Approved death claims in GM ignition switch fund increase.

The Detroit News (3/16, Shepardson, 577K) reports General Motors “ignition switch compensation fund on Monday said it has approved three new death claims” associated with its “delayed recall of 2.6 million vehicles.” The latest tally of approved death claims stands at 67, and five new accepted claims for injuries puts that injury number cases at 113 approved thus far. The News says a surge in death and injury claims before the Jan. 31 deadline means the program will likely go into the “very late spring” before it can rule on all the claims, head compensation lawyer Ken Feinberg said last month. The story adds that GM has set aside “$400 million to pay claims but said it could be as high as $600 million.”