Insurance companies now face massive losses due to sinkholes in Florida

Sinkholes that are destroying Florida houses are now costing insurance companies in that state hundreds of thousands of dollars as claims begin rolling in. In fact, in three claims alone linked to sinkholes that cracked floors and broke water pipes, insurers had to pay out over $500,000. Among those three houses in question, none of the homeowners used the money to try to repair their homes. Instead, they are among the hundreds living in Florida’s “sinkhole alley” – which consists of the counties of Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco, and Pinellas –…

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Senator Casey appeals to PA Insurance Commissioner Consedine for better sinkhole damage coverage for homeowners

United States Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), has addressed Insurance Commissioner Michael Consedine, of Pennsylvania, and has asked for assistance for homeowners in covering themselves against the devastation that can be caused by sinkholes. What Senator Casey has called for is the help of the insurance industry to make homeowners more aware of what overage they have to protect them against the cost of sinkhole damages in the event that one should occur. In order to make this request, Senator Casey sent a letter to Commissioner Consedine, which said that all…

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Florida legislators consider allowing surplus insurers to participate in Citizens Property Insurance Corp

In an effort to make Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. more sustainable in the future, lawmakers are now considering opening up the state-run insurance program to surplus carriers. Legislators believe that by allowing surplus insurers to participate, the program will go through a depopulation period as consumers take advantage of the wider variety in policies they have access to. Currently, the state-run program covers more than 1.5 million policyholders. With the program being so large, Governor Rick Scott believes that the only two solutions for sustainability lie in depopulating or…

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Citizens Property Insurance rate increase struck down by Florida’s Insurance Commissioner

Florida’s Insurance Commissioner has taken a bold stand against the state-run insurance company Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The insurer has been facing staunch opposition lately for a rate increase that will raise the rates of sinkhole coverage throughout the state by an average of 400%. Commissioner Kevin McCarty has ruled against the rate increase and now demands that the insurer make dramatic changes to their rate proposal. McCarty is keen to see the insurer propose new rates that are friendlier toward consumers. The insurer’s rate increase has been under investigation…

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Massive rate increases from Florida’s insurance program approved

Early this week, Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance proposed massive rate increases for sinkhole coverage. On average, policies would be impacted by an increase of 428% throughout the state. The proposal was seen as excessive by many consumer advocacy groups, but the insurers that make up the state-run program argue that higher rates are needed to combat fraud. Despite the best efforts of opponents, the proposals were passed as part of Senate Bill 408. Now that the new rates have been approved, Florida residents can expect to pay a lot more…

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