Auto Insurance Shopping Surged During 2020 Pandemic, JD Power Finds

May 9— Many property owners across coastal Beaufort County may see their flood insurance rates decrease this year with the release of new flood maps. Local governments across the nation, including in Beaufort County, updated their Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps this year to better reflect current flooding conditions in the area.

County property owners are being sent a postcard notifying them if their rates are expected to change, FEMA wrote in a statement. To prove that, FEMA said, residents must provide data supporting their claims. The new pricing model, termed “Risk Rating 2.0,” should make premiums more equitable nationwide, FEMA said.

May 7— THOMASVILLE— Police have charged a Thomasville man with arson in a house fire last month that authorities say stemmed from insurance fraud. Donnie Allen Harmon, 33, of Thomasville was arrested Thursday, the Thomasville Police Department said. When Thomasville Fire Department crews arrived at 101 Veach Court on April 11, the house was fully engulfed in…

ROCKLAND— Rockland residents resoundingly rejected new federal flood maps and a proposed mixed-use zoning overlay district during town meeting amid a lack of trust in town officials and false claims about development. Monday's town meeting flew through the four articles on the special town meeting including a $68.7 million operating budget, a special…

May 4— BLUM— Curtis Haley was pacing around the barn, pulling down shades over windows in anticipation of the impending storm, when he saw the dark, spiraling funnel cloud headed his way. He set his half-full bottle of Dos Equis down on the bar, used by guests during wedding receptions held inside the picturesque structure of wood and metal, which has large sliding…

Insurers won a pair of big business interruption lawsuits last week, continuing a mostly successful defense against paying pandemic business claims.

The Florida Legislature passed a bill that will cause insurance rates to rise for Florida motorists, particularly those who buy the minimum required insurance, according to the Personal Insurance Federation of Florida (PIFF).

May 2— PAHOA, Hawaii island— Three years after magma from Kilauea Volcano burst through the ground in Leilani Estates, signaling the start of the historic 2018 eruption, the sights, smells and sounds of the disaster are still vivid to those most impacted by it. Standing outside his former home on Moku Street, Howard Konanui, 66, recalled rushing to his back patio…

Rebecca Bean, owner of STASH on Main Street, said she arrived at her store to find six broken windows. In an AccuWeather report, senior vice president and chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said while tornadoes garner more news coverage, hailstorms produce the most damage resulting in insurance claims when compared with any other type of severe storm.

–When engulfed in the thrill of purchasing a first home, some buyers confess to confusion on an important element of the transaction: home insurance. To help first-time buyers understand their options, Insurance.com releases a robust guide to buying home insurance for the first time. Insurance experts surveyed 997 homeowners in March 2021 to learn which home…

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association issued the following statement:. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association issued the following statement in response to Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's press release reminding insurers of the May 6, 2021 deadline to file new rating plans to comply with his emergency…

The model “provides a structure to strengthen distracted driving laws across the country by establishing a comprehensive hands-free law to curb driver distraction,” NCOIL said in a news release.

Apr. 26— On Tuesday, April 20, the Small Business Administration approved over $100 million in federal disaster relief loans for Texas businesses and residents impacted by the winter storms of Feb. 11-21. Last Tuesday, Tanya N. Garfield, director of SBA's Field Operations Center— West, announced relief funds of $10,365,600 for businesses and $93,195,400 for…

Bill Dodd, D- Napa, would buffer state-certified burn bosses— and private property owners on whose land the fires are set— against personal liability lawsuits if a fire escapes and hurts someone or damages property. There is near-universal agreement from scientists and fire officials that intentionally set “prescribed” fires are critical to restoring the…

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation issued the following news release:. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has established the 2021 personal property insurance rates for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. The OIR held a virtual public rate hearing on March 15, 2021, to receive testimony from Citizens in support of its rate…

Researchers at North Carolina State University predict an active 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1. State researchers say they expect 15 to 18 named storms in the Atlantic basin during the 2021 season, which runs until Nov. 30. The Atlantic basin includes “the entire Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.”

