According to Online Auto Insurance, an appeals court in Florida has recently ruled on a case that began with a crash which involved four adolescents and “some horseplay,” and that underlines the types of behaviors that cause car insurers to charge teen motorists higher rates. The case began with a circumstance where a passenger had been repeatedly reaching across to the driver’s side to honk the horn and take hold of the steering wheel of his girlfriend’s car while she was driving it. Both of these individuals were 17 years…
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Governor Rick Scott addresses insurance fraud issue in Florida
Governor Rick Scott spoke in his state of the state address about the importance of reforms to Florida’s no fault auto insurance system, aimed to significantly reduce the fraud abuse which is currently rampant within it. According to Scott, the cost of fraud to the people in the state is an estimated $900 million. In his address, he said that “If we do not act, the Office of Insurance Regulation predicts that costs for consumers will continue to spiral out of control.” He also claimed that the premiums that are…
Read MoreScott Wallace, CEO of Citizens Property Insurance, to step down
Scott Wallace, the President and CEO of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., has announced that he will be stepping down on April 6, 2012 from his positions in the corporation. Wallace has been the CEO for the insurer for over six years, and has been the head of the company throughout a time when it underwent a significant amount of growth and became the largest provider of homeowners’ insurance in Florida, reaching approximately 1.5 million policies. Citizens did face some scrutiny after state officials and Governor Rick Scott worked to find…
Read MoreImperial Holdings targeted by federal insurance regulators after allegations of fraud
Imperial Holdings has become the target of a federal criminal investigation after insurance regulators caught wind of allegations concerning the life insurance branch of the company – Imperial Finance and Trading. The investigation applies only to the company’s life insurance premium finance business and no other aspect of the company. A multitude of class action lawsuits have been filed against Imperial Holdings since September of last year. Many of these lawsuits are coming from shareholders who claim that the company is committing fraud. Federal regulators seized control of the company’s…
Read MoreInsurance reform takes a backseat in Florida Legislature, Insurance Council continues to press forward with changes
As insurance reform loses momentum amongst legislators, the Florida Insurance Council says that it will continue pushing for major changes to the state’s regulations and the Citizens Property Insurance group. Reform has fallen to the wayside in the current session of the state’s Legislature, which will begin next week. While lawmakers focus more on budget and redistricting, the much needed insurance changes are not to be considered until the next legislative session, which will happen much later in the year. The Insurance Council is pushing for changes to the state’s…
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