Articles by Timothy F. Kirn

Hurricane Earl Proves Kinder, Gentler Than First Feared

Risk modelers say Hurricane Earl caused very minimal damage as it passed by the East Coast and agents in the hardest hit area of the United States, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, say they have been receiving few claims. …

Florida’s Citizens Says Sinkhole Claims Require Rate Hike

At a hearing before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. officials blamed sinkholes as the major reason the public insurer needs a rate increase. Testifying at the public hearing in Tallahassee, Paul Palumbo, senior vice president …

Gulf Hurricane Insurance Bill Unlikely to Pass, Again

In Pascagoula, Miss., on the Gulf Coast, agent Laverne Nelson has to get windstorm coverage for her personal property from the state wind pool. That is because in April her property insurer, MetLife, dropped her wind coverage. Before that, she …

Blue Cross Leads Health Insurers in Florida

Florida released a report yesterday listing the market share and earnings of accident and health insurers, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. ranked first in premiums earned, with $3.9 billion in direct premiums earned in 2009. Despite …

Departure of Insurer from Florida Points Up Fraud Problem

With a letter sent out a few weeks ago, Explorer Insurance announced that it will no longer write private automobile policies in Florida because there is too much fraud. “The company is taking this action in light of poor ongoing …

North Carolina Expects Little Insurance Loss from Earl

Risk modelers say Hurricane Earl caused extremely minimal damage as it passed by the East Coast and agents in the hardest hit area of the United States, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, are receiving few claims. “We had very …

Florida’s Citizens Says Sinkhole Claims Forcing Proposed Rate Hike

At a hearing yesterday before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. officials blamed sinkholes as the major reason the public insurer needs a rate increase. Testifying at the public hearing in Tallahassee, Paul Palumbo, a senior …

How Katrina Changed Markets

Industry Came Through Five years after Hurricane Katrina lashed the coast and sunk New Orleans, it is true that the area has largely recovered, but it is not the same Gulf Coast it once was. The same is true for …

Florida Tries to Get to Bottom of Sinkhole Claims

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has begun surveying Florida property insurers about their experience with sinkhole claims, in an effort to get to the bottom of the simmering controversy over whether there really are more sinkholes in the Sunshine …

Gulf States’ Post-Katrina Building Codes Get Low Marks

Louisiana has done a good job upgrading its building codes in the five years since Hurricane Katrina, but Alabama and Mississippi have not, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety. “While there have been positive steps taken in …