January 17, 2008

David Rossmiller sketches in some background behind the state of Florida's move to yank Allstate's license to write new auto business, not long after its governor announced that he was hiring trial lawyers to make life difficult for home insurers:

If you haven't kept up with the Florida insurance market, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has been in a long-running battle with insurers over the state's high property insurance rates. A year ago, Florida lawmakers passed the latest in the state's legislative and regulatory "fixes" to the system -- officials pushed Florida's state-backed property insurer further into the market as a competitor, and added billions to a state fund for a reinsurance pool for the private market. All this, and more, was supposed to lead to rates coming down, but whoops, they didn't. Instead most insurers have filed for big rate increases, sending Crist into episodes of table-pounding.

Earlier: here, here, here, etc.