8 new Property Insurance Companies approved to enter Florida market
Following historic legislative reforms designed to promote market stability, eight property and casualty insurers were approved to enter Florida’s insurance market. Ovation Home Insurance Exchange, the most recent approval, joins Manatee Insurance Exchange, Condo Owners Reciprocal Exchange, Orange Insurance Exchange, Orion180 Select Insurance Company, Orion180 Insurance Company, Mainsail Insurance Company, and Tailrow Insurance Companies as newly approved property and casualty insurers.
“Florida’s insurance market continues to strengthen, showing signs recent legislation is having positive impacts to the property insurance market,” said Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky. “OIR remains steadfast in our efforts to stabilize Florida’s insurance market by implementing legislative reforms and recruiting more insurers to the state. We look forward to continuing this work and promoting a competitive market for policyholders.”
In addition to new companies entering the market, OIR approved the acquisition of Florida domestic property and casualty reciprocal insurer, Trusted Resource Underwriters Exchange, to allow the existing company to grow its footprint in the state and expand its underwriting capacity. As a result of OIR’s approval of the acquisition, more than $1.25 billion of capital is being invested into Florida’s property and casualty insurance market.
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) is showing improvement in their financial strength over the previous years. For instance, Citizens’ surplus increased by approximately 17.5 percent from previous years and Citizens posted a net income in 2023 of $746 million compared to a loss of $2.2 billion in 2022. Additionally, Citizens’ combined ratio improved from the previous year from 204.4 percent to 59.5 percent.
As the market continues to stabilize, OIR is seeing a continued interest from authorized insurers in the Citizens Depopulation program. In 2024, OIR has approved 13 companies to assume more than 354,000 policies from Citizens. In 2023, more than 275,000 policies were assumed from Citizens, reducing Citizen’s exposure by more than $113 billion.
Florida Domestic Company Strength (more…)
Naples November Market Highlights
My year end reviews will be published on January 14.
And read these articles:
INFLATION and RECESSION UPDATE
Why Mortgage Rates will fall in 2024
Transitory inflation? Recession? What else will forecasters get wrong?
More insurers coming to Florida
Core Inflation Prices Barely Budged in August
August Housing Market: Median Prices Rise Year on Year
Market Reports
BAY FOREST Q3 MARKET REPORT 2019-2023
BONITA BAY Q3 MARKET REPORT 2019-2023
IMPERIAL GOLF ESTATES Q3 MARKET REPORT 2019-2023 (more…)
More insurers coming to Florida
More insurance companies have come to do business in Florida, according to State Representative Bob Rommel.
Rommel said that the four carriers coming will not officially sell you a policy until hurricane season is over. There are three more insurers that are in the process of coming into the state as well.
“Before we got the bill, there was a fear that there will be little or no reinsurance money available for insurance carriers, which they need. Since we passed the bill, everybody has been able to get reinsurance, so I think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Rommel.
According to Rommel, he’ll continue addressing the state’s insurance crisis when legislators meet again in 2024 (WINKNews) (more…)
13243 WEDGEFIELD DRIVE Open House Today 11:30-2
SPARKLING GOLF COURSE AND LAKE VIEWS FROM THIS 2 BED + DEN (with closet so could be 3 BED), 2 BATH VILLA in SOUGHT AFTER WEDGEFIELD VILLAS in IMPERIAL GOLF ESTATES
Listed at $560,000
Go HERE to view photos and video, or call Andrew Oliver on 617.834.8205 to arrange a private viewing.
And read these articles:
Florida News
Insurance Reform : Premiums still rising sharply
Naples Mid-year 2023 Market Stats
(more…)
Naples Single Family Market Summary YTD May
Overall in Naples, the median price of Single Famly homes sold in the first 5 months of 2023 increased 4% on a 25% decrease in sales. As usual, there were variations by area.
In July I will publish a report showing the breakdown by Quarters and also showing a longer-term view as in my Q1 statistics.
And read these articles:
Florida News
5 things people don’t know about Naples
How to protect your house from title fraud
News from District 2
Q1 Market Stats (more…)
Naples May Market Summary
A more detailed analysis will be published shortly.
And read these articles:
Florida News
5 things people don’t know about Naples
News from District 2
Q1 Market Stats
Naples a top city for corporate headquarters post-pandemic
Naples grabs No. 1 spot on this ‘Best Places to Live’ list
Collier County : news from District 2 Commissioner
District 2 in North Naples spans from Pine Ridge Road to Bonita Beach Road at the Collier-Lee county line.
