Insurance

Extreme flood insurance rate hikes and inaccurate floodplain maps drive up the cost of homeownership and threaten small businesses, the nation’s home builders told Congress today

Flood insurance costs continue to put small businesses and homeownership at risk, but the National Association of Realtors® told U.S. Senators today that a range of solutions are on the horizon

The way to achieve resilience in U.S. communities is through an approach that incorporates input, consensus, leadership and action from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from insurance and finance-related companies, lenders and foundations; forward-thinking communities and government agencies; and important decision makers, including homeowners, businesses and utilities.

Legislation will reduce disaster losses and save lives by shifting the federal focus to pre-disaster mitigation and resilient construction. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today applauded Reps. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., and Albio Sires, D-N.J., for the introduction of bipartisan legislation to focus federal disaster policy on preventing losses.

Property owners who opt to purchase flood insurance in the private market rather than through the National Flood Insurance Program may do so under current rules, but they risk paying higher rates if they return to the NFIP. H.R. 2901, the "Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act," passed the U.S. House of Representatives today by a vote of 419-0 and seeks to alleviate that concern

Freedom Mortgage Corporation has agreed to pay the United States $113 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting single family mortgage loans insured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet applicable requirements for the FHA insurance program, the Justice Department announced today.  Freedom Mortgage Corporation is headquartered in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.

NAMB—The Association of Mortgage Professionals has commended the House Financial Services Committee for taking up HR 2901, the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act of 2015

Members of the National Apartment Association (NAA) and nearly 170 affiliated associations this week turned out for their largest ever advocacy campaign, both on Capitol Hill and in congressional districts from coast to coast. Telling lawmakers that apartments work, industry members emphasized that lawmakers must enact public policies that promote rather than obstruct the industry’s ability to provide housing and jobs.

Robert L. Capers, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, David A. Montoya, Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Frederick W. Gibson, Acting Inspector General for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today announced the settlement of claims against Continental Mortgage Bankers d/b/a Financial Equities and its president, Walter Stashin, in United States v. Rainy Day Holdings, LLC. et al., Civil Action No. CV-15-5576. The case is pending in federal court in Central Islip before United States District Judge Joseph F. Bianco.

January 28, HUD announced that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce its multifamily insurance rates to stimulate the production and rehabilitation of affordable rental housing. These rate reductions, effective April 1, will apply to the FHA-HFA Risk-Sharing program and other FHA multifamily housing programs that help finance properties housing low-income families and developments installing energy-efficient systems or building within federal energy guidelines.

National Association of Realtors® members now have access to two new offerings through the Realtors® Insurance Marketplace; members now have access to Realtors® Vision Insurance plans and Members TeleHealth, a telemedicine service plan

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan Special Agent Jeremiah Gonzalez passes the Universal Insurance Company building in Caguas, Puerto Rico every day.

Next year, 1,000 homeowners across the state will receive up to $3,000 to seismically retrofit and protect their homes from earthquake damage. The Earthquake Brace + Bolt program is expanding to include more than 150 ZIP codes in vulnerable areas in Northern and Southern California

Whether your company is expanding or you’re nearing the end of your lease, relocating can be a lot of work on a business. Once you’ve found the new location for your office space, you must diligently come up with a plan of action for the day of the move. While you may not have thought of planning for the move, it is imperative to saving your business time and money.

After Superstorm Sandy victims faced an extensive, burdensome and fraud-ridden flood insurance claims process, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Kathleen rice today announced their push for new bipartisan legislation to require more transparency and accountability from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) so that home and property owners who carry flood insurance policies are better protected in the event of another storm.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon reports ongoing progress in the shift of policies to the private market from the state’s insurer of last resort, Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens). At the same time, he is also reminding property insurance policyholders that the deadline to claim a rebate for the Citizens Assessment charged on their 2011 insurance policies is December 31, 2015. Nearly $34 million, or 52 percent, of the refundable assessments available for 2011 remains unclaimed.

Senator John Hoeven today held a community roundtable at Watford City High School to take questions from students and area residents. There were approximately 100 high school students, including Watford City High School’s senior class and two classes of social studies/government students. Scott Hennen, host of What’s on Your Mind, served as the event moderator.

FEMA Also Saying If Policyholders Do Not Supply & Other Information to Review Process Within Short 14-Day Period, Their Cases Will Be Closed; Schumer & Gillibrand Urges FEMA to Immediately Work With All Policyholders Who Have Not Yet Submitted Pertinent Info to Agency & To Get Going On Backlog

Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater knows that Florida’s homeowners carry insurance to protect their property in the event of an emergency, natural or otherwise. Floridians have seen the costly destruction hurricanes can cause as well the financial volatility that storms can create in the property insurance market. Each year, the Office of Insurance Regulation tests the financial soundness of property insurance companies that conduct business in the state of Florida to ensure they can withstand the catastrophic losses generally associated with major storms.