Live Insurance News

Insurance industry could soon see greater federal flexibility

July 30, 2013July 27, 2013 H. Cutner

Senators have now proposed a bill that could give the Federal Reserve more wiggle room. A bipartisan group made up of U.S. senators has now proposed a new bill that would provide the Federal Reserve a larger amount of flexibility for the regulation of companies that are systemically important to the insurance industry, such as American International Group Inc. (AIG). This new bill is meant to put new “capital standards” into place that are customized to the “unique characteristics”. This, according to the bill, which had senators sponsoring it who…

Homeowners insurance group seeks financial protection against hurricane season

July 26, 2013July 23, 2013 S.Vagus

Citizens Insurance Louisiana homeowners insurance property

Homeowners insurance group responds to threats of hurricane season With the peak of the 2013 hurricane season fast approaching in the U.S., Louisiana’s Citizens Property Insurance is looking to protect itself from the financial impact of possible storms. The state-run organization accounts for the majority of the homeowners insurance policies currently in effect throughout the state and primarily provides coverage to properties in coastal areas. Louisiana, like Florida, often falls victim to tropical storms and hurricanes during the hurricane season, but unlike Florida, the state has not managed to avoid…

Homeowners band together to protest flood insurance rate hikes

July 26, 2013July 23, 2013 Logan B.

Flood insurance rates set to soar in the US Hundreds of thousands of homeowners throughout the U.S. are bracing for the impact of higher flood insurance rates as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes sweeping revisions to its flood maps and federal lawmakers seek to introduce further reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA has been slow to revise its flood maps; so much of the concern among homeowners is related to reforms that were passed last year concerning the federal flood insurance program. These reforms are scheduled…

Crop insurance regulation generating confusion

July 25, 2013July 23, 2013 G. Turner

Some Upper Midwest farmers are not exactly sure what coverage is available to them. The massive and extensive droughts that struck the Upper Midwest of the United States are now contributing to widespread confusion regarding the rules of crop insurance for some farmers in that region who were not able to plant this spring because of the exact opposite issue – too much water. Some growers are concerned that they won’t qualify for payments this year when they were not able to plant. Croplands that were too wet to put…

Missouri imposes new law on health insurance navigators

July 24, 2013July 22, 2013 Marc

Health insurance navigators to seek state licensure A new law has been passed in Missouri that placed a strict requirement for counselors seeking to participate in the state’s health insurance exchange. These counselors, often called health insurance navigators, are meant to provide consumers with guidance concerning the policies offered through the state’s exchange program. Navigators are considered to be a boon by the federal government as they could help consumers find the best policies that suit their needs, thereby making health insurance exchanges more effective in their purpose. Law aims…