The issue of force-placed insurance has been thrust into the limelight this week by the Federal National Mortgage Association, more commonly known as Fannie Mae. Forced-placed insurance is a practice that some insurance companies and banks utilize to force homeowners to purchase expensive insurance policies. In New York, insurance regulators have been investigating the issue in the local industry. Spurred by state, federal and consumer attention, Fannie Mae has announced that it will be changing the rules concerning forced-placed insurance. For one, the government-sponsored enterprise will be overseeing forced-placed policies…
Read MoreTag: insurance industry data
Florida lawmakers attempt to manage problematic and controversial solution to Citizens Property Insurance problem
In Florida, lawmakers have been working on fixing the problems of the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Their efforts have yielded few results and now legislation that could help the program recover from its massive debt has hit a roadblock. Legislators have mostly been focused on reducing the number of people receiving coverage from Citizens by having private insurance companies take on more policies. The Legislature has approved an amendment to the bill that would have accomplished this, House Bill 245, which makes transferring policies more difficult. Now, insurers must…
Read MoreEqecat weighs in on the recent storm in Midwest and Southern U.S
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…
Read MoreFlorida 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 More
