April 17, 2018
Mississippi may be thought of as conservative small-government state, but the state’s consumers pay higher taxes on their insurance products than in all but two other states. Unfortunately, under a bill just signed by Gov. Phil Bryant, the Legislature will …
April 10, 2018
The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association is once again raising its annual assessment to support the state’s no-fault auto insurance system, which uniquely guarantees unlimited lifetime medical benefits. And state Rep. Brett Roberts, R-Charlotte, wants to know why. “The fund has …
March 31, 2018
As stories about nonconsensual or “predatory” practices proliferate, a number of states have begun to consider legislation to mitigate some of the abuses of the towing and vehicle-storage industry. However, we remain a ways off from anything like a national …
March 27, 2018
The controversy surrounding the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica’s use of personal data harvested from social media accounts without the users’ permission is among the first of what likely will be a long series of public debates about how the …
March 25, 2018
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones exceeded his statutory authority by considering the investment income of separate State Farm affiliates when he ordered State Farm General Insurance Co. to roll back its homeowners insurance rates retroactively, according to a “minute order” …
March 18, 2018
The U.S. market for privately written flood insurance grew by 51.2 percent last year, with state-level markets growing both more competitive and less profitable, according to 2017 statutory insurance filings compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Comparing S&P’s data with …
March 11, 2018
Just as any kid hates when mommy and daddy are fighting, I hate to see tempers flare between two public figures I respect. But should such a thing transpire – as it did in a March 7 hearing of the …
February 23, 2018
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney wants the state Legislature to pass legislation to give him much more control over the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association and how it manages its finances. That probably shouldn’t be surprising. He may be a conservative …
February 14, 2018
When legislation that would force consumers to buy more of a thing is opposed even by the companies who sell that thing, that’s a pretty good sign it’s a pretty bad idea. H.B. 2104, under consideration by the Kansas House …
February 12, 2018
It’s not been a great week for those who claim the insurance sector can never be a source of systemic risk. After a long period of quiet, market volatility—as measured by the benchmark VIX Index—is back, and insurers appear to …