Blog: Legislation

It’s hard to keep track of new legislation that affects home building and remodeling across the 50 states. Too often homeowners and re-modelers get going on a project that requires a local permit and suddenly discover they have to lay out additional money to meet building codes. I know people who have had to rip…

A Florida online insurance agency found to have sold homeowners policies using unlicensed personnel will pay a $100,000 fine. The agency will also contact every customer affected and offer to rewrite their policies, under terms of a settlement reached with state officials. In March, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink’s Department of Financial Services took legal…

First Judicial District Court I also find in favor of the Plaintiffs with respect to malicious abuse of process. I find that Allstate has used the judicial process in New Mexico and with these Plaintiffs, the jury trial process and judicial proceedings, for each of the Plaintiffs with the primary motive to accomplish an illegitimate…

In a 9-0 decision, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “all-risk” home insurance policies may cover wind damage from hurricanes, even in situations where the loss is later exacerbated by water from storm surge. The state high court decision found that language in a policy may exclude storm damage when it is caused…

A Miami lawyer has filed class action suit against The Hartford alleging the company failed to pay replacement cost on Hurricane Wilma claims to insureds who had purchased the coverage. The suit claims The Hartford refused to pay replacement cost coverage unless and until the insured actually replaced the property, which lawyer Steven Simon says…

Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin wants North Carolinian homeowners to be aware of a class-action settlement with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. for which he estimates some 304,995 consumers across the state may qualify. The settlement is between Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. and affiliated companies and homeowner policyholders who say they were not paid enough for claims…

A Florida appeals court affirmed an administrative judge’s ruling that allows the state’s Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty to deny a homeowners insurance rate increase to State Farm. Without comment, Florida’s District Court of Appeals, First District, in Tallahassee, yesterday affirmed the commissioner’s denial. A reverse decision could have increased rates by as much as 67…

Dear Florida Insurance Consumers, When your insurance rates go higher, the customer service gets worse, and your fair claim treatment is non existent.  Please remember your Florida legislatures that supported the insurance lobby over you. This chart outlines the status and descriptions of key property insurance legislation so far, including which bills would benefit insurers.…

A Leon County Circuit Court judge has put Coral Insurance into receivership , effectively ending the company’s operations. Hollywood-based Coral has an agreement with Security First Insurance and MacNeill Group to provide replacement coverage for its policyholders. The Florida Department of Financial Services is the receiver for the company. “Our top priority is to help…

TALLAHASSEE– Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink today released the following statement in response to the Office of Insurance Regulation’s (OIR) Consent Order with People’s Trust Insurance Company: “The Office of Insurance Regulation’s Consent Order with People’s Trust Insurance Company shows that People’s Trust committed numerous violations of the laws designed to protect Florida’s insurance…