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The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has published notice of a public hearing relating to its adoption of the 2015 and 2016 NAIC Financial Condition Examiners Handbooks. Additionally, the Office of Insurance Regulation plans to hold a public hearing relating to its adoption of the current version of the NAIC quarterly and annual statement instructions […]
The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) reminds Florida health insurance agents that they may enter into contracts with consumers to charge a flat fee in lieu of receiving commissions from the insurer for individual health policies. This opportunity arises under the new SB 1386 passed in the 2016 legislative session. DFS attributes the introduction of […]
House Bill 931 has been signed into law, becoming Chapter Law 2016-229. The new law makes several changes affecting Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Among the key changes, the following take effect July 1, 2016: Citizens may appoint as agents only those agents who have and continuously maintain at least one appointment with an insurer actually […]
Governor Scott has signed SB 1422 into law, meaning that Florida has adopted the Own-Risk and Solvency Assessment (“ORSA”) reporting requirement. SB 1422 is now known as Chapter Law 2016-206. A companion bill, SB 1416 (now known as Chapter Law 2016-205), provides for the confidentiality of information contained in the ORSA reports. An Own-Risk and […]
The reduction in the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office (FSLSO) service fee announced earlier this year takes effect today. In bulletin 2016-01, the FSLSO notified surplus lines agents, surplus lines insurers and filers of independently procured coverage that the FSLSO service fees drops from 0.175% to 0.15% effective April 1, 2016. The fee reduction applies to […]
The state’s search for a new insurance commissioner to replace outgoing commissioner Kevin McCarty will continue into April. The four-member Financial Services Commission (Governor and Cabinet) is responsible for selecting the next commissioner by majority vote, with the caveat that the Governor (Rick Scott) and Chief Financial Officer (Jeff Atwater) must be on the prevailing side. The […]
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s president Barry Gilway and members of its board recently expressed concern that increased water damage claims and the “assignment of benefits” issue could adversely affect Citizens’ depopulation efforts. Water damage claims and the AOB issue are leading to rate increases, particularly in in South Florida where the issues are most prevalent. […]
The Florida Department of Financial Services reminds insurance agencies that location may not conduct the business of unless an “agent in charge” is designated by, and providing services to, the agency at all times. If the agent in charge designated with DFS ends his or her affiliation with the agency for any reason, the agency’s […]
The Florida Department of Financial Services recently discussed the guidelines it maintains for insurance agency names. DFS cautions agents to consult applicable laws so they don’t waste time and money organizing businesses with names that don’t meet regulatory requirements. DFS may disapproved an agency name for several reasons. These include use by another agency or […]
The Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS) recently issued a reminder to public adjusters to avoid conflicts of interest while performing the duties under their license. DFS pointed to section 626.8795, Florida Statutes, in advising public adjusters that they may not: participate directly or indirectly in the reconstruction, repair, or restoration of damaged property that is the […]
