The Home Insurance Guru

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The Florida Department of Financial Services’ Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team (DFSAT) have been deployed across the state to protect Floridians from post-storm fraud that could occur in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Alberto, according to a statement from Florida CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis.

With a state of emergency now declared in all 67 counties, Patronis activated the team to be on alert for fraud in the event of major flooding and damage.

“Unfortunately, storms can bring out the worst in people,” said Patronis. “To get ahead of any attempt to take advantage of those who may need repairs done to their property, we’re activating now so we can quickly ward off fraud. With the 2018 Hurricane Season less than a week away, it’s important consumers are alert and aware of the potential for post-storm scams.”

Patronis issued the following indicators of post-storm fraud that policyholders should be aware of:

• A contractor or restoration professional who offered to waive or discount an insurance deductible.
• A contractor or restoration professional that has received payment and has failed to provide any repairs to a home.
• A contractor or restoration professional who offered to provide repairs at a cash-only discounted rate and has failed to provide repairs to a home.
• A contractor or restoration professional who pressured a policyholder to sign an assignment of benefit (AOB) and has failed to provide any repairs to the home or stopped responding to contact attempts.

Anyone who experiences or witnesses these types of activity are encouraged to reach out to Patronis’ Fraud Tip Hotline by calling 1-800-378-0445. Callers can choose to remain anonymous

We are the most Fraudulent state in the country! Please enjoy the full article below;

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/30/490562.htm

Please call Lee from Acentria Insurance at 954-270-7966 for free quotes for Home Insurance, Auto, Flood, Private Flood, Car, Business & Commercial, & life group benefits & Commercial policies as well.

The Florida fund that helps private insurers pay out claims after a hurricane remains in good shape heading into a storm season.

Despite losses from Hurricane Irma, estimates show the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund will have $17.3 billion available this year. This means that the fund has more money than it would need to pay out if storms racked the state.

The estimates were formally approved last week.

The financial health of the fund is important because the state can impose a surcharge on most insurance policies to replenish it if the money runs out. Some critics have called the surcharge a “hurricane tax.”

The fund built up its reserves during a lengthy period when there were no storms. The fund is expected to pay out $2 billion for claims associated with Irma.

Please enjoy the rest of the article below;

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/25/490339.htm

Please call Lee from Acentria Insurance at 954-270-7966 for free quotes on Home Insurance, Auto, Flood, Private Flood, Car, Business & Commercial & Life, group & Financial products as well.

Four sinkholes have opened up in a fast-growing retirement community in Florida, including one in front of a home that was abandoned months ago because of an earlier sinkhole.

A spokeswoman for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office says the new sinkholes opened up Monday in The Villages following a week of nonstop rain in central Florida.

No evacuations were ordered as of Monday afternoon.

Spokeswoman Lauren Lettelier says the sinkholes are in a golf course community lined with homes and a lake. Two homes and three people were evacuated from the neighborhood in February because of a sinkhole.

Of the four new sinkholes, one is underneath the lake, two are in yards and one is on a road in front of one of the abandoned homes.

Please enjoy the full article below;

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/24/490202.htm

Please call Lee at Acentria Insurance at 954-270-7966 for free quotes on Home Insurance, Auto, Flood, Private Flood, Car, Business & Commercial & life, group & Financial products as well.

Florida leads the nation in the number of air bag injuries and deaths.

U.S. Se

n. Bill Nelson said Friday that 83 injuries and three deaths have been linked to Takata air bag ruptures in Florida.

Nelson was planning to meet with people who have been injured by air bags on Saturday in Orlando.

Nelson says the next highest amount of casualties from air bags were in Puerto Rico, Texas, California and Georgia.

Takata inflators can explode with too much force and blow apart a metal canister, spewing shrapnel.

The Japanese company’s defective inflators touched off the largest automotive recall in U.S. history, involving 42 million vehicles and 69 million inflators

Please enjoy the full article below;

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/14/489111.htm

Please call Lee from Acentria Insurance at 954-270-7966 for free quotes on Home Insurance, Auto, Flood, Private Flood, Car, Business Policies & Life, Health and group products for all sizes.

Policymakers need to find a way to get banks involved in property mitigation if Florida is to improve its hurricane resiliency, according to a former state insurance commissioner.

Banks are currently unmotivated to protect mortgages through mitigation because the government steps in and bails them out when there is a crisis, Kevin McCarty, who was insurance commissioner of the state for 13 years, told the audience of the Florida Association of Insurance Reform (FAIR) Foundation’s conference in Tampa on May 2.

McCarty spoke about resiliency and mitigation, emphasizing the need for both in the catastrophe prone state.

“We know we are going to have more storms; we also know there is a lot of uninsured property,” McCarty said. “We also know somebody is mysteriously not at the table.”

He was referring to banks, which he said continue to be bailed out by the government and therefore will continue to make money no matter what. He referenced the financial crisis as an example of how banks are not motivated to protect their financial assets.

“Until banks actually have skin in the game, they are not going to be at the table,” he said.

McCarty’s said it’s important to think about what strategies could work to hold banks accountable and bring them to the table.

“If I as a taxpayer have to pay for it, it should be part of the law that if you have a federally backed mortgage you have to have an all-perils policy – and that means all perils,” McCarty told the audience, which responded with big applause.

Please enjoy the full article below;

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/08/488539.htm

Please call Lee from Acentria Insurance for free quotes on Home Insurance, Auto, Flood, Private Flood, Car, Business & Commercial & Life, group & Financial quotes as well.

In an open letter to Citizens President, CEO an Executive Director Barry Gilway, Patronis said the state-backed insurer should be subject to the same rules as state agencies and organizations when it comes requiring lobbyists be registered, but as of now that isn’t the case.

“Currently, lobbyists and private insurers are not statutorily required to disclose their efforts on behalf of clients and private interest they represent before Citizens Property Insurance Corporation,” Patronis wrote.

Citizens Legislative Affairs staff currently do register as lobbyists. Patronis’ letter says it is targeted towards those who represent third parties and private interests, such as businesses, and lobby Citizens.

Patronis wrote transparency is “one of the best ways we can ensure accountability,” and that it should be “crystal clear who is interested in influencing Citizens policy changes or securing contracts with [Citizens].”

Please enjoy the full article below;

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2018/05/04/488273.htm

Please call Lee at Acentria Insurance for free quotes on Home Insurance, Auto, Flood, Private Flood, Car, Business & Commercial, & Life, group & Financial as well.

Original post 11/2017

On September 27, we had a fire in our laundry area. The entire mobile home sustained fire damage. It took five days for the first adjustor to come out. He was at the house four hours then told us he couldn’t handle the claim because it was a large loss claim. So I don’t know why they sent him out and what he did for four hours if he wasn’t even qualified to be there. He also brought along an Origin of Fire expert who was also there four hours and said the fire started in my washing machine motor. Nothing at all for another week when they sent out a large claim adjustor. He spent about five hours in the home. He also brought along an engineer and the Origin of fire expert again. The two of them were there about five hours, moved the washer and dryer back into the house to take pictures then took them with them when they left. That was Monday and now here it is another week and still nothing.

Original review: Oct. 13, 2017

Had numerous policies for years with Foremost since they insure Mobile Homes. Finally had one claim, adjuster was brand new, her Supervisor finally took over due to incompetence but he was Swamped. Jumped through hoops, got a partial settlement and dropped all the insurance. That’s it in a Nutshell… It’s poor insurance, get rid of it as soon as you can. It’s only gonna Work for you if you have A DISASTER.

Please read all 24 below

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/insurance/foremost-homeowners.htm