Regulation/Legislation

Florida's year-long, acrimonious battle with State Farm over its threat to leave the state's homeowners insurance market ended last week with the company winning a 14.8 percent rate increase and permission to drop 125,000 policyholders.

Despite deep divisions within its own ranks and united opposition from Republicans, Democrats appeared to be moving closer and closer at year's-end to landmark legislation reforming the nation's health care system.

Reinsurance and excess and surplus lines purchases would be governed by the tax policies, licensing and other requirements of the buyer's home state...

Regulators are poised to begin exploring how to gather data on insurer use of credit information to determine premiums, and might even expand their study to examine other rating factors in underwriting.

A trade group representing medical liability insurers is voicing concern over a provision in the Senate healthcare reform bill that would encourage states to create tort reform programs, but allows participants to "opt-out" of the process.

Legislation extending the National Flood Insurance Program until Feb. 28 has passed Congress on an 88-10 vote.