Articles by William Rabb

Rabb is Southeast Editor for Insurance Journal. He is a long-time newspaper man in the Deep South; also covered workers' comp insurance issues for a trade publication for a few years.

State Farm VP Apologizes to Homeowner While Allstate Gets Grilled at Senate Hearing

It’s not just a few Florida-domiciled insurance carriers that have allegedly altered field adjusters’ reports on property damage in recent years. It’s also major national insurers, according to adjusters and policyholders who spoke at a U.S. Senate hearing marked by …

Florida OIR Fines Centauri Specialty for Unappointed Adjusters, Other Issues

Sarasota-based Centauri Specialty Insurance, now part of Arbol’s Lilypad Insurance Holdings, used non-appointed adjusters in the wake of Hurricane Ian in 2022 and has agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to Florida regulators. A market conduct examination by the Florida …

Appeals Court: Florida Deputy Used Excessive Force and Is Not Immune From Suit

A Sarasota County sheriff’s deputy used excessive force on a handicapped, 100-pound driver in 2020 and is not entitled to immunity from lawsuits, a federal appeals court ruled in a case that could affect officers’ insurance coverage in similar cases. …

Florida Condo Bill Gives Owners Some Slack But Brings New Insurance Concerns

Florida lawmakers late last week gave final approval to a long-debated condominium bill, one designed to give condo owners a little relief on the high cost of bringing structures up to code. But the final version of the bill seems …

Florida Bill Passes Making it Easier for Agents to Seek Surplus Lines Coverage

Starting July 1, Florida insurance agents will no longer need to make a “diligent effort” to find coverage for hard-to-place properties before turning to surplus lines insurance if the governor signs House Bill 1549 into law. But a separate bill …

Update: Members, Universal Pay Fines, $2.6 Million in Refunds After NC Conduct Report

Two subsidiaries of Auto Club Group have agreed to refund $2.6 million to policyholders and to pay $113,000 in fines after a market conduct examination by the North Carolina Department of Insurance. Members Insurance Co. and Universal Insurance Co., both …

Florida Citizens ‘Going Naked’ on Reinsurance Below Cat Fund Layer

Reinsurance prices have dropped since Florida’s 2022-2023 litigation reform measures were enacted, but the biggest rate reductions are mostly for reinsurance above what the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund provides, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. officials said this week. “Rate reductions are …

Aspen Specialty Settles With Condo in $11M Nashville Bombing Coverage Dispute

Aspen Specialty Insurance Co. has reached a settlement with the owners of a Nashville condominium building that was badly damaged in the Christmas Day bombing in 2020. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Both sides have agreed to …

Heritage Files Libel, Defamation Suit vs. Adjuster After ’60 Minutes’ Report

Six weeks after Tampa-based Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co. filed a libel suit against a whistleblower claims adjuster, the adjuster’s lawyer has pushed back, arguing that the suit is an attempt to silence those who question insurers’ damage estimates. …

Did Florida House ‘Sneak’ Attorney Fee Wording Into Phosphate Mine Bill?

A late amendment to a phosphate mine bill has set off alarm bells among some in the Florida insurance industry, with concerns that it could cut out the heart of 2022 and 2023 legislative changes that disincentivized excessive claims litigation. …

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