Well, sometimes ‘opt out’ means ‘maybe later’ p2
We are still talking about some of the problems that have come up during Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s depopulation program. Before we continue, though, we want to take a brief detour.
We are still talking about some of the problems that have come up during Citizens Property Insurance Corp.’s depopulation program. Before we continue, though, we want to take a brief detour.
We usually write about insurance companies that are eager to say no, even before the policyholder has asked the question. In its efforts to downsize Citizens Property Insurance Corp., though, the state has apparently allowed private insurance companies not to take no for an answer — and for property owners to find themselves having to accept insurance they did not want.
Florida is a state of numerous exhibitions, museums and centers for the display and development of different kinds of art. Works of art placed in museums or brought to them in traveling exhibitions are largely owned by outside parties. Insurance coverage must be obtained for all artwork that appears for exhibit or that is permanently situated. Unfortunately, if an insane rampage by someone results in massive damage and destruction of insured pieces, a virtual hornet’s nest of insurance claims and litigation may result.
Florida is a study in contradictions when it comes to insurance law. The state has led the nation in consumer protection actions, like the national mortgage settlement and, for that matter, established Citizens Property Insurance Co. to provide coverage to residents who would otherwise go without.
An insurer has a legal duty to act with good faith and fair dealing in every insurance contract. When that duty is breached, a tort and breach of contract action for bad faith insurance may be allowed, depending upon the facts of the case. As a general rule in Florida and elsewhere, the insurer will incur liability to the insured if it recklessly or in bad faith exposes the insured to liability in derogation of its contract of insurance.
Try not to get too excited about a hurricane-free 2015, Florida. Chances are your property insurance premiums will not know the difference. Nor, for that matter, will your auto insurance rates respond to the news that we are not the worst drivers in the country.
Florida has not seen a hurricane in 10 years, and the state’s ranking for worst drivers has improved dramatically over the past five years. Why, then, are our homeowners and auto insurance rates among the highest if not the highest in the nation? It seems unfair, but no one said insurance rates were fair. Reasonable, maybe — but not fair.
This week marks an important milestone for Florida: We have officially completed 10 years of relatively quiet hurricane seasons, the longest stretch without a hurricane making landfall in 160 years of tracking such data. That, insurance companies will tell you, is a long time.
We are continuing our discussion of life insurance policies and different ways the policy owner can take advantage of a policy’s value. Our focus here is on one particular option: the life settlement.
In July 2014, we wrote a series of posts about stranger-originated life insurance policies and the efforts of various states, including Florida, to regulate, even to eliminate STOLIs. With STOLIs taking so much of the spotlight, though, life insurance companies found it difficult to explain legitimate ways to turn a policy into cash.
