property insurance

Florida warns of chaos for homeowners if 17 property insurance companies have ratings downgraded

(WFLA) — In four days, a ratings agency plans to downgrade 17 property insurance companies in Florida, according to state officials.

State leaders warn financial chaos will follow and millions of Floridians could be impacted.

8 On Your Side Investigator Mahsa Saeidi reached out to several agencies to obtain the list of at-risk companies. As of Friday night, the state is not disclosing the list.

If the downgrades happen as planned, millions of Floridians will be in default of their mortgage requirements.

Insurance brokers told 8 On Your Side homeowners will be given a few months to find acceptable coverage.

If they can’t, their mortgage company would force them to accept a new policy with a new carrier.

Bottom line — homeowners will end up paying twice the price for half the coverage, multiple insurance experts said.

Ronald Assise CIC, CPRM is an insurance broker.

“With force-placed insurance, the only party protected is the mortgage company,” he said. “So you’re paying an outrageous premium and basically getting no coverage.”

If Demotech doesn’t back down under pressure can anything be done? That’s the question 8 On Your Side had for State Sen.

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August 1, 2022 by INSURANCE

Citizens drops Florida property insurance policies

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has started dropping policies of some homeowners across Florida because the estimated price of replacing their homes after a storm or fire would now exceed a $700,000 replacement value cap.

Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has started dropping policies of some homeowners across Florida because the estimated price of replacing their homes after a storm or fire would now exceed a $700,000 replacement value cap.


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Rising inflation has cost hundreds of Florida homeowners citizens-policies-dropped-due-to-700k-cap-20220713-fcr7gc6tt5bgjecikjg3efrywu-story.html”access to affordable property insurance.

New data provided by state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s “insurer of last resort,” shows that the company dropped 2,267 policies statewide during the 12-months ending June 30 because their homes’ replacement value exceeded $700,000.

That’s the company’s eligibility cap in all counties except Miami-Dade and Monroe, where Citizens can insure homes valued up to $1 million.The caps could be increased in Broward, Palm Beach and other counties if a new study by the state Office of Insurance Regulation finds that homeowners lack access to affordable coverage from private market insurers and have little choice except Citizens. In Broward County over the past year, Citizens sent notices of non-renewal to 617 homes with replacement values exceeding the $700,000 eligibility cap. In Palm Beach County, 454 were dropped.

Read the full story here.

This story was originally published July 13, 2022 5:35 PM.

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July 19, 2022 by INSURANCE

4th Florida property insurance company has gone bankrupt

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Nearly 80,000 Florida homeowners will have to find new insurance, after Southern Fidelity declared bankruptcy. The Tallahassee based company is the fourth insurer to declare insolvency since February.

Southern Fidelity’s bankruptcy filing is concerning because, according to insurance agents, a large portion of those dropped customers will likely have to reinsure their homes using Citizens Property Insurance — the state-owned property insurance company. Insurance agents say Citizens has ballooned as a private company, and just one hurricane could detrimentally affect homeowners across the state.

Southern Fidelity’s shutdown comes less than a month after state lawmakers held a special session to stabilize what’s been described as an industry in crisis. The company announced in early June, that it won’t be able to purchase reinsurance in time for the 2022 Hurricane season.

According to state insurance records: Lighthouse Property Insurance Corporation, Avatar Property and Casualty Insurance and St. Johns Insurance Company shut their doors over the past four months. Local insurance owner and agent, Sean Way, tells News4JAX, finding some of these homeowners affordable new policies can be challenging.

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“Especially for those that are on fixed incomes, they have now retired,” Way said. “And they

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June 21, 2022 by INSURANCE

4th insurance company limits writing new business in Florida

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Tampa Bay area homeowner is angry at state lawmakers.

Tina Hemme, a health care worker from Palm Harbor, is scrambling to secure property insurance before a storm hits. Meanwhile, 8 On Your Side has learned a fourth insurance company is now limiting business in the Tampa Bay area.

“They’re not listening,” Hemme said. “They may say they care about their constituents, I don’t believe it.”

During a special session last month, state lawmakers passed significant reforms. They say the market will eventually stabilize. Until that happens, 8 On Your Side is striving to continue to expose the reality on the ground for families.

A month ago, Lighthouse Property Insurance sent Hemme a cancellation notice. The company was losing money and was forced to liquidate.

“We have been – literally every day – stressed, stressed, stressed,” Hemme said. “Right now, paradise doesn’t look like paradise to us anymore.”

As Hemme waits for Florida’s new property insurance laws to kick in, another company – Heritage Insurance – is suspending new business in multiple counties, including Polk County.

Heritage is joining three other insurers also declining to take on new homeowners in parts of the state: Southern fidelity,

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June 3, 2022 by INSURANCE
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