Florida Approves Surcharge for Property Insurance Policies

June 26, 2006

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Florida has approved a 2 percent surcharge on all property insurance policies to help cover outstanding claims for one of Florida’s largest property insurers, whose insolvent subsidiaries are being liquidated under state control because of hurricane losses.

Poe Financial Group took a $2 billion hit from 125,000 claims stemming from the very active 2004 and 2005 Atlantic hurricane seasons.

In May, the Tampa-based insurer handed over the last of its three insurance subsidiaries to the state after not being able to pay outstanding claims.

The surcharge is expected to raise $225 million to help cover outstanding claims for Poe Financial’s insurance operations. It was approved by the state’s Insurance Guaranty Association.

Insurers must get permission from the state to pass on the extra cost to policy holders, said Michelle Lovern, deputy director of the Insurance Guaranty Association.

Poe Financial vice president David Gough said he didn’t know how the state arrived at the 2 percent figure or whether it considered opportunities to recover costs through reinsurance.

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Latest Comments

  • June 27, 2006 at 7:37 am
    Jeb B says:
    You have to joking - another 2% on top of the 6.84% Citizen assessment to surplus lines policies (which is a great deal of the policy holders). None of this goes to the carrie... read more
  • June 26, 2006 at 1:39 am
    Dismayed says:
    Great! This is just another government tax placing the burden for the reglatory failure on the policyholders of the state. Have the POE managment been indicted yet? Maybe Gall... read more
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