Articles by Amy O'Connor

O'Connor is the Southeast editor for Insurance Journal and associate editor of MyNewMarkets.com.

Florida’s Chief Fraud Fighter Moves On: Atwater Recalls Successes, Frustrations With Industry

Lifelong Florida resident, long-time Florida politician, and head of the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS), Jeff Atwater shocked the state when he announced in February he would step down as chief financial officer at the end of the 2017 …

Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act to Remain in Place, For Now

Alabama’s workers’ compensation law, ruled unconstitutional by a county judge last month, will remain in effect for the immediate future. The Alabama judge who on May 8 declared the state’s workers’ compensation act unconstitutional has issued an indefinite stay to …

Florida Youth Activist Urges Industry to Step Up Fight Against Climate Change

Seventeen-year-old climate activist Delaney Reynolds has a message for the insurance industry on the topic of climate change: It’s time to step up and take action against this global crisis. “Your future customers understand that we have a problem, and …

Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act to Remain in Place, For Now

Alabama’s workers’ compensation law, ruled unconstitutional by a county judge last week, will remain in effect for the immediate future. The Alabama judge who on May 8 declared the state’s workers’ compensation act unconstitutional has issued an indefinite stay to …

Florida Lawmakers Once Again Fail to Pass AOB Claims Reform

Florida lawmakers have once again let slip an opportunity to address insurance claims abuse, as legislation failed to make it through the Senate before the 2017 legislative session ended. This is the fifth consecutive year that a bill on curbing …

Florida Fails to Pass Workers’ Compensation Reform

Florida businesses shouldn’t expect relief for workers’ compensation rates, this year at least. The Florida Legislature failed to pass legislation this session addressing 2016 decisions by the Florida Supreme Court that sent the state’s workers’ comp system into disarray and …

Florida Court Approves Workers’ Compensation Ratemaking Process

A Florida appeals court has rejected a trial court’s finding that the process for determining workers’ compensation rates used by a rating organization and state insurance regulators violated the state’s Sunshine Law. The decision means that a 14.5 percent workers’ …

Florida Lawmakers Once Again Fail to Pass AOB Claims Reform

Florida lawmakers have once again let slip an opportunity to address insurance claims abuse, as legislation failed to make it through the Senate before the 2017 legislative session ended Friday. This is the fifth consecutive year that a bill on …

Florida Fails to Pass Workers’ Compensation Reform

Florida businesses shouldn’t expect relief for workers’ compensation rates, this year at least. The Florida Legislature failed to pass legislation this session addressing 2016 decisions by the Florida Supreme Court that sent the state’s workers’ comp system into disarray and …

Report: South Carolina Workers’ Comp Market Stable With Plenty of Capacity

The South Carolina workers’ compensation market is strong, according to the state department of insurance’s most recent report, as the first reform to the state’s workers’ comp system in almost a decade readies to complete a full year of enactment …