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Commentary: Florida Homeowners’ Insurers Will Pass the Hurricane Irma Test

Florida homeowners’ insurers are poised to thrive following Hurricane Irma. For years, critics have disparaged Florida’s unique homeowners’ insurance industry. These innovative and entrepreneurial insurers are about to prove critics wrong. The $100B Detour It should first be acknowledged that …

Key Equifax Execs Depart Amid Questions in Data Breach

Equifax announced late Friday that its chief information officer and chief security officer would leave the company immediately, following the enormous breach of 143 million Americans’ personal information. The credit data company – under intense pressure since it disclosed last …

FEMA Trailers Auctioned at Fire Sale Prices Prior to Harvey Landfall

The federal government auctioned off disaster-response trailers at fire-sale prices just before Harvey devastated southeast Texas, reducing an already diminished supply of mobile homes ahead of what could become the nation’s largest-ever housing mission. More than 100 2017-model Federal Emergency …

Commentary: Tesla Boosted Range Prior to Irma, Raises Connected Car Questions

Last week, as millions of Floridians evacuated ahead of Hurricane Irma‘s landfall, Tesla owners received some unexpected help: added vehicle range. That boost – done over the air via the cars’ dedicated communications systems, and without the owners needing to …

Insurer Says It Shouldn’t Have to Pay for Medical Marijuana in Maine Case

The Maine supreme court on Wednesday began considering whether a paper millworker left suicidal by narcotic painkillers should receive workers’ compensation for medical marijuana. It’s the first time the court has considered the question of insurance reimbursement for medical marijuana. …

New York Couple Charged With $750,000 Hurricane Sandy Relief Fraud

A Staten Island, N.Y., couple was charged with making false statements to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in connection with their obtaining more than $750,000 in disaster relief …

East Coast Could Feel Effects of Hurricane Jose Next Week

Hurricane Jose may threaten New York City and other areas of the East Coast by next week, according to a National Hurricane Center advisory. The storm, about 640 miles (1,029 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, strengthened into a …

Cat Loss Update: 3 Weeks Post-Harvey

Three weeks after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, claims tallies and the storm’s financial impact are beginning to be calculated. The Insurance Council of Texas estimated $19 billion in insured losses resulting from Hurricane Harvey. The ICT reports massive …

Farmers Insurance Adjusters Camp Out to Process Texas Harvey Claims

To process tens of thousands of auto and property claims with losses already well into the billions of dollars, insurance companies have adjusters camping out across Texas. The Houston Chronicle reports in one case, the adjusters – many of whom …

Determining Where and Whether to Rebuild After Hurricanes Irma, Harvey

Though our natural instinct is to put everything back exactly where it was before a disaster, Mark Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Environmental Management Studies said people need to seriously rethink …

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