April 5, 2017
A bill backed by the insurance industry to curb the abuse of Florida’s one-way attorney fee statute in assignment of benefit claims has stalled as lawmakers opted to instead advance what the insurance industry and the state’s regulator feel is …
March 30, 2017
As the Florida property market fights what has so far been a losing battle against attorneys and unlicensed contractor firms over water loss claims and assignment of benefits (AOB), Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s property insurer of last resort, has …
March 29, 2017
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will post a net loss for 2016, its first loss in more than a decade, as water loss claims, assignment of benefit (AOB) abuse and litigation costs increasingly impact the company’s bottom line, according to a …
February 15, 2017
Florida’s insurance industry will apply significant pressure on lawmakers to pass assignments of benefit (AOB) reform in the upcoming legislative session as consumers face rate increases and a looming coverage availability crisis due to serious and costly abuse of the …
February 9, 2017
Assignment of benefits abuse has escalated over the last five years to the point where it is now a serious disruption to Florida’s insurance market. The abuse, which is especially rampant in South Florida, stems from unscrupulous contractors and attorneys …
December 13, 2016
Assignment of benefits abuse has become such a well-known problem in the state of Florida this year that it now just goes by the nickname “AOB.” The issue with AOB comes from when a policyholder suffers a loss, such as …
July 13, 2016
After review by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) and much criticism from Florida stakeholders, Florida-based Heritage Property & Casualty Company has withdrawn its request for an overall 14.9 percent increase of homeowners insurance rates in the state. The …
June 23, 2016
Citizens Board of Governors has approved recommended rates for 2017 that equal an average rate increase of nearly 7 percent statewide. The company said the increase is a necessary response to rising non-weather water losses and assignment of benefit (AOB) …
May 10, 2016
Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is alerting policyholders to important policy changes beginning July 1 as part of the state-backed insurer’s efforts to improve communication and protect customers early in the claims process while controlling costs that it has said threaten …
May 3, 2016
Abuse of assignment of benefits (AOB) from water loss claims has become a full-blown Florida insurance crisis that will mean higher insurance rates next year and for the foreseeable future for every Florida policyholder, according to Citizens Property Insurance Corp. …