Capitol to Courthouse Headliners: Tuesday, September 8
Sep 8, 2009
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Tumult of 2004 changed Florida
They sent premiums — among other things — through the roof.
- They stayed, they saved, they learned
- In the end, a stronger building
- Teamwork helped fix steeple-impaled church
- Her home a wreck, she laughs
Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne did more than damage homes for some Martin County residents
When Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne hit five years ago, they didn’t just take out bricks and mortar. The storms took a chunk out of many people’s pocketbooks.
- Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne changed lives of some St. Lucie County residents
- Five years later, residents still feeling effects from hurricanes Frances, Jeanne
- Hurricanes Frances, Jeanne did more than damage homes for some Martin County residents
Representative Janet C. Long to Host Citizens Property Insurance Representatives Q&A Session
Representative Janet Long (D-St. Petersburg) will host a Question and Answer session with representatives from the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 15.
Florida’s share of Merrill Lynch securities settlement is $8.5 million
Merrill Lynch will pay $8.5 million to Florida regulators to settle an investigation into its sales practices.
Gambling deal may face competition for attention during special session
It may no longer be a question of whether Florida lawmakers return to work early this fall, but how much they can squeeze onto the agenda.
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: HSMV’S Bustle stepping down
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Director Electra Theodorides-Bustle is stepping down for an unspecified opportunity to work in the private sector.
Fla. utilities begin hearings on nuclear plant costs
The Florida Public Service Commission has begun hearings on requests for special rate increases to pay for new nuclear power plants amid internal turmoil.
- Public Service Commission aide fired over codes
- FPL is a dynamo in Florida politics as well as in electricity production
- Progress Energy, FPL nuclear costs face double challenge
In the halls of Congress, Florida lacks clout
When Congress reconvenes Tuesday to consider overhauling the nation’s health care system, few states will have more at stake than Florida. And few will have less of a voice.
Candidates for Florida Senate tout conservative convictions
Dashing toward a Sept. 15 special election, candidates for a state Senate seat tried to sway Flagler County voters Friday with a message of lower taxes and smaller government.
Flock of Republicans, Democrats seek to replace term-limited Domino in Fla. House
With term limits forcing state Rep. Carl Domino from the House next year, his northern Palm Beach County district has become one of Florida’s busiest pieces of political real estate.
Ill-fated real estate deal costs Florida $266 million
The Florida board that invests public money for current and future retirees bet on a Manhattan real estate deal — and lost every penny of a $250 million investment.
Florida cigarette taxes drive some smokers out of state
Florida’s higher cigarette tax appears to have sent sales downward and prompted some buyers to cross state lines.
Editorial: Task force created by Florida Legislature could save you money
Task forces are a dime a dozen in Tallahassee.
Florida pre-fab houses escape trouble
Few manufactured homes foreclosed
In a year when the single-family housing market in Brevard County has been rocked by escalating foreclosure filings, there’s been a quiet corner of the industry that’s remained virtually untouched by these troubles: manufactured homes.
Business stimulus stalled in state
Eight months after vowing to spend $10 million in state money to ‘plant the seeds’ to create new jobs, an economic stimulus program initiated by Gov. Charlie Crist has yet to hand out a dime.
Machines will soon sell scratch-off Florida Lottery tickets
Scratch-off Florida Lottery tickets are one of the quickest, easiest ways for gamblers to take a chance at riches and, for the most part, come up empty.
PCI Encourages U.S. Senate to Pass Flood Program Extension
As Congress returns from its August recess, the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) encourages the U.S. Senate to pass an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) before it expires on Sept. 30th.
Texas windstorm insurers, state regulators spar over shingles
The lifted shingle issue is not limited to TWIA, said Alex Winslow, head of Texas Watch, a consumer group in Austin.
State: Texas Windstorm ‘unfair or deceptive’ with insurance claims
The Texas Department of Insurance has filed a formal complaint against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, accusing it of “unfair or deceptive” handling of claims.
Members of Californians for Fair Auto Insurance Rates (Cal-FAIR) have submitted to the Attorney General a new version of the Continuous Coverage Auto Insurance Discount Initiative.
Reinsurers to ‘Stand Firm’ on 2010 Pricing Prospects
Reinsurers promised to stand firm on the prices they charge for covering big risks like hurricanes and plane crashes, even as the recession robs their insurance company customers of cash needed to pay for the service.
Global Reinsurers to Lobby Regulators for Distance from Banks
Eleven of the world’s biggest reinsurers will work to find common positions on tax, solvency, accounting and other rules and avoid being tarred with the same regulatory brush as banks, the group said late on Sunday.
A.M. Best Announces Updates to Its Liquidity Model of U.S. Life Insurers
A.M. Best Co.’s Liquidity Model (AMBLM) for U.S. life insurers has been modified for year-end 2008 to reflect current market conditions and to improve its accuracy in measuring liquidity risks.
Removal of Leader Stirs Anger Over Dealings of Actuary Group
The American Academy of Actuaries, the public face of a behind-the-scenes profession, is in disarray after quietly sacking its incoming president, then trying to conceal both his ouster and an unpleasant secret from his past.
A briefing published today by Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC looks ahead to the possible effects of inflation on long-tail reinsurance, as well as the impact of the credit crunch on reinsurers in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis.
- Guy Carpenter’s 2009 World Catastrophe Report Finds Rates Rising As Industry Rides Out Financial Crisis
- Guy Carpenter Addresses the Return of Capital to the Reinsurance Industry at Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous
A.M. Best: Workers’ Comp – How Bad Will It Get?
Challenging market conditions, the financial crisis and the recession drove profitability downward for the U.S. workers’ compensation market in 2008, and A.M. Best Co. expects the impact to linger through 2009 and well into 2010.
Hurricanes cost the nation $11.4 billion and kill about 100 people on average annually in the U.S., yet proposals to help reduce those losses and save lives have been stuck in Congress for three years.
Wall Street Pursues Profit in Bundles of Life Insurance
After the mortgage business imploded last year, Wall Street investment banks began searching for another big idea to make money.
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