The FIS News

The Housing Market is Reviving!

According to the new numbers brought in by the S&P, housing prices rose 0.1% in March. Four cities still have not shown improvement, Atlanta and Detroit being two of them. A large part of the the low percentages is accounted in distressed homes. FHFA's March numbers recently released show a 1.8% increase monthly and a 2.7% increase in the past year. The reasoning behind FIFA's low numbers is due to variety and range of houses in the market. In comparison, distressed and foreclosed homes are thown into the same measurement as a penthouse in NYC or a 6,000 sq ft beachfront property in Boca Raton. If you would like to read on about the housing market, please click on the link below! http://moneyland.time.com/2012/05/29/housing-market-better-than-it-looks/

Hurricane Season Begins June 1st. Are You Prepared?

APRIL 2012 Florida accounted for 17 percent of all U.S. insured catastrophe losses from 1980 to 2010: $62.6 billion out of $379.1 billion, based on data from the PCS division of ISO. (Adjusted for inflation by ISO using the GDP implicit price deflator.) Seven of the 10 costliest hurricanes in U.S. history have impacted Florida. Six of the storms affecting Florida occurred within just two years: 2004 and 2005. (See table below). The costliest hurricane, based on insured property losses to Florida, was 1992’s Hurricane Andrew. It caused $24.5 billion in damage to the state in 1992 (in 2011 dollars). 2005’s Hurricane Wilma ranks second, with $9.9 billion in insured losses (in 2011 dollars), followed by 2004’s Hurricane Charley, with $9.0 in insured losses (in 2011 dollars). Florida leads the nation in the number of flood policies, according to the National Flood Insurance Program, with 2.1 million policies in force as of September 2011. Standard homeowners policies typically do not cover flood damage. The number of people living in coastal areas in Florida increased by 10 million people, or 261.6 percent, from 1960 to 13.9 million in 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The total value of insured coastal property in Florida was $2.5 trillion in 2007, up nearly 27 percent since 2004. Coastal exposure represents 79 percent of all property exposure in the state. Given the growth in the number and value of insured property, a repeat of the hurricane that devastated Miami in 1926 would result in approximately $101 billion in insured damage today, according to AIR Worldwide Corporation. Since its establishment in 2002, after the state passed legislation combining two separate high risk insurance pools known as the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association and the Florida Residential Property & Casualty Joint Underwriting Association, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (CPIC) has experienced exponential growth. As a result Florida Citizens has evolved from a market of last resort to the state’s largest property insurer. Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation provides multiperil and wind-only insurance coverage to Florida homeowners, commercial residential and commercial business property owners. Direct homeowners insurance premiums in Florida written by Florida Citizens reached nearly $1.6 billion in 2011, with a 19.9 percent market share, up from $1.2 billion in 2010. Premiums fell from $1.3 billion in 2006 to $791 million in 2009, as the collapse in home and condominium construction throughout the state due to the credit crisis took a toll on new business. It is also the leading commercial insurer, with a 9.3 percent market share in 2011.

FIS makes Chubb's list for # 2 Independent Agency in Central FL.

Find out the 411 here...Florida's Fraud in the State's Personal Injury Protection Insurance

