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 More

Eqecat 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 More

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 More

Insurance 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

Buffett 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 More