Lakewood Ranch Insurance Firm has Ribbon Cutting

RTI Insurance Services — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:45:43 GMT

July 26, 2007

John A. Folino, CEO of RTI Insurance Services of Florida, Inc. performed a ribbon cutting to celebrate the newest location for the independent insurance agency located at 6371 Business Blvd. Sarasota Fl.

He was joined by representatives of the Manatee Area County Chamber of Commerce and clients, carrier representatives and staff as they celebrated this milestone for the firm.

The 22,000 plus square foot building is located in the Lakewood Ranch area which borders both Manatee and Sarasota Counties. RTI occupies the second floor and functions as the Service Center for the firms three locations.

RTI Insurance Services of Florida, INC. is beginning their 10th year in Florida insuring more than 20,000 clients with homeowners, auto, wind, flood as well as commercial business insurance and employee benefits.

Florida Insurance Legislation

RTI Insurance Services — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 07:00:35 GMT

Here is a brief summary and point by point description of what was included in the recent insurance reform legislation and what the new bill does beginning with changes for Citizens.

No one knows how, specifically, this will impact the industry until details are worked out and changes are actually implemented.

RTI Insurance of Florida, Inc is providing this article as a resource to consumers if they wish to review a summary from our industry association as opposed to the press interpretation. As changes are made, insured will be notified directly from their carrier.

Citizens Property Insurance Corporation ("Citizens")
• Deletes the requirement that Citizens charge rates sufficient to purchase reinsurance to cover specified levels of probable maximum loss for each of its three accounts.
• Deletes the requirement that Citizens' rates be non-competitive and no lower than the top 20 insurers. Requires rates to be actuarially sound and subject to the standards that generally apply to property insurers under §627.062, F.S. (prohibits property insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory).
• Rescinds the approved rate increase that took effect January 1, 2007. Requires Citizens to provide refunds to persons who have paid this rate. Freezes rates at Dec. 31, 2006, level for remainder of 2007 (though rates may be decreased). Requires new (actuarially sound) rate filing, effective January 1, 2008.
• Delays until 2008, the requirements that Citizens impose up to a 10 percent of premium assessment on all non-homestead policyholders if a deficit occurs, and if that surcharge is insufficient, that Citizens impose a 10 percent renewal surcharge on all Citizens' policyholders.
• Delays until 2008, the requirement that Citizens impose a 10 percent renewal surcharge on all Citizens' policyholders after a deficit if the first 10 percent surcharge on non-homestead policyholders is not sufficient.
• Requires the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) to annually establish Citizens' rates within 45 days after Citizens files recommended rates.
• Requires Citizens to exempt policies from the 10-day waiting period for a real estate closing.
• As of January 1, 2009, to qualify for Citizens, properties over 500 to 2,500 feet landward of the Coastal Construction Control Line must be built to "Code-Plus" building standards developed by the Florida Building Commission.
• Deletes provision making non-homestead policyholders ineligible for Citizens' coverage effective March 1, 2007, unless three surplus lines insurers and one authorized insurer reject coverage.
• Provides that if a new applicant to Citizens is offered coverage from an insurer at the insurer's approved rate, then that policyholder is not eligible for a Citizens' policy, unless the insurer's premium is more than 25 percent greater than the premium for comparable coverage provided by Citizens. However, with regard to a policyholder of Citizens, the policyholder remains eligible for coverage from Citizens regardless of any offer of coverage from a private market insurer. Requires the Florida Market Assistance Plan to develop a database for this purpose.
• Authorizes Citizens to provide commercial (business) coverage statewide and requires the OIR to order the transfer of commercial coverage to Citizens from the Property and Casualty Joint Underwriting Association.
• Authorizes Citizens to write multi-peril policies (as well as wind-only policies) in the areas eligible for coverage in the High-Risk Account, subject to approval by the Financial Services Commission and the Legislative Budget Commission.
• Expands the assessment base of Citizens (property insurance) to be the same as the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (property and casualty insurance, including auto insurance, but not workers' compensation or accident and health), but exempts medical malpractice insurance.
• Citizens' plan of operation may provide such limits of coverage as the board determines appropriate. The plan of operation may require commercial property to meet specified hurricane mitigation construction features as a condition of eligibility for coverage.
• Clarifies that takeout policies removed from Citizens are considered to be the sole obligation and direct insurance of the takeout company (Citizens does not retain liability for such policies).
• Requires Citizens to be subject to assessments levied by the Florida Insurance
Guaranty Association.
• Allows the State Board of Administration to invest and manage the assets of Citizens.
• Clarifies that the appointing officers may recall members of the Citizens Board of Directors at will.
• Creates the Task Force on Citizens Property Insurance Claims Handling and Resolution. The task force has seven members, and is to conduct research and hearings and make recommendations as to issues regarding Citizens, including improving customer service and claims handling, and make recommendations as it deems appropriate for legislative action during the 2006-2008 legislative biennium. The task force expires after the 2006-2008 legislative biennium.

