Latest Coastal Headlines

All the headlines from our Coastal Topic Page, ordered by recency.

N.Y. Agents Seeking Alternatives for Downstate Homeowners

Jul 12 2007 // Downstate New York insurance agents say they are seeking alternative sources of coverage, as many of their regular homeowners insurance companies continue to reduce exposure in their area. A membership survey conducted by...

N.C. Flood Insurance Rates May Soar Under New Coastal Building Code

Jul 10 2007 // Thousands of coastal North Carolina residents could see insurance rates surge this fall as state regulators weigh higher insurance costs against the rising cost of protecting homes. The North Carolina Building Code Council...

Survey: Inlanders Oppose Subsidies for Risky Drivers, Coastal Homes

Jun 20 2007 // A new survey is reporting that 80 percent of drivers and 64 percent of homeowners in non-coastal areas in two states disagree with state insurance pricing regulations that benefit risky drivers and homeowners in high-risk...

Inland businesses can be hurt when coastal storms strike

Jun 18 2007 // It took O’Charley’s regional operations director in Hattiesburg, Miss., most of a week to get in touch with the restaurant chain’s Nashville headquarters after Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast two...

Poll: Many coastal residents still not ready for hurricanes

Jun 18 2007 // Many people along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts still lack a hurricane survival plan and don’t feel vulnerable to storms, despite Katrina’s dramatic damage and pleas from emergency officials for residents to...

S.C. Governor Signs Bill to Help Coastal Residents with Insurance

Jun 13 2007 // Gov. Mark Sanford signed a bill into law Monday that he says should lower insurance costs for residents along South Carolina’s coast. Sanford’s signature comes three months after the Republican governor and his...

Tenn. Businesses Protect Coastal Operations from Storms

Jun 12 2007 // It took O’Charley’s regional operations director in Hattiesburg, Miss., most of a week to get in touch with the restaurant chain’s Nashville, Tenn. headquarters after Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf...

Insurers Urge S.C. Legislature to Pass Coastal Insurance Reforms

Jun 6 2007 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America commends Gov. Mark Sanford and the South Carolina Legislature for advancing an agenda of reform aimed at strengthening the state’s coastal insurance market. Today...

Richardson has high hopes for S.C. omnibus coastal legislation

Jun 4 2007 // Insureds would receive premium discounts for storm mitigation efforts and be able to establish tax-free personal catastrophe savings accounts while insurers would receive tax breaks for writing coastal properties under...

Richardson has high hopes for S.C. omnibus coastal legislation

Jun 4 2007 // Insureds would receive premium discounts for storm mitigation efforts and be able to establish tax-free personal catastrophe savings accounts while insurers would receive tax breaks for writing coastal properties under...

S.C. Senate Follows House in Approving Coastal Insurance Bill

Jun 1 2007 // The South Carolina Senate has approved omnibus legislation that backers hope will ease the insurance cost and availability crunch facing coastal property owners in the state by providing discounts and tax breaks. The...

R.I. House Members Unveil Bills Curbing Insurers’ Coastal Practices

May 31 2007 // The leaders of a special Rhode Island House commission studying the effects of natural disasters on property insurance costs have introduced legislation they say is aimed at protecting coastal homeowners from...

Ironshore Approved to Offer So. Carolina Coastal Coverage

May 17 2007 // Bermuda-based Ironshore Insurance Ltd. has been approved to provide property and catastrophe insurance on an excess and surplus basis for risks located in the State of South Carolina. Ironshore will provide commercial...

Miss. Gov. Announces Grants to Help Revitalize Coastal Communities

May 15 2007 // Grants to help with post-Katrina revitalization projects in 15 coastal Mississippi communities totaling more than $97.2 million will help fund projects such as new fire stations in Bay St. Louis, Moss Point, Picayune,...

Expert: Coastal Overdevelopment Will Worsen Fla.’s Insurance Woes

May 15 2007 // Construction of new high-rise developments on vulnerable barrier islands will continue to exacerbate Florida’s property insurance crisis, according to Robert Hartwig, Ph.D., president and chief economist of the...

Coastal Texas Officials Question State’s Ability to Help in Hurricane

May 11 2007 // Texas emergency officials are struggling to assure their local counterparts that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan won’t damage the state’s ability to respond to a major hurricane striking the Gulf Coast. Local...

Legislation Could Help S.C. Coastal Residents with Insurance

May 10 2007 // Residents on the South Carolina coast could see home insurance costs drop with a bill that received key approval Tuesday in the House. The legislation is part of Insurance Director Scott Richardson’s response to...

Allstate wins 29% statewide rate hike in Miss.; resumes coastal writings excluding wind coverage

May 7 2007 // Mississippi insurance regulators have approved a statewide rate increase of 29 percent for Allstate homeowner policyholders, the Northbrook, Ill.-based insurer reported. The company, in a written statement, attributed the...

COASTAL POPULATION RISING

Apr 23 2007 // TEXAS AG, BERMUDA INSURER Settle $2.1M antitrust suit INSURANCE PLAN FOR LA. Blanco, Donelon promote bills

Coastal population growth contributing to high cost of property coverage

Apr 23 2007 // The U.S. population in hurricane-prone coastal states continues to rise, a trend that is likely to impact adversely the nation’s coastal property insurance market for years to come, according to Dr. Robert Hartwig,...