The so-called “right-sizing” proposal of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) is on the agenda of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on General Government Appropriations today. This proposal would increase the FHCF’s retention over time, and reduce the amount of coverage it makes available to residential property insurers. I have written about this proposal, known in […]
The Florida House of Representatives has advanced HB 1127 by a vote of 89-25, sending it to the Senate for consideration. This is the bill that would decrease the reliance of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation on regular assessments, shifting instead to more of an emergency assessment-based approach. This is a rare bill in which Citizens, […]
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation recently sent a survey to companies authorized to write property insurance in Florida seeking their input regarding impediments to depopulation. Citizens’ policy count has increased dramatically in recent months, and interest in so-called take-out has been limited. The reconstituted depopulation committee of Citizens met last week to consider the results. The […]
A proposal to reduce the size of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF) remains under consideration in the Florida Senate in the form of SB 1372. A similar proposal exists in the House of Representatives but has not advanced thus far in the 2012 legislative session. This proposal, which has been termed the FHCF “right-sizing” […]
We’ve heard the phrase before in many contexts– first do no harm. Let’s hope this line of thinking applies to the 2012 legislative session, particularly as it relates to Florida’s residential property insurance market. Governor Rick Scott issued a challenge several months ago for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to dramatically reduce its exposures. Unfortunately, its […]
The Board of Governors of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation voted 5-3 to oppose legislation designed to reduce the size of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. The FHCF is Citizens’ primary source of reinsurance. The FHCF has been promoting a plan to reduce its size through a combination of decreasing its maximum liability, increasing the co-participation requirement, and increasing […]
One of the most significant legislative proposals for the upcoming session in the residential property arena will be reducing the size of the FHCF. Jack Nicholson of the FHCF has said that while the FHCF currently projects that it could meet its mandatory obligations, worldwide financial conditions have reduced the margin for doing so to […]
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation got the insurance world talking recently when it announced that rates for sinkhole coverage would increase by an average of 400 percent, and by much higher amounts in certain areas. Citizens’ rate increases are capped at 10 percent per policyholder per year, but the 2011 legislature removed sinkhole coverage from the […]
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Jim Malone created a buzz today when he suggested that Citizens’ risks should be privatized in some manner. Malone lamented that Citizens continues to grow as its rate levels remain subject to a glide path cap while the private market’s rate increase due to cost drivers in the market. So, can […]
Insurers seeking to assume policies from Citizens Property Insurance Corporation understand the need to periodically obtain the most recent data from Citizens regarding its in-force policies. Likewise, a prospective investor group may be interested in obtaining the Citizens data to evaluate assumption opportunities and develop its business plan. Under updated procedures recently developed by Citizens, […]