Florida’s independent insurance agents have voiced their concern regarding one of Florida’s largest property insurers taking over thousands of policies from a now defunct competitor. Agents are worried that the move may cost them dearly in the form of client exodus. Homeowners Choice Insurance, a subsidiary of Homeowners Choice Property and Casualty Insurance, has taken on more than 70,000 policies from HomeWise Insurance. While agents have witnessed such happenings in the past, there is a provision in the contract between HomeWise and Homeowners Choice that could put agents’ livelihoods in…
Read MoreTag: Florida insurance
Florida Health Choices program to launch July 2012
Florida legislators are looking to launch a new health care plan for small businesses in July 2012. The Florida Health Choices program, which was first built by lawmakers in 2008, aims to bring affordable health care policies to small businesses as an alternative to those offered by private insurance companies. The program has been in the development phase for several years partly because legislators want to make certain the program is being built correctly. The Florida Health Choices board says that the program is as ready as it will ever…
Read MoreFlorida dodges volatile hurricane season, could make Citizens Property Insurance more financially sound for 2012 season
Hurricane season has come to an end and Florida and its insurers are still standing. Florida has managed to evade major hurricanes for the past six consecutive years. For a state that is growing increasingly dependent upon insurance coverage, this is no small feat. Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance has also emerged from the season virtually unscathed by major storms, though the state-run insurer is still wracked with persistent financial and fraud issues. The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season produced 19 named storms, of which only 7 became full-fledged hurricanes, according to…
Read MoreFlorida faces further reform to its personal injury protection insurance reform
Florida’s battle against fraud in the no fault auto insurance sector has felt like a losing battle over the last while, as one change to the regulations simply leads to a new form of fraud. There have been anti-fraud provisions made by the legislature in 2002, 2003, and 2007 following a grand jury fraud and abuse report in 2000. Unfortunately, none of these attempts to stop the fraud have made a dent in the cost of personal injury protection. According to the Coalition for Auto-Insurance Reform president, Peter Kinzler, there…
Read MoreUPCIC writes its first Georgia homeowners insurance policies
Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc., has announced that its Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company (UPCIC) subsidiary has now written its first Georgia homeowners’ insurance policies for an official start within that state. Chief operating officer of the vertically integrated insurance holding company, Sean Downes, said that the entrance of UPCIC into the homeowners’ marketplace in Georgia “marks the fifth state where UPCIC conducts business and continues our expansion beyond Florida.” He added that the insurer is anticipates a strong expansion of its network of agents within that state, as well…
Read More
