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.

Surgeons Can’t Slip Out of GEICO’s Latest RICO Fraud Lawsuit in NC, Judge Says

GEICO Insurance companies have continued their campaign against alleged auto insurance fraud actors, including some well-known physicians and medical clinics. And a federal judge ruled this week that two of those practitioners cannot escape a $2.8 million lawsuit in North …

Busy Hurricane Season Could Test NC’s ‘Weakened’ Building Codes, Experts Say

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, predicted to be unusually intense, officially began this week and it could soon bring the first test of a North Carolina law that some insurance experts have said weakens building codes in the state and …

Insurers Off the Hook in O’Hare International Airport Construction Dispute

Cracked steel columns are not “property damage,” but are building products that are not covered by a contractor’s general liability policy, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decided in an opinion that lets St. Paul and other insurers off …

US Workers’ Comp Line Still Showing Strong Profits, Lower Claim Frequency

Net written premium in the U.S. workers’ compensation insurance market grew by just 1% from 2022 to 2023, a far smaller percentage than most other property/casualty lines. However, the workers’ compensation line remains the most profitable segment, with a combined …

‘Cautiously Optimistic’ on Florida: Defense Costs Down, but Reinsurance Still a Drag

Analysts with the AM Best financial rating firm and other stakeholders are cautiously optimistic about the resurrection of the Florida property insurance market, 18 months after state lawmakers approved monumental litigation reforms. That was the sentiment gleaned from a Thursday …

Is Trampoline Job Landscape Work? AI Says Yes. 11th Circuit Says It’s Not Covered

Is the installation of an in-ground trampoline considered landscaping work, covered by a landscaper’s liability insurance policy? Artificial intelligence programs suggest that it is. But human judges with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals believe otherwise, despite one of …

Mississippi Wind-Mit Program Now Funded Through Surplus Lines Assn. Revenue

Almost two decades after it was established by the Mississippi Legislature, a storm and flood-mitigation grant program now has some funding – $5 million to be transferred from the Mississippi Surplus Lines Association. “The Legislature didn’t appropriate the money. I …

Florida Agents Will Soon Need Three Appointments Before Selling Citizens

Starting July 1, Florida insurance agents must have at least three appointments with authorized carriers before they can sell policies for the state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp. That’s the mandate laid down by Florida House Bill 1503, signed into law …

NC Captive Feud: Sherbrooke Says Managers Took Funds, Stole Risk-Gauging Software

North Carolina regulators last month announced that the state is now the third-largest domicile for captive insurance companies with more than 311 captive firms in the state, thanks in part to favorable premium tax rates, fees and capital requirements. But …

After Two Years in the Eye of the Storm, Neal Steps Down From FIGA. Brown Up Next

Corey Neal took over as executive director of the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association in early 2022, at the height of what many would say were some of the darkest days for the Florida property/casualty market. Two carriers had just been …