Click District 2 Update to read the latest newsletter.
Features include new business openings; new residential construction; affordable housing plans; storm risk management; July 4 plans – and much more. (more…)
Millennials now make up 43% of Homebuyers
The share of millennial homebuyers increased significantly over the past year, according to the 2022 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).
The combined share of younger millennial (23 to 31 years old) and older millennial buyers (32 to 41 years old) rose to 43% in 2021, up from 37% the year prior. Almost two out of three younger millennials (65%) found the home they ultimately purchased on the internet, a number that gradually decreases with older generations. (more…)
How far Behind the Curve is the Federal Reserve?
In March 2020, as the impact of COVID-19 was being felt, the Federal Reserve cut the Fed Funds rate by 50 basis points ( 0.5%) on March 3 and followed that with a 100 basis points (1%) cut on March 15th – a total of 1.5% in under two weeks. This emergency action was decisive and instrumental in preventing a financial disaster. But the economy quickly bounced back with a huge rebound in Q3 2020. The emergency was over.
The Fed, however, kept pumping huge amounts of cash into the economy. Eventually, the market decided that the Fed was behind the curve and market rates took off. Yet the Fed has been slow – make that very slow – to respond. This chart shows interest rates on January 31st 2020, the trading day before COVID-19 was declared to be a public health emergency in the US, and this Friday after the announcement that the Consumer Price Index rose 8.6% in May from a year earlier.
Does anything strike you about this chart? Such as the fact that all the market interest rates are up anywhere from 50% to 130% – and the Fed Funds rate is still way down from its pre-COVID level. (more…)
Florida Lawmakers Pass Insurance, Condo Reforms
Property insurance reform
Senate Bill 2D includes a variety of reform measures
Protecting Policyholders from Nonrenewal: Insurers may not refuse to write or renew policies on homes with roofs that are less than 15 years old solely because of the roof’s age.
Roof Solicitations: Requires roofing solicitations to contain consumer-awareness language that the homeowner is responsible for the deductible under the insurance policy, and it is insurance fraud for the contractor to reduce or waive the deductible or file a claim with false or misleading information.
Roof Deductible: Allows insurance companies to offer a policy at a reduced rate to consumers that includes a roof deductible of up to 2% of the insured value or 50% of the roof replacement cost. Roof deductibles will not apply when there is a total loss to the structure, a loss caused by a hurricane, a roof loss resulting from a fallen tree or other hazard, or a loss requiring a repair of less than 50% of the roof.
Assignment of Benefits (AOB) Reform: Eliminates attorney fee awards where policyholder benefits have been assigned to a 3rd party.
Improving Affordability for Policyholders: Authorizes $2 billion for a new Reinsurance to Assist Policyholders (RAP) program to help insurers obtain reimbursement for hurricane losses earlier than they normally would under the Florida CAT Fund. This reinsurance is provided by the state at no cost to the insurer. Insurers that participate in RAP must reduce policyholder premiums.
Home Hardening Grants: Appropriates $150 million to provide hurricane mitigation inspections and matching grants to help Floridians afford home hardening improvements to their homestead single-family residences with an insured value of $500,000 or less. The program provides $2 in grant funds for every $1 provided by the homeowner up to $10,000.
Condominium safety reform
Florida lawmakers also addressed condominium reform by passing Senate Bill 4D. This bill provides an overhaul of the high-rise inspection law, requires more frequent recertification of safety standards and mandates that condo boards build up reserves so they can make needed repairs. Changes in the bill include:
Creates a statewide “milestone inspection” requirement for condominiums and cooperative buildings that are three stories or higher 30 years after initial occupancy, and 25 years after initial occupancy for buildings located within three miles of the coast.
Requires inspections every 10 years after a building’s initial “phase 1” inspection.
Requires an additional, more intensive inspection, or a “phase 2” inspection, if a building’s initial inspection reveals substantial structural deterioration.
Beginning in 2024, condo associations are required to conduct a structural integrity reserve study at least every ten years and prevents needed reserves from being waived.
Click here for fuller details.
Comment
Difficulty in finding homeowners’ insurance – and large rate increases when a policy has been renewed – have plagued the Florida market. One of the biggest issues has been roofs which are 15 years or more old – that has been a cause for non-renewal for many, so this new legislation should make things easier.
I shall investigate what is covered by the Home Hardening Grants and report further.
Florida Housing Market in 5 pictures
Why are Mortgage rates so high?
