Last week’s outbreak of devastating tornadoes in the South and Midwest of the U.S. are likely to cost the insurance industry quite a lot of money. Thus far, no insurer has been keen to release estimates regarding the total cost of the disasters, but risk modeling agency Eqecat is willing to hazard a guess. The acclaimed modeling firm says that this year’s storm season is already looking to be 30% more disastrous and costly than the average of previous years. The firm also notes that tornadoes may be one of…
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Florida lawmakers pass new bill designed to combat auto insurance fraud in the state
The Florida House of Representatives has passed a new bill that aims to dismantle auto insurance fraud in the state. The bill, House Bill 119, passed with a vote of 85-30, receiving a great deal of support from both political parties. The bill will now contend with a similar legislation heading to the state’s Senate, Senate Bill 1860. Both bills have similar goals, but seek to accomplish them in differing ways. Governor Rick Scott, who has made insurance fraud a top priority this legislative session, says that the ultimate goal…
Read MoreInsurance Law Podcast examines the use of social media as a tool for the insurance industry
A.M. Best, a worldwide ratings and financial data services company serving the global insurance industry, has released its latest installment of the Insurance Law Podcast. The series focuses on insurance issues from a legal perspective and seeks to supply viewers with an understanding of how insurance laws are affecting the industry as a whole. This week’s podcast focused on the issue of insurers using social media to price policies and investigate claims. The latest podcast features attorneys Daniel Santaniello and Heather Calhoon from Luks, Santaniello, Petrillo & Jones law firm.…
Read MoreBuffett reveals his traditional insurance premiums funds source is diminishing
Former hedge fund manager, Warren Buffett, who is known for turning Berkshire Hathaway Inc. into a company worth $195 billion through the leveraging of insurance premiums, has announced that his staple new revenue source is rapidly shrinking. The insurance units for Berkshire, which are in sectors covering everything from healthcare for asbestos exposure to auto plans, has dried up to the degree that it is no longer providing adequate investment funds as either float or accumulated premiums. According to a letter released by Buffet, as of December 31, 2011, the…
Read MoreLPL Financial research identifies new opportunity for retail financial companies
The largest independent broker-dealer in the United States, LPL Financial LLC, which is an LPL Investment Holdings Inc. wholly owned subsidiary, has recently revealed a number of the main findings it has discovered through a co-sponsored study which looked into the role played by insurance and investment services customers among retail financial organizations. The study was entitled “The Value of an Investment and Insurance Customer to a Bank”. It was performed by Christine Kehrer, Kenneth Kehrer, and Peter Bielan, with the co-sponsorship of LPL Financial. Among the primary findings that…
Read MoreGlobal insurance programs have significant challenges to overcome if they want to be viable
The global insurance industry is an ardently regulated entity. Most nations have strict laws and rules concerning insurance and have a great deal of interest in applying these regulations as a way to govern the actions of insurance companies. The problem, however, is that these regulations differing wildly from country to country, meaning that no two countries have the same regulations. As such, creation of global insurance programs has been a gargantuan challenge, and one that cannot be easily overcome through tenacity. As with other industries of business, insurance is…
Read MoreStates hardest hit by tornados in the U.S
The tornadoes that struck the South and Midwest American states this week, leaving 13 people dead and injuring many others, have drawn attention to the risk of twisters once again, following closely on the heels of 2011’s record breaking year for those and other severe weather events. Last year was the deadliest storm season in over three quarters of a century, and thunderstorms and tornadoes brought about approximately $25 billion in uninsured losses. Though the data regarding which states were struck most by tornadoes last year has yet to be…
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