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.

Harvard Study Again Stirs the Pot on Demotech Ratings of Florida Carriers

A study by researchers from Harvard and Columbia universities and at the Federal Reserve has reopened the debate about the financial fortitude and the financial rating system for dozens of Florida property insurance companies. The president of Demotech, the firm …

SC High Court Strikes ‘Troubling’ Denial of Comp Claim, Says Can’t Be Based on Stats

An employer cannot use an ergonomics report, showing that a work injury is statistically unlikely, to deny a workers’ compensation claim, the South Carolina Supreme Court said this week in an opinion that sharply questioned an appellate panel’s decision making. …

Florida Peninsula Says Reforms Have Had an Impact, Announces 2% Rate Cut

After the Florida Legislature in 2022 and 2023 passed sweeping reforms designed to limit excessive claims litigation, some in the insurance industry predicted that the new rules would prevent further rate increases – but would not lead to actual decreases …

Employers Can’t Use Vicarious Liability to Block Negligence Claims, TN High Court Says

The Tennessee Supreme Court this week dealt a blow to businesses and insurance companies, finding that employers can no longer argue that direct negligence claims are barred when the business admits vicarious liability for a worker’s actions. “We hold that …

A New Approach: Florida Agents Association Makes Big Investment in Startup Insurer

The Florida Association of Insurance Agents, the largest agent group in the state, has taken the unprecedented step of investing in a startup insurance carrier, a move designed to help keep agents in the game and bring more capacity to …

Georgia’s Latest Effort on Plaintiff Demands Aims to Deter Bad-Faith Claims

Georgia lawmakers have approved two bills that could have a significant impact on windstorm and bad-faith claim losses for property insurers. First, the bad-faith reform legislation. Auto insurers have for years fought for changes to Georgia’s auto claims-handling statutes, after …

Update: NC High Court Strikes Down Compensability of Weight-Loss Surgery

The North Carolina Supreme Court has undone rulings by an appeals court and the state’s Industrial Commission that had granted workers’ compensation insurance payments for a woman’s weight-loss surgery. And in doing that, the high court formally adopted a multi-factor …

Stacking Cracks: 30 Years of UIM Coverage Rules Are Wrong, NC Supreme Court Says

North Carolinians can no longer stack underinsured motorist policies to compare to liability limits in order to boost the amount of coverage in an accident, the state Supreme Court said last week in a decision that overturns 30 years of …

Alabama Bill Would Let Alfa Federation, Not Insurer, Sell Health Plans. BCBS Opposes

Alfa, one of the largest property-casualty insurers in Alabama, is clarifying that it is not planning to move into the health insurance business: A hotly debated bill in the state Legislature would allow Alfa’s affiliated farmers federation to offer a …

Corner Turned? Top Florida Insurers See First Profit in Seven Years, S&P Global Says

Florida’s beleaguered property insurance market is starting to look normal again, with the top insurers in the state showing a collective profit for the first time in seven years, S&P Global Market Intelligence reported this week. The turnaround for 2023 …