Insurance

TALLAHASSEE, FL - January 5, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Pam Bondi filed a lawsuit and obtained a temporary injunction and limited asset freeze against two foreclosure management companies for misleading distressed homeowners. MGD Manag...

CHICAGO, IL - December 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® has joined forces with Colonial Life to offer network members a single source for health, life and personal insurance for both employees and sales asso...

BATON ROUGE, LA - December 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced the reappointment of Eugene Montgomery to the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Board of Directors.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Following a report in the Toledo Blade showing that the City of Toledo is on track to raze a record number of abandoned houses this year, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) renewed his call for Con...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - November 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Congressman Charles Rangel praised the announcement made by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today that the maximum amount of Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) increased from $90,0...

WASHINGTON, DC - November 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that the maximum amount of Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) increased from $90,000 to $150,000, effective Oct. 1, under the Veterans’ Be...

TALLAHASSEE, FL - September 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater announced today the appointment of Carlos Lacasa as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. Lacasa, from Miami, is a former state representative and has more than 20 years of experience as an attorney with expertise in the insurance industry

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - September 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Among homeowners insurance policyholders, those with flood insurance tend to be significantly less satisfied with their policy coverage, compared with policyholders who opt not to carry it, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. National Homeowners Insurance Study^SM released today.

Washington, DC - August 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As homeowners across the East Coast brace for Hurricane Irene and the heavy rains that are expected to fall over the next few days, the current threat underscores the importance of flood insurance, which is the only way for homeowners to financially protect their property or businesses from flood damages.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater today announced the arrest of an Oviedo business owner for overbilling State Farm Insurance Company for fraudulent sinkhole claim repairs. Michael Hodge, owner of A&M Contracting Company, is charged with multiple counts of racketeering and insurance fraud involving billings of materials he never used to repair properties in Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.

COLUMBUS, OH - August 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Lieutenant Governor and Department of Insurance Director Mary Taylor announced Ohio’s 2010 average auto and homeowners insurance rates were among the most competitive in the United States. The De...

LANSING, MI - August 9, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation (OFIR) announced today that it has released radio public service announcements (PSAs) aimed at helping Michigan consumers shop around for more affordable automobile and homeowners insurance rates. The PSAs, which can be heard on radio stations throughout the state, advise Michigan drivers and homeowners to use OFIR resources to help them stretch their insurance dollar.

NEWARK, NJ - August 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Continuing the State’s on-going efforts to thwart fraudulent “mortgage loan modification” enterprises, Attorney General Paula T. Dow and the State Division of Consumer Affairs filed administrative actions against seven businesses for illegally offering mortgage modification services to homeowners in dire financial straits. State law requires that anyone providing these services in New Jersey be licensed as a Debt Adjuster by the Department of Banking and Insurance, or be otherwise authorized.

Arlington, VA - August 3, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As the United States continues to deal with a still-struggling economy, it might be easy to assume that all of the housing industry is part of the same scenario. However, industry leaders such as Thayer Long, president and CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), believe manufactured housing is a key economic solution for present and future home buyers.

Washington, DC - July 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- SmarterSafer.org today urged the United States Senate to immediately act on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) reform without weakening the legislation’s effectiveness. The House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize the program until Sept. 30, 2016 on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 406-22.

BISMARCK, N.D. - July 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- North Dakota residents whose mobile homes have been flooded will need to provide proof that their mobile home insurance has no flood coverage before they can receive disaster housing assistance fr...

SHELTON, CT - July 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A one-of-a-kind mix of classic style, smart energy-efficient features and luxurious amenities have helped propel steady sales at Shelton’s new Cranberry Hill Estates as phase two of construction at the Armstrong Road community continues, reports John Tarducci, Senior Vice President of the New Homes Division at William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance.