A Gastonia grocery store sold a $1 million winning lottery ticket. Gloria Walls and Gary Daniel of Clover, South Carolina, bought the winner $10 Jumbo Bucks scratch-off ticket at the Harris Teeter on Robinwood Road. They had the choice of taking the $1 million as an annuity of 20 payments of $50,000 a year or a lump sum of $600,000.

Apr. 18— Nearly 300,000 homes and farms in Washington just received an added defense against destructive wildfires, part of a growing national trend intended to reduce the devastation of longer, more intense fire seasons. Wildfire Defense Systems, a Bozeman- based company that deploys trained and certified firefighters to several states in the West, has teamed…

The next few days will determine whether Florida consumers will lose valuable property insurance coverage to insurers’ efforts to fight fraudsters who are driving up costs for everyone. Critics are warning about several insurance industry-backed reform proposals that have already been approved by the state Senate but still face uncertainty in the House.

Apr. 15— Thousands of California victims of wildfires linked to PG&E Corp. have received payments totaling $141.3 million from the utility's bankruptcy— but are being warned that the payout process is proceeding slowly. In a letter to victims filed this week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the Fire Victim Trust said this week that it has sent money to 7,547 victims of…

For the season, which begins June 1, meteorologist Phil Klotzbach and other experts from Colorado State University– among the nation's top seasonal hurricane forecasters– predict 17 named tropical storms will form, eight of which will become hurricanes. The group said there's a 69% chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall somewhere in the…

The bad news was highlighted recently in a Tampa Bay Times story and that is Florida's insurance industry is hurting and the future is not bright. There are more than a couple of problems driving the huge losses insurance companies are suffering in Florida. This type of safety net is necessary when a hurricane hits Florida and a company's claims skyrocket.

The ordinance was adopted in March and includes changes made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been updating the floodplain maps throughout the country. Following an informational meeting to inform residents about the changes, council President Todd Houser introduced resolutions regarding regulating construction or development…

WASHINGTON, April 10– The National Association of Insurance Commissioners issued the following news release:. Nearly three quarters of consumers say the most significant threats facing their homes today are weather-related, and 68% are aware of things they can do to protect their properties to reduce risk. From hurricanes to wildfires, almost every area of…

Apr. 7— Assemblyman Marc Levine has authored legislation aimed at giving property owners a break when it comes to insurance coverage. That would include the work of Marin's Wildfire Prevention Authority, which local voters put into action by approving the 2020 Measure C tax proposal. Levine, a Democrat who lives in Greenbrae, has also submitted legislation, AB…

Apr. 6— After another round of devastating floods ravaged Lebanon's downtown square, it refloated a question that gets asked a lot, why does this keep happening? Lebanon's Commissioner of Public Works Jeff Baines said that after the floods in 2010, the city entered discussions with the Army Corps of Engineers on “possible alternatives to mitigate flooding on…

NMG Consulting recently completed its 2021 Study of the US Commercial Lines market, which canvasses more than 1,500 independent producers responsible for more than US $1 bn in gross written premium. “That margin expansion is a big opportunity,” says Mark Prichard, CEO of NMG Consulting. According to Karen Lau, a consultant with NMG in Toronto, the fruits of this…

–Chubb Limited today issued the following statement in response to the recent statement from The Hartford:. As demonstrated‎ by our industry-leading returns and underwriting performance, we have created an unsurpassed franchise in the insurance industry and its most dynamic markets. Although we were disappointed that The Hartford chose not to engage in…

Mar. 28— In the past decade, Eversource and United Illuminating will have recouped more than $544 million from Connecticut ratepayers for catastrophic damage inflicted by storms Irene, Sandy and others. State law allows utilities to recoup a reasonable amount of costs' prudently' incurred from severe weather by increasing electric rates with approval from…

If there's one trend Peabody has noticed in over 30 years of work, it's the raw power he thinks climate change has injected into storms. It's what he saw at Ballston Beach in Truro in 2013. Bigger storms, with a storm surge loading up inside a sandbar causing a blowout and a big rip channel, ” Peabody said.

One of the world’s largest container ships is stuck in the Suez Canal, and the ship’s owner and insurers face…

Millions of California drivers will see auto insurance savings with the adoption of regulations presented at a California Department of Insurance workshop this week, according to Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Consumer Federation of California (CFC).

Qualified properties— homes, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, multi-family buildings and other real property buildings— that sustained damage equal to at least 15% of the appraised value of the structure could receive a temporary exemption of a portion of their property value, according to the Bastrop Central Appraisal District.

Caesars Entertainment sued a group of insurance carriers, accusing them of declining to cover more than $2 billion in estimated…

New York– March 24, 2021: Anti-lockdown demonstrations in Germany, “Black Lives Matter” protests in the US or arson attacks on…

Mar. 24— The Salvation Army Worship Center and Boys& Girls Club of High Point are still in recovery mode after a tornado tore through South Main Street on Thursday. On Kellywood Drive, three large oak trees fell, blocking off the dead-end street, and at Brentwood Street and Townsend Avenue, strong winds snapped a number of utility polls. Amy Hudson, executive director…

A recent customer survey from Refused Car Finance showed that 60% of people think that you can’t get approved for car finance with bad credit. The bad credit car finance specialist disagrees.

While pandemic lockdowns helped improve air quality worldwide in 2020, the U.S. saw its air quality worsen- particularly on the West Coast- thanks largely to record-setting wildfires. And while Southern California dominated the list of most polluted U.S. cities in 2019, the fires of 2020 moved that distinction to central and Northern California, according to…

Of all the existential threats California parks face– dwindling budgets, more visitors and costly, long-deferred maintenance– now comes a climate-driven conundrum: When is a park no longer a park? The California Department of Parks and Recreation is coming to terms with this dilemma after a climate-reckoning moment last August, when more than 97% of Big Basin…

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release:. A former Flint insurance agent has been assigned to 24 months of probation under Holmes Youthful Trainee Act status for selling fraudulent automobile insurance certificates to his clients, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan Department of Insurance and…

Mark Gordon and the Laramie County Board of Commissioners issued emergency declarations Wednesday for the historic snowstorm that blanketed southeast Wyoming over the weekend. Whether Wyoming's cities, towns and counties will receive FEMA assistance, however, will depend on the amount of damages across the state. At least $1 million in damages must be…

Mar. 16— While pandemic lockdowns helped improve air quality worldwide in 2020, the U.S. saw its air quality worsen— particularly on the West Coast— thanks largely to record-setting wildfires. And while Southern California dominated the list of most polluted U.S. cities in 2019, the fires of 2020 moved that distinction to Central and Northern California,…

Most U.S. consumers support state-of-the-art technology as standard equipment in all new vehicles to prevent drunk driving, according to a new nationwide poll conducted by Ipsos for Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®. While drunk driving deaths have been cut by more than 50 percent since MADD was established 40 years ago, fatalities have plateaued at 10,000…

–Florida Casualty Insurance Company, formerly Ashmere Insurance Company, has been acquired by Applied Underwriters and will become part of Applied’s strategic national and international development plan. Lauderdale based insurer, licensed in 41 states, will carry North American Casualty’s “A” rating. Jamie Sahara, President of Applied, who stated: “…

The insurance industry overcharged California drivers by hundreds of millions of dollars in past year amid less driving and accidents, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said. Lara ordered a refund plan by April 30.

San Francisco's Speaker of the House secures historic win for President Biden and Democrats, overseeing the narrow passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act, with $1,400 checks for most Americans. State insurance commissioner says insurance industry overcharged California drivers by hundreds of millions of dollars in past year amid less driving…

The Port Royal Town Council unanimously approved changes Wednesday to its flood maps and building requirements to make sure they conform to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's recent update of its maps and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' model ordinances. In unincorporated Beaufort County, where the maps were updated in January, the…

—Flood control projects approved by Houston area voters in 2018 in response to Hurricane Harvey are facing a $1.4 billion shortfall that could delay their completion, officials have announced. That has reinforced the belief by many residents of low-income areas in eastern Harris County along Greens and Halls bayous, which have repeatedly flooded, that they…