Capitol to Courthouse Florida Insurance Report: Thursday, October 11
Oct 11, 2012
To go directly to the section of your choice, click on a hyperlink below. Other hyperlinks to meeting information, bills and news are noted in bold type.
Daily Florida Insurance-Related Events
3:30 p.m.–Florida Insurance Guaranty Association Vendor Selection Committee meeting. Agenda includes discussion of selection of Trustee and Investment Banking Services providers for the Florida Insurance Assistance Interlocal Agency. To view the meeting notice, click here.
Blog: Citizens president nudges consumers to leave “government-created insurer”
After five private insurance companies sent out 210,000 letters to Citizens Property Insurance customers offering to take over their policies last week, Citizens president has been following up with a letter of his own.
Column: Who’s looking out for homeowners as private insurers take over Citizens policies?
South Florida consumers angered by notification process, lack of information
It can easily be mistaken for junk mail, a thin envelope from an insurance company that’s not your own.
Moody’s says rate hikes a credit plus for Florida state insurer
Moody’s Investors Service sees a 10.8 percent rise for homeowner policies and other rate hikes granted Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp as a credit positive for the storm-prone state’s property insurer of last resort.
Large – but not largest – auto insurers aim to cut no-fault rates
Most of the largest auto insurers have filed 10 percent personal injury protection rate decreases as called for by a new law, but State Farm has filed an increase for the no-fault portion of its auto rate.
7 of 10 largest Florida auto insurers have PIP rate cuts pending
Of the 10 largest auto insurance writers in Florida, seven companies have pending rate filings that would reduce their PIP rates by 10 percent, as required by legislation approved last spring.
Florida Supreme Court to decide whether patients should sign legal rights away
Most people have been there. You go to the doctor’s office, and are promptly greeted with a stack of paperwork to fill out.
Voting by absentee ballot is a week old in Florida and already 76,000 people and counting have voted.
In trial run, early voters learn that long ballots mean long waits
In what amounted to a dry-run for early voting and Election Day, President Obama’s campaign encouraged supporters Wednesday to cast mail-in ballots in person at elections offices throughout Florida where voters said people need to do their homework and to be prepared for a long stay because of lengthy ballots.
Florida leads nation in foreclosures
For the first time since 2005, Florida led the nation for foreclosures, according to a report by a real-estate research group that tracks home sales across the country.
Courts seek pay raises, budget hike
Office of State Courts Administrator says the judiciary branch is losing employees to other government agencies due to low salaries.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Steve Southerland vs. Al Lawson Becoming a Marquee Race
As the race for the White House tightens, Republicans and Democrats are battling for every congressional seat they have a chance of winning.
Florida’s tops in eastern U.S. in business tax climate, so why isnt state marketing it aggressively?
Wake up and good morning. Okay, we know some of this tax drill already, right? Florida ranks among the best ten states when it comes to taxes and those evil states like California, New York and New Jersey rank among those most overtaxed.
Commissioner Putnam says the future of Florida and agriculture are entwined
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam tells the Economic Club of Florida that water is the biggest problem for agriculture and the state. “All of these water challenges are now everyone’s problem — it’s not just a South Florida issue.”
Alabama to launch insurance verification system
Alabama’s liability insurance law has been on the books for 12 years, but 22% of Alabama drivers are still uninsured – one of the highest rates in the nation. Insured drivers are the ones paying the price.
Catastrophe bonds drive down disaster reinsurance rates
The market for catastrophe bonds has boomed in the past year and is likely to keep growing as investors search for higher returns.
USA Today Report: Climate change behind rise in weather disasters
The number of natural disasters per year has been rising dramatically on all continents since 1980, but the trend is steepest for North America where countries have been battered by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, searing heat and drought, a new report says.
Wall Street Journal: Wall Street Faults New York State Lobby Law
Wall Street and insurance groups are organizing an effort to overturn a New York ethics regulation requiring trade associations that lobby state government to publicly disclose their sources of funding.
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