cover the cost, according to a report released on ... [full story]