Florida House Passes PIP Fraud Bill By James L. Rosica | March 5, 2012 A bill aimed at cracking down on rampant fraud in the state’s personal injury protection insurance was passed Friday in the Florida House of Representatives. The bill (HB 119) was approved largely along party lines on an 85-30 vote. It’s favored by state CFO Jeff Atwater and Gov. Rick Scott, who made cracking down on PIP fraud one of his top priorities this session. The House passage sets up a showdown with a competing Senate proposal (SB 1860). The House version caps attorney fees in payment disputes and requires those hurt in a wreck to go to a hospital emergency room or hospital-owned walk-in clinic within seven days for personal-injury coverage to kick in. State investigators say many independent pain clinic owners have no prior health care experience and some even opened them because they heard they could make a lot of money. The Senate bill puts no time limit on treatment and also eliminates massage therapy and acupuncture, now covered under PIP, after an accident. The House measure “takes a good first step in ensuring those injured in an automobile accident receive the medical attention they need … and helps to ensure Floridians aren’t absorbing the high costs of automobile accident fraud,” House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said in a statement. “We are encouraged by the House passing PIP fraud legislation,” added Jose Gonzalez, vice president of Associated Industries of Florida, a business lobby. “We are hopeful that the House and Senate will work together.” But Bill Newton, who heads the Florida Consumer Action Network, said consumers lose under the House plan because they’ll face “severe limitations” in their health care choices. “Rather than toughening penalties on the criminals committing fraud, the plan creates new special loopholes for insurance companies to avoid paying claims, or deny them all together,” Newton said. PIP fraud results in higher costs to customers through increased premiums. In some places, that translates into hundreds of extra dollars per year. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on Friday released preliminary data showing “PIP costs … have continued to increase as a percentage of the premium dollar for Florida’s insurers,” according to a report. Lawmakers passed PIP coverage in 1972 to ensure that anyone hurt in an automobile wreck could get medical treatment. The legislation mandated that a driver’s insurance company pay up to $10,000 to cover medical bills and lost wages after an accident _ no matter who’s at fault. All Florida drivers are required to carry no-fault insurance. Over the years, however, fraudsters turned Florida into the top state for staged accidents, especially in the Tampa and Miami-Dade metropolitan areas. Some estimates show PIP fraud nearing $1 billion in the state this year, though Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, has called that “hyperbole.” Negron, who is sponsoring the Senate bill, says it was more like $100 million to $125 million a year.   Like FIS and gain more knowledge @   www.facebook.com/floridainsurancespecialists

Choose Choice

Happy Presiden't Day! As Thomas Jefferson once mentioned, "Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom!" As you all explore being honest with one another and most importantly with yourselves, why not take a look at why taking the choice to insure with us is a terrific idea! Insurance is a serious matter; not only are your most important assets covered, you and your loved ones are protected every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

Did you know...

That on average, a motor vehicle death occurs every 14 minutes and an injury every 13 minutes?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2008 an average of 102 deaths daily due to motor vehicle crashes.

That according to the Insurance Information Institute, property damage rose in 2008 to a record $54 million.

Our Independent Agents work hard every day to ensure you, your loved ones, your greatest assets and your valuables are all protected. See, you have a choice when choosing an insurance agency and agent. The ability to customize and develop a special coverage package for you, allows us to spend time with our clients, get to know their true needs, and ensure you receive the most protection for the least amount.

We think the following video will help to explain what we are all about...

"Choose Choice, Choose F.I.S."

New Year's Resolutions

FIS wants to know your New Year's resolutions. Besides hitting up the gym, counting calories, organizing that lifestyle of yours, or making time to spend with family and friends; we at the Florida Insurance Specialists, strive to save you money. This way, you can spend that extra cash on that filing cabinet, sweat suit with matching sweat bands, or anything that gets you saying, "Thank you FIS for saving me money!" Oprah Winfrey made a good point, "The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." So, we want to hear your resolutions by posting them on our Facebook page or on this site. Happy New Year from the FIS Team!

FIS is topping the charts...

Florida Insurance Specialists was ranked #38 on the Top 50 Personal Lines Agencies in the Country in the November issue of 'Insurance Journal'. http://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/insurance-journal-east-2011-11-21/

WEEKLY KNOCKOUTS: They took the CHALLENGE and SAVED big!

Sally saved $700 on her auto insurance by switching from Metlife.

Terry saved $1,400 on her home & auto insurance by switching from Metlife .

Visit www.ChallengeMyRate.com to find out how much you can save!

Chubb Makes Forbes' List of "America's 100 Most Trustworthy Companies"

We are pleased to share the exciting news about Chubb being named one of "100 Most Trustworthy Companies" in Forbes magazine's list of "American businesses that have the most transparent and conservative accounting practices and most prudent management" in 2009. Click on the following link to see the list. http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/05/most-trustworthy-companies-leadership-governance-100_2.html