Articles by Amy O'Connor

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

Report: Florida Cities Most Vulnerable to Storm Surge

Four of the top eight cities most vulnerable to a major storm surge are located in Florida, according to a new report released by Karen Clark & Company (KCC). The 2015 “Most Vulnerable U.S. Cities to Storm Surge Flooding” study …

Q&A: Florida Representative Backs Call for NFIP Transparency

Florida State Representative Bill Hager says the state is turning up the heat on the National Flood Insurance Program as Florida residents become increasingly concerned with the high rates they are paying for flood insurance coverage. Lawmakers like Hager, State …

Tennessee Supreme Court Rules for Insurer in Assignment of Benefits Case

The Tennessee Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision that a chiropractic patient’s assignment of benefits was not an effective assignment of his insurance proceeds from a third party’s insurance company. The case stems from a 2011 automobile accident that …

Florida Judge Orders State to Clarify Uber Insurance Requirements

Florida taxi companies may finally get the answer they are looking for from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV) regarding minimum insurance requirements for transportation network companies (TNCs) operating in the state. In a Sept. 17 …

Report: Florida Cities Most Vulnerable to Storm Surge

Four of the top eight cities most vulnerable to a major storm surge are located in Florida, according to a new report released by Karen Clark & Company (KCC). The 2015 “Most Vulnerable U.S. Cities to Storm Surge Flooding” study …

North Carolina Insurance Head Urges Lawmakers Not to Cut Driver’s Ed Funding

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has spoken out against a proposal by state lawmakers to eliminate funding for driver education through public high schools as a way to help close a deficit in the state budget. The proposal was …

Citizens Highlights ‘Disturbing’ Water Loss Trend at FLOIR Rate Hearing

Representatives from Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. delved into and defended their rate filing for 2016, which included significant increases in many Florida regions, before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR) on Aug. 25. While the focus of the …

Tennessee Supreme Court Rules for Insurer in Assignment of Benefits Case

The Tennessee Supreme Court has affirmed a Court of Appeals decision that a chiropractic patient’s assignment of benefits was not an effective assignment of his rights to insurance proceeds from a third party’s insurance company. The case stems from a …

South Carolina Orders Rate Revision for State Workers’ Comp Plan

South Carolina Insurance Director Raymond Farmer approved an overall revision of +1.9 percent to the state’s voluntary workers’ compensation policy loss costs and a decrease of .3 percent in the assigned risk rate level results for the state’s workers’ comp …

Citizens: Water Losses the Reason for Rate Increases in South Florida

In a nearly three-hour rate hearing on August 25, representatives from Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. delved into and defended their recent rate filing, which included significant increases in many Florida regions, before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FLOIR). …