A policyholder in South Carolina recently wrote us about a fire claim turned nightmare. When notified of a claim, insurance companies will sometimes send out their preferred vendor as a way to provide fast service but also to control costs and prevent the policyholder from hiring their own vendor, since they have contracted reduced rates with these vendors.

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A recent media article following the new catastrophic sinkhole loss in Dunedin, Florida caught my attention the other day as it looks like we have two forces on a collision path. And wouldn’t you know that the poor insured policyholder is caught in the middle.

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Public adjuster Keith Grams of Tutwiler & Associates was recently interviewed by WFLA and NBC News about sinkhole insurance repair issues. He offers further comments regarding concerns about the direction the insurance companies and legislature are taking.

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The catastrophic sinkhole that opened up in Dunedin, Florida has brought attention to limits of the new law that was passed in 2011 by the Florida Legislature. This law made it extremely difficult for homeowners to get proper coverage or alternatively pay a hefty price for a very limited sinkhole policy. Many of the changes are not good for property owners as the new law also negatively impacts the way insurance companies handle and pay for sinkhole claims when they arise.
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Q. If the mortgage company holds on to my insurance repair check and delays my ability to rebuild my damaged home by hanging onto my insurance check, is there an agency that regulates mortgage companies that I can file a complaint with? Policyholder from Ocala, Florida
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With Super Storm Sandy’s anniversary at hand, not surprisingly, the national media is running a lot of stories on this Frankenstorm Halloween weather event. Having been there with our firm’s troops, we can bear witness to the awful devastation and impact on the communities and their residents lives from Sandy’s furry.
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“At Citizens, lawyers win, public loses” was the Tampa Bay Times featured editorial headline on Friday, September 27, 2013. This followed an earlier article in the Times “Citizens racks up millions in attorney’s fees and it denies claims” exposing the astronomical legal fees that have been paid to both plaintiff lawyers (policyholders advocates) and defense lawyers who represent the insurance companies.
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I was watching one of the “Homeowners Policy & Claims Bill of Rights Working Group” meetings the other day when a segment of the meeting featured a homeowner couple who took the time to appear at the meeting and tell their story about their insurance loss and claim that resulted from an unfortunate fire in their residence.  These folks told the committee they wanted to share this experience in hopes that something good would come out of their very bad experience trying to deal with an insurance property loss on their own.

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As pointed out in the recent Herald Tribune article: Citizens Poised to Further Cull Policies,  “Florida State insurance regulators are expected to approve the removal of nearly 600,000 Citizens customers from the state's largest property insurer, which now covers some 1.2 million policyholders,” and many Tallahassee politicians are celebrating.

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A recent phone call with one of my Naples clients prompted me to think about the coming storm for property owners in the Sunshine State.  Like a natural hurricane, it looks like nothing man made will stop what is already in motion.

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