Louisiana Citizens Insurance awarded temporary court order concerning $105 million in assets

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Citizens wins court order in long-standing legal battle with policyholders Louisiana’s Citizens Property Insurance, a state-run provider of insurance coverage for homeowners, has won a temporary court order that allows it to retain $105 million in assets that would have gone to policyholders. These policyholders are accusing the company of being late on adjusting claims relating to 2005’s Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Citizens has long argued that adjustments were made appropriately, but this stance did not win the company favor with previous judgments that required the company to pay policyholders.…

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Insurers pulling out of markets in the wake of natural disasters

The natural disaster rate climbs as industry reevaluates high risk areas. Natural disasters seem to be happening more regularly, a fact that the global insurance industry is becoming uncomfortable with. In terms of insurance, powerful storms and weather-related catastrophes are becoming more commonplace. As such, insurers are feeling the pressure of increased liability and the potential for steep financial losses in the wake of a catastrophic event. There is a strange trend gaining momentum in the industry today, which is spurred by the severity of recent natural disasters. Insurance markets…

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Homeowners insurance rates continue to skyrocket

Homeowners face increasing struggles as their home values continue to fall and maintenance costs continue to climb, with a new setback consisting of significantly higher insurance payments. Insurance rates for homes have been increasing steadily over the last few years, and the Insurance Information Institute has indicated that this year is expected to continue in that trend, with a rise of about 5 percent to reach an average of $1,004. This will have been the largest annual increase since the start of the recession, and will mark the first time…

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Florida legislation could move consumers from Citizens Property Insurance to more risk surplus lines.

It is no secret that the Florida Citizens Property Insurance group is under financial stress. The state-run insurance company has offered affordable insurance policies to Floridians for decades. This affordability has attracted thousands of consumers, making Citizens the largest insurer in the state, but it has also come at a cost. The insurer now has more policies than it can handle efficiently and is not generating enough revenue to continuing operating viably. State legislators have been working on a way to trim the number of policies covered by the company.…

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Louisiana’s Citizens Insurance group files emergency application seeking the aid of the U.S. Supreme Court

Louisiana’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, a state-run insurance group that accounts for the majority of the state’s insurance policies, has filed an emergency application for stay to the U.S. Supreme Court. The insurer is looking to bar further seizures from a 2009 class-action case that saw more than $90 million returned to consumers. The stay application, which was filed on Monday of this week, argues that the Louisiana Supreme Court violated the insurer’s right of due process by prohibiting the organization from mounting an appropriate defense during the litigation. The…

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