Latest Carriers Headlines

All the headlines from our Carriers Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Here’s What a Category 5 Hurricane Could Do to Florida

Sep 7 2017 // Florida hasn’t suffered a category 5 storm since Hurricane Andrew hit the north Miami area on Aug. 24 1992, but the risk of such a storm has not gone away or even declined. In fact, the state’s risk of...

As Irma Looms, This Small Insurer Has an Outsized Bet on Florida

Sep 7 2017 // As Hurricane Irma edges closer to Florida, investors on Wall Street are watching a small insurer with an unusually big commitment to the state. Universal Insurance Holdings Inc., with a market capitalization dwarfed by...

No Duty to Defend in Ohio Molestation Claim Unless ‘Scope of the Allegations’ Test Met

Sep 6 2017 // Jodee Edwards had a home and auto insurance policy issued by insurer Encompass that excluded coverage for loss “arising out of sexual molestation, corporal punishment, or physical or mental abuse.” Edwards was...

First Harvey Lawsuit Filed to Beat New Texas Tort Reform Law

Sep 6 2017 // Late in the afternoon on Aug. 31, a Dallas law firm filed a lawsuit to circumvent a new Texas law that went into effect on Friday, Sept. 1. The newly passed law, HB1774, was meant to curb hail lawsuit abuse, but after...

Florida’s Private Flood Insurers Could Face Big Test from Hurricane Irma

Sep 6 2017 // Hurricane Irma could test a nascent private flood insurance market in Florida that some advocates say is a model for making U.S. flood coverage more affordable and commonplace in high-risk areas. Florida’s private...

Florida Insurers’ Shares Tumble as Irma Threatens

Sep 6 2017 // Shares of Florida home insurers, including Heritage Insurance Holdings, tumbled on Tuesday and many extended losses later in the day as Hurricane Irma appeared set to hit Florida on Saturday, causing investors to brace for...

Asia’s Ride-Hailing Firms Compete with Banks – and Ultimately Insurers: Opinion

Sep 5 2017 // In Southeast Asia, mobile banking is taking on a whole new meaning. Last week, Grab, one of the region’s top ride-hailing companies, announced that users of its app can start sending credits — used to pay for...

Hurricane Harvey Puts Pressure on Regional Insurers in Texas, Says A.M. Best

Sep 5 2017 // Losses anticipated from Hurricane Harvey are unlikely to exceed the top reinsurance limits of insurers writing business in Texas, according to new Best’s Special Report, titled, “Texas Insurers Expected to...

Report: Written Premiums for California Comp Insurers to Be Flat Through 2017

Sep 4 2017 // Written premiums from workers’ compensation insurers in California for the year are expected to be flat at $18.1 billion compared with 2016 thanks largely to rate decreases, according to analysts with the...

The Competitive Advantage: Let’s Eradicate Incompetency

Sep 4 2017 // I recently wrote an article describing my horrendous experience purchasing a new life insurance policy. I criticized the industry for employing incompetent people and egregious renewal offers. Several readers rose to...

Breaking the Silence: Cyber Physical Cat Models Emerging

Sep 4 2017 // A frightened truck driver dodging a barrage of bullets fired from the assault rifles of a drug-smuggling criminal gang doesn’t seem like the obvious description of the final stages of a cyber attack. But the...

P/C Insurers Lost $5.1B on Underwriting in First Half of 2017

Sep 4 2017 // The U.S. property/casualty (P/C) industry recorded a net underwriting loss of $5.1 billion for the first six months of 2017, according to preliminary results, compared with a $2.0 billion loss in the same period a year...

2 Nebraska Contractors Have Sued Insurers More than 100 Times

Sep 4 2017 // Two Omaha contractors are expanding a legal strategy they say forces insurance companies to pay for storm damage, but industry officials say the practice leads to exaggerated claims and may drive away insurers. Home repair...

Illinois Governor Vetoes Workers’ Comp Bills Opposed by Insurers

Sep 4 2017 // Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed two workers’ compensation reform bills that were strongly opposed by the insurance industry. Rauner in August vetoed HB 2622 and HB2525, two bills that would have had profound...

Florida Domestic Insurer Sawgrass Mutual to ‘Wind Down’ Operations

Sep 4 2017 // Just after being downgraded by ratings agency Demotech, Florida-based insurer Sawgrass Mutual Insurance Company revealed it was placed under administrative supervision by the Florida Office of Insurance...

25 Years Later: How Florida’s Insurance Industry Has Changed Since Hurricane Andrew

Sep 4 2017 // Aug. 24, 1992 was anything but a typical Monday for Robert Reynolds as he drove through debris-filled roads and devastation on the way to his family-run agency then located just north of Homestead, Fla. Hurricane Andrew...

Texas Workers’ Comp Division Releases Disaster Guidelines for Insurers

Aug 31 2017 // The Texas Department of Insurance – Division of Workers’ Compensation has issued guidelines for insurers concerning workers’ compensation claims filed by insureds in counties named in Gov. Greg Abbott’s...

Update: Claims Teams Begin Handling Onslaught of Harvey Claims

Aug 31 2017 // Hurricane Harvey has set a U.S record, according to the National Weather Service, dumping 51.88 inches of rain in parts of Texas. As the tropical storm moves over southern Louisiana, claims catastrophe teams are moving in...

Tallying Massive Costs of Harvey to Victims, Insurers, Taxpayers and Economy

Aug 31 2017 // Hurricane Harvey’s costs to the victims in its path, to U.S. taxpayers, to insurers and to the economy were still being calculated on Wednesday, with few firm estimates available yet. Texas could need more than $125...

Law’s Ambiguity a Source of Mixed Messages Over Texas Cat Claims Statute

Aug 30 2017 // Ambiguity surrounding a Texas law that goes into effect on Sept. 1 has insurance industry representatives and attorneys who represent insurance policyholders sending conflicting messages to insureds who may have suffered...