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Insurance industry reacts to Florida Senate 'AOB' practice overhaul approval

Insurers have argued that litigation and fraud involving the practice are driving up property insurance premiums.

"It's been seven years of hard work, but today's passage of assignment of benefits reform legislation in Florida is a major victory for consumers." Liz Reynolds, regional vice president of the Southeast for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, said in a statement. (Photo: Shutterstock) “It’s been seven years of hard work, but today’s passage of assignment of benefits reform legislation in Florida is a major victory for consumers.” Liz Reynolds, regional vice president of the Southeast for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, said in a statement. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The Florida Senate approved an overhaul of the insurance practice known as assignment of benefits, or AOB, and Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statement saying he will sign it. AOB has been a highly controversial issue in recent years, with insurers arguing that litigation and fraud involving the practice are driving up property insurance premiums.

The bill, as written, is expected to keep consumers in control of their insurance policies and, over time, reduce insurers’ costs for inflated claims and litigation that must be passed along to consumers. Changes to one-way attorney fees should eliminate incentives for filing costly lawsuits. Other provisions add protections for consumers, including allowing policyholders the right to rescind an AOB without penalties and requiring written estimates for work.

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Denny Jacob

Denny Jacob

Denny Jacob is an associate editor for NU PropertyCasualty360. Contact him at [email protected]

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