Allstate must cut rates

The insurance giant was ordered by state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to lower its auto premiums by 15.9 percent, or an average savings of $124 per car. That's more than twice what Allstate had been looking for. Then again, regulators have been insisting for some time that insurers base their premium-setting formulas on a person's driving record, number of years behind the wheel and total miles driven annually - not on where the person happens to live. Allstate, which says it's being unfairly forced to cut rates by a larger percentage than other insurers, is considering an appeal. (LAT)