Insurance payout judgment faces another delay

Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. policyholders have faced another block from a state of appeals court, which has halted their ability to collect over $100 million from the insurer’s failure to process the 2005 hurricane claims within a reasonable time frame. According to the chief executive officer at Citizens, Richard Robertson, a temporary order was issued by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeal, prohibiting the attorneys of the plaintiff from being able to perform a funds seizure from the insurance company’s accounts. There will be a later decision by the…

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Louisiana insurance regulators recover more than $5 million after receiving thousands of complaints from consumers

The Louisiana Department of Insurance has announced that consumers will be eligible to receive more than $5 million in rebates from various insurance companies in the state. State regulators recovered the money after consumers filed an overwhelming number of complaints in 2011. Half of the money comes from complaints regarding life insurance and annuities benefits, while the other half comes from complaints regarding property/casualty insurers. The Department of Insurance has received approximately 3,453 complaints from consumers, down from 4,347 in 2010. Most of the complaints revolve around claims that insurers…

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Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance seeks to raise rates by 10.5% throughout the state

Homeowners in Louisiana may see their insurance rates jump as the state’s own Citizens Property Insurance company proposes new, higher rates. The state-run insurer, which accounts for more than 120,000 policies, is looking to raise rates throughout the state by an average of 10.5%. For some parts of the state – particularly those near the coast – these rates will be higher. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon is currently reviewing the rate increase proposal to see if it is needed in the current market. The insurer claims that higher rates are…

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Louisiana Supreme Court reinstates suit against states Citizens Property Insurance group

The Louisiana Supreme Court has voted to reinstate a $92.8 million suit against the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. this week. The suit originated in early 2006 and claims that the state-run insurance organization was intentionally slow in adjusting insurance claims resulting from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The 24th Judicial District Court had awarded some 18,000 homeowners with roughly $5,000 after hearing the case. The action, however, violated state law and put the suit on hold for some time. The ruling has found a staunch enemy in the state’s Insurance…

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Higher insurance and reinsurance prices may be linked to new RMS catastrophe model

State Farm customers in northeastern Louisiana may soon be paying more for their homeowners insurance as the company looks to state regulators for approval of a rate increase of 19.5%. The insurer claims that higher rates are the result of recent fires, tornados and other natural disasters occurring in the state. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says that he has never before experienced such a steep increase in insurance rates, especially in the northern part of the states that are not often subject to such rate increases. The rate at which…

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