Coverage Exclusions; Deductibles; Payment of Premium
• Requires insurers to make available to policyholders the option to exclude windstorm coverage, if the policyholder personally writes a statement that he/she does not want such coverage and provides documentation of approval by any mortgage or lien holder.
• Eliminates maximum allowable deductibles, but requires a written statement by the policyholder and approval by a mortgage or lien holder if the deductible is in excess of 10 percent for a home valued at less than $500,000.
• Prohibits property insurers from denying coverage based solely on the age of the structure and requires consideration of wind resistance of structure.
• Requires an insurer to provide the policyholder the option of selecting an appropriate
reduction in the policy's hurricane deductible or selecting the appropriate discount credit or other rate differential.
• Requires insurers to make available to policyholders the option to exclude coverage for contents, if the policyholder personally writes a statement that he does not want such coverage.
• Requires insurers to allow personal lines residential and commercial policyholders to pay premiums on a quarterly or semiannual installment plan.

Insurance Rating Law; Discounts; Premium Notice; Timely Payment of Claims
• Requires the chief executive officer or chief financial officer and the chief actuary of a property insurer to sign a sworn certification, subject to perjury and administrative penalties, that the information in the rate filing does not contain any untrue statements of a material fact or omit material facts and reflects premium savings that are reasonably expected to result from legislative enactments and are in accordance with accepted actuarial techniques.
• Prohibits excess profits by property insurers and requires refunds to consumers of any excess profits collected by an insurer over a ten-year period, if certain thresholds are met.
• Allows a property and casualty insurer to offer a discount on a policy based on the fact that the insured purchased another policy from the insurer.
• Requires notice of non-renewals that would otherwise be effective during storm season to be 100 days prior to effective date or June 1, whichever is earlier.
• Requires insurers to specify on the renewal premium notice:
o The amount of an assessment by the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, and the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association, and the full name of the assessing authority.
o The amount of premium change due to a change in rate or coverage.
• Deletes "rate-flex" provision that allows residential property insurers to increase or decrease rates by up to five percent on a statewide average, or 10 percent for any territory, without being subject to a determination by the OIR that the rate is excessive or unfairly discriminatory.
• Prohibits through Jan 1, 2009, the allowance for property and casualty insurers to implement a rate change prior to filing for approval with OIR ("use and file"), unless the insurer files for a rate that is less than the insurer's most recent rate approved by the OIR. All filings that do not seek a lower rate must be made under the "file and use" procedures that require filing at least 90 days prior to the proposed effective date.
• Requires property insurers to pay or deny a claim within 90 days of the receipt of the claim, unless the failure to pay the claim is caused by factors beyond the control of the insurer that reasonably prevent payment. Failure to comply with this requirement is a violation of the Insurance Code.
• Suspends the allowance for property and casualty insurers to submit a rate filing disapproved by the OIR to an arbitration panel for final resolution for all filings made after the act's effective date until January 1, 2009.

