Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Thursday, Jan. 24

 

To view a complete story, click on the headline below:

State asks appeals court to reinstate Allstate suspension

State attorneys tried Wednesday to reinstate a suspension that would keep Allstate’s 10 insurance companies from writing new policies in Florida.

Allstate claims it provided report

Allstate said Wednesday it has handed over a controversial report on its claim practices, the same day Florida’s insurance regulators accused the company of breaking the law by refusing to release subpoenaed documents.

Allstate yields documents

Allstate unexpectedly delivered thousands of contentious and rarely glimpsed documents to state insurance regulators Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the besieged insurer confirmed.

House Passes Flood Insurance Reform Legislation

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3959, sponsored by Financial Services Committee Chairman, Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), legislation that would gradually phase-out some of the subsidies in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Lawsuit claims insurance company discriminated against Haitians

Three people have sued Liberty National Life Insurance Co. claiming their insurance was canceled or undervalued because of discrimination against Haitian-Americans.

MetLife warns homeowners their coverage may be dropped

An unknown number of Metropolitan Property and Casualty Insurance Company policy holders recently have been getting letters warning that they may be dropped.

Gov. Charlie Crist talks of preserving Save Our Homes

He says Amendment 1 will ‘preserve’ Save Our Homes, but some say that word muddles what’s at stake.

Entering the stretch run to pass his property-tax plan, Gov. Charlie Crist has added a new line to his sales pitch: that Amendment 1 “preserves” the 3 percent Save Our Homes tax cap.

Amendment Foes Look To Tax Board for Ideas

Coalition says the state should offer voters alternatives and more reforms.

Amendment 1 opponents Wednesday said Florida voters should reject the Legislature’s property tax relief proposal and look, instead, to the state’s tax and budget commission to come up with a better idea.

Slots fans, foes debate economics

The debate over slot machines in Miami-Dade County turned toward economics Wednesday, as anti- and pro-slots forces clashed at a political forum over jobs claims and education dollars that may be generated by more gambling.

State Primary Votes Won’t Have Paper Trail

Despite election reforms that state officials approved last year, most Florida voters will rely this month on the same touch-screen machines that have come under fire nationwide.

3-Day Dragnet in Fla. Nets 47 Insurance Fraud Arrests

Officials arrested 47 Floridians so far in a statewide, three-day operation that began Tuesday and will continue through today, targeting 84 individuals for various insurance fraud charges, according to Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

GOP gang bill targets kingpins, Internet

Republican state legislators Wednesday presented a bill aimed at fighting gang violence in Florida, but it did not include a key proposal recommended recently by a statewide grand jury that would establish special prosecutors and add investigators throughout the state.

Domestic partner insurance list rises

The number of Palm Beach County School District employees insuring domestic partners grew by almost 400 percent this year, now that premiums are the same for partners as for married couples.

Sen. Dodd To Push Surplus Lines Reform

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, committed himself yesterday to “examining” legislation that would reform regulation of the surplus lines and reinsurance markets as a priority for his committee agenda in 2008.

CAT Fund Backers Begin Voter Campaign

Advocates for a federal catastrophe fund on launched a direct mail campaign today calling on voters to demand answers from candidates as to where they stand on the issue of such a program.

EDITORIAL: Super insurance-commissioner-man to the rescue!

As capitalism teeters on the brink, a New York state regulator gives the stock market new reason to believe.

All hail Eric Dinallo, the New York state superintendent of insurance!

When It Comes to Claims, Timing Is Everything

Timing is everything when it comes to satisfactorily resolving a claim.

At least that’s what 11,000 recent auto and homeowners’ claimants told J.D. Power and Associates when the company conducted its 2007 Insurance Claims Study , which measured auto and homeowner insurance customer satisfaction with the claim process.

Collision Repairers, Insurers Discuss Tensions

Responding to what they view as “high tension” between collision repairers and insurers, the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) recently held a roundtable discussion with insurers in an attempt to clear the air about problems perceived on both sides of the industry.

NAIC Sets Rating Guidelines For Bonds

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners yesterday approved guidelines on how insurers’ bond holdings should be evaluated.