Citizens Property Insurance Corporation

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I was publicly debating at an appraisal conference in Denver with insurance defense lawyer Steve Badger about various matters regarding appraisals. I answered a question posed that if new evidence came up to the insured’s selected appraiser which indicated that the prior payment by the insurance company was more than enough and the insurance carrier clearly overpaid, did the insured’s appraiser have to agree to an value even lower than what was previously paid?…
Continue Reading Do Insurance Companies Select Appraisers Based on Lowered Awards to Their Customers?

The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether foreseeable consequential damages are recoverable when an insurer breaches its contract on Tuesday.1 Law360 is a great publication to keep abreast of the newest legal issues involving insurance and this is how it described the upcoming case:1…
Continue Reading Are Foreseeable Consequential Damages for Breach of a Property Insurance Contract Recoverable?

I was surprised when I first saw the Sun-Sentinel article, Citizens files request for 72-hour deadline to report loss. The more I read and thought about the article the angrier I became. As I have written in the past, Florida policyholders continue to pay the highest property insurance rates in the country despite the fact that no serious hurricane has hit the state in years.1
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Continue Reading Citizens Property Insurance Attempts to Limit its Coverage for Water Damage

Citizens Property Insurance Company should devote more time and resources to education, training, and properly and promptly handling property insurance damage claims instead of hiring teams of lawyers “experts”. Citizens wants to avoid paying for covered damages in the homeowners policies by any means necessary. In related news, for three years, Citizens has been depopulating. Sending and shipping off the policyholders to other “brand new” and “financially new” insurance companies so it won’t be so exposed to so many homes when a hurricane hits. But now Citizens says it doesn’t have enough money in the bank and it is raising rates again.

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Continue Reading Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Fails Floridians

I came across the article below and was pleasantly surprised by the contents. As you can see, Citizens has reworded and toned down their “opt out” letters to consumers. “Opt out” letters are sent to current Citizens policyholders and strongly encourage those policyholders to go to another (private) carrier. Unfortunately, these letters are confusing and contain such threatening language that consumers are left wondering about the best course of action. I applaud Citizens for trying to improve this aspect of their operations.

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Continue Reading A Friendlier Citizens?

It is unclear why the Office of Insurance Regulation has approved a rate hike for Florida homeowners insured with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. But it is clear that the policy coverage that was once offered by Florida’s insurance company was been eroded. Coverages in each policy issued by Citizens has been lessened in almost every renewal. Sinkhole coverage, carports, water damage, tile damage, and other provisions have been re-written to benefit the carrier. Yet, rates are going to increase.

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Continue Reading Reduced Coverage and High Premiums for Floridians…Again

If you happen to be at or near the Florida Senate Office Building at the State Capitol Building this morning, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (FOIR) is conducting a public hearing in Room 401 at 9:00 AM to discuss Citizens’ proposed 2016 rate changes. Whether the rate increases or decrease, the proposed changes would have a direct impact on premiums paid by those insured under a Citizens commercial property, homeowners, or mobile home policy. This is a unique opportunity to not only listen to what State officials and Citizens spokespeople have to say about the state-wide proposed rate changes, which would become effective on February 1, 2016, but also a chance for those who would be affected to share their own thoughts and any concerns.

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Continue Reading Have Something to Say About Citizens’ Proposed 2016 Rate Changes for Commercial Property and Homeowners Policies? Here’s Your Chance