Insurer Affiliates and Subsidiaries ("PUPs")
• Raises the surplus to policyholders' requirement to $50 million for a domestic residential property insurer that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of an insurer authorized to do business in another state.

"Cherry Picking" (Auto Insurers)
• Requires insurers writing private passenger automobile insurance in Florida and that write homeowners policies in other states, to write homeowners coverage in Florida, unless an affiliate writes homeowners insurance in Florida. Effective 1/1/08.

Hurricane Mitigation
• Requires the Financial Services Commission to develop by rule a uniform mitigation verification inspection form that must be used by all insurers to factor discounts for wind insurance.
• Makes the following changes to grant program within the Florida Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program:
o Low-income homeowners are exempt from the requirement to have a dwelling with an "insured value" of $500,000 or less (i.e., the home does not have to be insured).
o Grants may be used on previously inspected existing structures or a site-built single-family dwelling that is under construction to replace a homestead damaged or destroyed by a hurricane (rebuild).
o Low-income homeowners may use grant funding for repair to existing structures leading to mitigation improvements.
• Authorizes the DFS to contract with a not-for-profit corporation to conduct all or parts of the Florida Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program.
• Requires wind inspectors to have a level two background check, which includes fingerprinting.
• Requires the DFS to develop and maintain as a public record, a statewide list of authorized wind certification and hurricane mitigation inspectors.
• Requires the Financial Services Commission to develop a uniform home grading scale to grade a home's ability to withstand the wind-load from a hurricane.
• Each licensed general lines insurance agent and consumer representative must complete one hour of continuing education every two years regarding premium discounts available on property insurance policies based on hurricane mitigation options and the means of obtaining the discounts.
• Requires insurers to provide notice of combinations of discounts, credits, rate differentials, or reductions in deductibles, for windstorm mitigation.
• Requires insurers to offer deductible reductions for mitigation measures.

Windstorm Mitigation Study Commission
• Requires appointment of a windstorm mitigation study commission to report by March 6, 2007. The committee shall analyze solutions for mitigating the effects of windstorms on structures and make recommendations for mitigating windstorm damage. The committee shall have eight members, with the Governor, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Chief Financial Officer each selecting two members. The committee expires May 15, 2007.

Florida Building Code
• Eliminates the "Panhandle exemption" by:
o Requiring local jurisdictions to immediately enforce these requirements pending adoption by the Commission, including windborne debris requirements of the International Building Code (2006) and the International Residential Code (2006).
o Requiring the Florida Building Commission to adopt the wind-borne-debris protection requirements of the International Building Code (2006) and the International Residential Code (2006) within the wind-borne-debris region as defined by those codes.
• Prohibits amendments or modifications to the foundation codes of the Florida Building Code that diminish provisions related to wind-resistance or water intrusion. However, the commission may amend such provisions to enhance those requirements.
• Requires the Florida Building Commission to eliminate all exceptions in the Florida Building Code related to wind-borne-debris protection per the requirements of Section 15 of SB 4A. Commission shall fulfill obligation before July 1, 2007. Does not apply to the High Velocity Hurricane Zone.
• Deletes the internal pressurization option for buildings in the 120 mph+ wind zone.
• Requires the Florida Building Commission to develop voluntary "Code-Plus" guidelines for increasing the hurricane resistance of buildings that may be modeled on the Miami-Dade building code.

Insurance Consumer Advocate
• Requires the Insurance Consumer Advocate to provide an annual report card on insurance companies using a letter grade scale established by the Financial Services Commission.

Self-Insurance Funds; Bonding Authority
• Hospitals risk pooling and self-insurance funds:
  o Allows alliances of two or more hospitals licensed and located in Florida for property coverage.
  o Provides requirements for hospital alliance self-insurance funds.
o Allows the alliance of hospitals in special districts, county hospitals, or municipal hospitals to borrow and bond to finance property coverage and claims.
o Provides bonding guidelines.
• Local government risk pooling and self-insurance funds:
  o Allows local governments to self-insure for property coverage.
  o Allows governmental entities to bond to finance property coverage and claims.
• Community association self-insurance funds:
o Allows one or more community associations created and operating as condominium, co-op, homeowners, timeshare and vacation, and  mobile home park lot tenant associations to apply to OIR to form a commercial self-insurance fund for property and casualty insurance.
• Not-for-profit self-insurance funds:
o Allows two or more not-for-profit corporations to create a self-insurance fund for property or casualty insurance, under certain conditions.

