Live Insurance News

Crop insurance fraud ring bust made, worth $100 million

March 14, 2013March 13, 2013 Julie Campbell

A North Carolina scam involved 41 people who have either pleaded guilty or reached plea agreements. Federal investigators have now discovered the truth behind a massive crop insurance bust that involved dozens of farmers, brokers, claims adjusters, and agents in eastern North Carolina, which had intended to defraud their policies for at least $100 million. Authorities have said that the investigation is ongoing, but it has already proved to be the largest scam ring in the U.S. So far, there have been 41 defendants that have either pleaded guilty to…

Crop insurance program changes are supported by some farmers

February 28, 2013April 30, 2013

Some growers in Kansas are giving the nod to a bill that would decrease newly converted land subsidies. Although it would be natural to expect that farmers would be entirely against legislation that would place a tougher limit on crop insurance subsidies, there are some that are expressing their belief that the move is indeed designed to protect their interests over the long term. The changes to the subsidies would mean a reduction for grasslands that had not previously been agriculture space. These changes have to do with the Protect…

Obama signs relief bill for hurricane Sandy but that’s just the start

January 8, 2013January 8, 2013 Nordstrom

Hurricane Sandy Aid – congress to vote on more funds The $9.7 billion flood relief bill for insurance claims was signed into law by Pres. Obama while House waits to vote on a larger Sandy relief deal worth up to $51 billion. Pressure from FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had pushed for Sandy relief, stating that without addition funding they money to help will quickly run out. The White House reports that over 100,000 claims could not be paid out without more funding from Congress. John Boehner, Speaker…

Crop insurance could cost American taxpayers record amounts

October 19, 2012April 30, 2013

Droughts and floods could require $15 billion in U.S. taxes to subsidize this year’s program. Taxpayers in the United States may be facing a record breaking $15 billion in order to be able to continue subsidizing the privately operated crop insurance program, following the devastation from massive droughts throughout the Farm Belt, and flooding in other agricultural regions. Congress is currently seeking a way to help to control the skyrocketing costs. It has been a topic of a great deal of debate and discussion as Congress tries to reduce the…

Insurance news for dairy farmers will lead to higher monthly expenses

October 3, 2012April 30, 2013

The expired 2008 Farm Bill could mean payments of up to 10 percent of their monthly milk income. Beginning this month, dairy farmers made insurance news as they could lose up to 10 percent of their monthly income from milk because Congress allowed the 2008 Farm Bill to expire. The element affecting the farmers is the Milk Income Loss Contract program. This program functioned as a safety net for farmers when the national price of milk fell, offering them payments during those times. However, it expired along with the Farm…

Crop insurance in Midwest is increasingly strained

September 19, 2012September 19, 2012 Julie Campbell

The losses from these claims are continuing to grow in the Corn Belt. After a growing season that has already led to exceptionally high crop insurance losses as a result of droughts, the temperatures in the triple digits are now sending a new wave of claims through the Corn Belt, with record losses being predicted by experts in the industry. This problem has been made worse by the changes that decreased the premiums of some growers. It has been estimated that the crop insurance losses will reach almost $15 billion…

Crop insurance losses resulting from the U.S. droughts could top $20 billion

September 11, 2012September 11, 2012 Julie Campbell

The industry continues to tally up the totals from predictions, which grow ever higher. The wide sweeping droughts that have destroyed the plants on farmers’ fields across the United States are racking up a significant bill, as AIR Worldwide has predicted that this single natural catastrophe have likely already bring about crop insurance losses worth over $13 billion. That disaster modeler forecasts that these losses may reach $20 billion by the end of the year. The data from AIR has shown that once the federal government recoveries have been accounted…