Articles by William Rabb

Rabb is Southeast Editor for Insurance Journal. He is a long-time newspaper man in the Deep South; also covered workers' comp insurance issues for a trade publication for a few years.

Judge Cans North Carolina Captive’s Claims That Managers Stole Software

Six months after a North Carolina captive insurance firm for nursing homes around the country accused its managers of poaching proprietary software and forming a competing management company, a federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit. “Plaintiffs have pleaded no factual …

Universal, AmCoastal Report Some Costs from Helene, Milton for Q3

One of Florida’s largest property insurers and one of its smaller carriers reported losses at least partly related to Hurricane Helene, which landed just before the third quarter closed, and from Hurricane Milton, which struck less than two weeks later. …

Florida’s Heritage Insurance Reports 5,400 Claims, $57M in Cat Losses From Milton

More loss and claims estimates are trickling in from carriers after Hurricane Milton caused widespread wind and flood damage in Florida this month. Tampa-based Heritage Insurance Holdings said in a preliminary statement that about two weeks after Milton made landfall …

Appeals Court Says Experts Must Show Causal Relationship in BP Oil Workers’ Suits

A federal appeals court has underscored the high bar that expert witnesses must meet before a court can connect the dots between exposure and illness, a ruling that could have an impact on insurance claims and toxic tort litigation. In …

At Energy, ‘You Are Not Just a Number’

The president of Energy Insurance Agency, an operation with a large presence in Kentucky, said it is “incredibly humbling” for the agency to again be named one of Insurance Journal’s Best Agencies to Work For in the Southeast. “This recognition …

People’s Trust Managed Repair Clause Survives Another Florida Legal Challenge

After at least three appeals court decisions in the last four years, homeowner lawsuits that take issue with a Florida insurance carrier’s managed repair program may finally have run their course. “It really should” be a nail in the coffin …

Update: Milton’s 152,000 Claims So Far Mean New Pressure on Reinsurance, Rate Hikes

Property Insurance claims from Hurricane Milton had topped more than 152,180 by Tuesday, with some $1.9 billion in estimated insured losses. That’s already more than the claims and losses reported for Helene, which made landfall in Florida two weeks earlier, …

Agents Report Limited Damage But More Claims Expected As Floridians Return Home

Insurance agents and carriers in the path of Hurricane Milton reported only minor damage to their own offices and homes but a rapidly growing number of claims from residential and commercial policyholders for roof, flood and auto damage. The Florida …

Update: Florida CFO Bars Insurers From Altering Adjusters’ Reports Without Explanation

Almost two years after a group of independent claims adjusters alleged that insurers had deceptively altered their damage estimates and low-balled policyholders, Florida’s chief financial officer has issued an emergency rule barring similar actions in Hurricane Milton claims. “Any move …

With Back-to-Back Storms, Florida Now Facing Delays in Claims Adjusting

With Hurricane Milton now expected to produce several hundred thousand wind-damage claims and with the storm coming so soon on the heels of Hurricane Helene, industry leaders are bracing for significant delays in claims adjusting. “We’re competing with Helene,” said …