Insurance for Condominiums and Similar Entities
• Modifies insurance provisions in the Condominium Act:
o Limits insurance requirements in the Condominium Act to "residential" condominiums, as currently defined (generally, a condominium consisting of two or more units used as a private temporary or permanent residence).
o Specifies "adequate insurance" under the act for a group of at least three communities operating as residential condominiums, cooperatives, homeowners' associations, or timeshare entities.

Reinsurance
• Authorizes the OIR to waive or lower the deposit requirement for reinsurers licensed in other countries, based on criteria related to the financial strength of the insurer and the quality of the regulatory jurisdiction.

Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse Coverage; Sinkholes
• Requires property insurers to provide coverage for catastrophic ground cover collapse, defined as geological activity that:
    o Results in the abrupt collapse of the ground cover that is clearly visible to the naked eye;
    o Results in structural damage to the building and its foundation; and
    o The insured structure being condemned and ordered to be vacated by the appropriate governmental agency. • Contents coverage shall apply if there is a loss resulting from a catastrophic ground cover collapse. Structural damage consisting merely from the settling or cracking of a foundation, structure, or building does not constitute a loss resulting from a catastrophic ground cover collapse.
• Insurers must continue to make sinkhole coverage as currently defined in statute available for an appropriate additional premium. Insurers offering policies that exclude coverage for sinkhole losses must provide written notice to the policyholder in 14-point type.

Hurricane Claims Data
• Authorizes OIR to require property insurers to report additional data on hurricane claims.

Florida Disaster Recovery Initiative (FDRI)
• For fiscal year 2006-2007, provides an appropriation of $100,066,518 from the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program fund to the Department of Community Affairs. The funding must be used to harden single-family and multi-family affordable housing, to mitigate against hurricane damage and increasing costs of property insurance.

Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA)
• Clarifies the Legislature's intent of a 2006 law (Ch. 2006-12, L.O.F.) that FIGA has the authority to use an emergency assessment of up to two percent of premium to either directly pay the covered claims of insolvent insurers or to utilize such emergency assessment proceeds to retire the indebtedness of bonds.

Legislative Intent for Grant Program to Low-Income Persons
• States the Legislature intends to create during the 2007 Legislative Session a grant program to facilitate the purchase of property insurance by low-income persons as defined in §420.602(8), F.S., to protect their homestead property.

Insurance Capital Build-Up Incentive Program
• Allows an insurer writing only manufactured housing residential property insurance to qualify for a surplus note of up to $7 million, if the insurer's surplus, new capital, and the surplus note total at least $14 million. Such an insurer is given priority to receive a surplus note under the program.

Source: FAIA Agents Confidential #17, 1/23/07

NEW HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

RTI Insurance Services — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:49:06 GMT

RTI Insurance Services relocates to new headquarter building.
6371 Business Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34240
Click here for map

John A. Folino, President of RTI Insurance Services of Florida, Inc. has announced that the firm will be moving into the new headquarters building this fall. It is located in Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota at 6371 Business Blvd. The 2 story building faces University Drive and is over 20,000 square feet and was built to capitalize on the preserve views to the rear of the building. RTI will occupy the second floor and a real estate firm and several other tenants will be on the first floor.

The building project General Contractor is Dooley Mack Constructors, Inc. of Sarasota and the Architect is C. Alan Anderson Architect, P.A. The building is owned by LWR Equity Holdings, LLC headed by John A. Folino.

RTI Insurance Services is a multi line full service independent insurance agency and is beginning their 10th year in Florida; this headquarters will serve as the regional service center and allow for the continued expansion plans for branch offices in Florida and other states along the Atlantic Coast.