Chicago, IL - June 29, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today announced it would make available to potential investors a database of stalled building projects nationwide that make economic sense but which lack the financing to be completed.The AIA is announcing this commitment here today as a participating member at CGI America, the first conference of the Clinton Global Initiative solely dedicated to economic issues impacting the United States. The database should be available in coming months.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 23, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today expressed support for a five-year extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to ensure that the federally-backed flood insurance program remains efficient and effective in protecting flood-prone properties and creates more stability in the housing market.Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Barry Rutenberg, first vice chairman of NAHB and a home builder from Gainesville, Fla., told lawmakers that because the NFIP has had to undergo a series of short-term extensions over recent years, it has created a high level of uncertainty in the program and caused severe problems for the nation’s already troubled housing markets.

CHICAGO, IL - June 20, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- As record floods and other natural disasters strike communities across the country, the Illinois Department of Insurance is reminding Illinois homeowners and renters to review insurance coverage to determine if flood insurance is required.

Washington, DC - June 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Representative John Campbell (R-CA) and Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) have introduced H.R. 2126, the Risk Retention Modernization Act to allow risk retention groups (RRGs) and risk purchasing groups (RPGs) to expand their insurance offerings to include commercial property coverage. This legislation would encourage increased competition in premiums and significantly lower the rates consumers, especially small businesses, pay in places where coverage is currently very limited and relatively unaffordable.

TRENTON, NJ - June 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Paula T. Dow and Division of Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor announced that two Pennsylvania men and a construction company have been charged in a state grand jury indictment for their alleged roles in an insurance fraud scheme that targeted homes purportedly damaged by hail.

Washington, D.C. - June 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today NeighborWorks America announced that more than 100 NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers have opened their doors in more than100 communities across the nation. NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers help low- and moderate-income families achieve homeownership the NeighborWorks way:

Austin, TX - June 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- BuildFax, the industry's exclusive creator of the largest commercial and residential permitting database in the United States, today announced that it has joined forces with Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX) to give property & casualty insurance carriers a more complete view of underwriting risks while uncovering any key changes to their portfolio since policy inception. Now, Equifax customers can gain immediate access to BuildFax’s unique, differentiated data assets, which include property history information representing 60 percent of the nation’s building permit volume. Through this relationship, insurance carriers can improve the accuracy of underwriting valuation models to develop more effective pricing strategies and reduce the potential for fraud

WASHINGTON, D.C. - June 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Six federal agencies have approved and will submit a Federal Register notice that extends the comment period on the proposed rules to implement the credit risk retention requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The comment period was extended to August 1, 2011, to allow interested persons more time to analyze the issues and prepare their comments. Originally, comments were due by June 10, 2011.

West Haven, CA - June 6, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Well the season for strong storms has arrived, which are typically followed by beautiful weather. Unfortuantely, these severe weather patterns are also follwed by storm chasers, and not the kind looking to catch a cow flying through the air on video. These storm chasers are looking to take advantage of bewildered, confused, and desperate homeowners looking to get their homes back in good shape as soon as possible.

BOSTON, MA - June 2, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- With tornado damage covered by homeowners’ insurance, the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Division of Insurance is offering tips on the best way to file a claim with an insurance company to families who suffered damage in yesterday’s tornadoes and storms.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - May 26, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today introduced the Consumer Option for an Alternative System to Allocate Losses (COASTAL) Act to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by using increased data during the claims process. Wicker’s legislation would provide greater certainty to homeowners and the insurance market, ensuring certain losses from future storms are settled in a timely and equitable manner

Jackson, MS - May 24, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- While other parts of the state are dealing with the aftermath of the flooding and tornado natural disasters, Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney and the Mississippi Insurance Department (MID) remind coastal Mississippians that hurricane season begins in a little over a week. Preparations for a forecasted active, 2011 Hurricane season need to begin now, during National Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 22-28, 2011.

SHELTON, CT - May 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Early sales success at Shelton’s Cranberry Hill Estates has accelerated the start of Phase 2 construction at the Armstrong Road community, announced John Tarducci, Senior Vice President of the New Homes Division at William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance.