CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : CALIFORNIA : State Farm Will Delay Its Billing

State Farm, the largest seller of auto insurance in California, has notified its 3 million customers that it is suspending the sending out of semiannual bills pending the expected adoption by Insurance Commissioner Roxani Gillespie of new regulations for pricing auto coverage mandated by Proposition 103. In a letter to all State Farm policyholders, the company said, “If your renewal premium is due Nov. 8, 1989, or later, your bill may not arrive on time. Your insurance coverage will not be affected by this delay and will remain in force if you do send payment of your premium when your bill does come.” Gillespie has said she hopes to promulgate the new regulations, making a driver’s safety record a more important factor in pricing than where a driver lives, about the end of November.