Florida Regulator: Insurers Can Offer Roof Deductibles
Naples First Quarter Housing Market Summary
Expansion Plans for Fort Myers Airport
Bonita Springs First Quarter Market Summary
St James City First Quarter Market Summary
Fort Myers Beach First Quarter Market Summary
Naples Park First Quarter Market Summary
Estero First Quarter Market Summary
- Andrew Oliver, M.B.E., M.B.A.
Real Estate Advisor
Andrew.Oliver@Compass.com
www.TheFeinsGroup.com
www.OliverReportsFL.com
m: 617.834.8205
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800 Laurel Oak Drive, Suite 400, Naples, FL 34108
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Licensed in Massachusetts
www.OliverReportsMA.com
Myths About Today’s Housing Market
And for an up to the date market analysis please contact me. (more…)
5 tips on how not to disappear in the hybrid workplace
When remote work was mandatory and all or most of your co-workers, your boss, and many of your external stakeholders were remote, the playing field was level. There was a real sense that we were all “in this together.” People were remarkably understanding and accepting of quirky situations, whether IT related or the result of the blurred line between home and work (think dogs barking and children crying during meetings). That kind of tolerance is now rare. And it’s just one of many pitfalls for remote workers.
Whether you are fully remote or in a hybrid work environment, avoid the “Zoom ceiling” by understanding and working around the potential pitfalls that come from lowered visibility in the office.
Knowledge at Wharton, a business journal from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has suggested five steps to position yourself better for greater visibility to ensure that you are getting recognition for your accomplishments and staying in line for promotions and desirable assignments. Make sure your employer knows you aren’t stepping off the ladder. (more…)
Florida Regulator: Insurers Can Offer Roof Deductibles
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida has had a rash of insurance claims alleging damaged roofs covered under their homeowner’s property insurance policy, and the 2022 Florida Legislature considered a fix that would have charged homeowners a deductible if their roof needed replacement following a covered event. However, the bill, SB 1728, passed the Senate but failed in the House.
While the Florida Legislature may return to Tallahassee for a special session to discuss the state’s property insurance challenges, it’s generally not expected to do so before November after a new House Speaker takes over.
On Wednesday, however, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) announced that it would allow insurers to offer roof-replacement deductibles as an option in their policies. (more…)
Did You Know?
* Though just 17% of the U.S. population is 65 or older, United Van Lines reports that seniors in that age group completed 29% of all its moves in 2020. Sumter County, Florida has one of the highest levels of inbound migration of seniors in the U.S. thanks in large part to the Villages, a sprawling retirement community more than 50 miles northwest of Orlando. But large cities are seeing an influx of older people seeking the excitement and variety/volume of entertainment/restaurant options. (WSJ)
* In the 4th quarter of 2021, investors bought 18.4% of the US homes that were purchased, a record high. And possibly one of the biggest drivers of housing inflation? Higher purchase prices + higher rents = essential demand for higher wages. (FT)
* The median monthly payment on a new mortgage is now taking up a much larger share of a typical consumer’s income. It jumped 8.3% in February compared with January. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage shot significantly higher yesterday, rising 24 basis points to 4.95%. The quicker-than-expected rise in rates has weighed on demand for mortgages and refinancing loans. With both rates and prices considerably higher, the median mortgage payment is now more than 20% higher than it was a year ago. And so is pricing in some parts….Now comes the question: are incomes that much higher to sustain this? (CNBC)
* The average bonus paid to securities industry employees in New York climbed 20% to a record $257,500 for 2021, the largest increase in bonuses since 2009. Securities industry jobs make up just 5% of private sector roles, but accounted for 18%, or $14.9 billion, of state tax collections in the 2021 fiscal year. (CNBC)
And read these recent articles: (more…)
The Federal Reserve and Mortgage Rates
As expected, the Federal Reserve (Fed) increased its Fed Funds Rate (FF) this week by 0.25% to 0.5%, the first increase since 2018.
What does this mean for mortgage rates and why are they rising? The FF rate affects the lending rate for credit cards, auto loans, adjustable rate mortgages, all of which are impacted by banks’ Prime Rate, which moves with the FF rate. Fixed Rate Mortgages – the typical 30-year mortgage – have a longer life and their benchmark is the closest Treasury security, which is the 10-year (10T).
Five charts explain the factors driving mortgage rates. In all cases the numbers are at the dates that the Fed has changed its FF since 2015: 9 increases followed by 5 decreases before this week’s rise. Because the purpose of this article is to show the link between FF, FRM and 10T the dates shown are only those on which the FF rate changed. Bear that in mind when looking at the charts below – they do not attempt to show all the price movements in between the dates shown. (more…)