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America’s insurance commissioners still pursuing bad investment charges that EU is scrapping
Last month, a significant development took place in Europe that so far has not been widely reported in the US, even though it will likely…
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Why are America’s insurance commissioners trying to import harmful European rules?
With high prices and the threat of recession looming over America’s economy, another threat is emerging. Influential policymakers overseeing the U.S. insurance industry are on…
Blog
Free the Economy Episode 8: Crypto and ESG with Jennifer Schulp
Welcome back to the Free the Economy podcast. In this week’s episode we talk about the cultural impact of Super Bowl ads,…
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Salon.com’s Fact Checking
News Release
CEI Unveils Agenda for Congress
Washington, D.C., January 26, 2009—With the incoming Obama administration and the opening of the new Congress, the House and Senate are…
Citation
North Carolina’s Insurance chief Jim Long Retirement
Letters
Response to AFSNCP Letter Supporting Mitigation in Stimulus Package
Full Document Avalible in PDF December 18, 2008 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House H-232 Capitol…
Blog
How Do Regulations Stack Up as a Small Firm Grows?
Tomorrow, electric utilities and green groups team up at the National Press Club to ask for billions of new spending on what they term energy…
Op-Eds
Time to shore up the Beach Plan
Insurance Commissioner-elect Wayne Goodwin has called North Carolina’s Beach Plan a “ticking time bomb.” He’s right. The plan, intended to provide “last…
Blog
Jay Leno Riffs on the Bailout
A new viral email, claiming to be jokes written by Mr. Leno, adds a bit of humor to the financial crisis. As business and government…
Study
Compounding Catastrophe
Why Federal Involvement in State Catastrophe Insurance Is a Bad Idea…
Blog
Doug, I think you’re partly wrong
Doug, The situation you describe in the UK here is outrageous however one looks at it. Indeed, it provides a strong case why the…
Citation
JLF’s new report urging changes to stabilize, reform coastal insurance coverage
Op-Eds
What is Insurance?
Full Document Available in PDF Insurance is a type of financial product that serves to pool, manage and mitigate against unexpected…
Blog
Too Bad Daschle Isn’t at SEC — Backed Sarbanes-Oxley Relief
President-Elect Barack Obama just nominated former Senate Democratic Leader Tom to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services. Much is being written about Daschle…
Blog
Daschle: Good, Wrong, and Terrible
President-elect Obama has named Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services. By some measures the largest department in the government,…
News Release
CEI Expands Insurance Project in Florida
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Op-Eds
Another Housing Crisis Brewing
Irresponsible federal and state homeowners' insurance schemes could easily cost the nation several hundred billion dollars when and if a major hurricane hits.
Study
Catastrophe Funds and Reinsurance
Eli Lehrer answers and explores the most frequently asked questions about catastrophe funds and reinsurance.
Citation
AIG Uses My Money to Tell Me How Taking More of My Money Is Good for Me
Blog
Imagine: Free Health Care Is Expensive!
Who would have thought it? Provide free health care and people drop their private coverage. It seems that politicians are uniformly slow learners. But after…
Newsletter
More Stimulus, AIG’s Financial Trouble and Tax Promises
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke calls for a 2nd economic stimulus package. Troubled insurance giant American International Group Inc. halts its lobbying efforts and cancels…
Newsletter
Banning Bottled Water, Disaster Insurance and the Mortgage Meltdown
The U.S. Conference of Mayors votes to endorse banning the sale of bottled water across the country. Florida’s Hurricane Catastrophe Fund could face a shortfall…
Op-Eds
Property insurance gamble: Florida Risks its Fiscal Future on a Quiet Hurricane Season
One simple fact ought to dominate every discussion of Florida’s homeowners’ insurance system: Were a single storm to hit the wrong area, it would literally…
Op-Eds
Florida, Nation Need Federal Insurance Regulator
Much of the turmoil in America’s financial markets involves exotic investments that most Americans never have heard of and never will get near. However, with…
Study
How EESA Might Impact Property and Casualty Insurance
Full Document Available in PDF This paper explores the ways…
Citation
Pressure builds on AIG as borrowing spree grows
Newsletter
Internet Radio, Mark-to-Market Accounting and Private Mortgage Insurance
The Senate approves a bill to regulate royalties for web-based radio services. The Security and Exchanges Commission relaxes accounting rules that may have worsened current…
Citation
SC Insurance Reforms
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the collapse of AIG and the future of insurance regulation
Study
Facts About the AIG Collapse: A Response to the NAIC
Full Document Available in PDF Following the collapse…
Op-Eds
Gale Force Foolishness: Congress pushes for a federal windstorm insurance program.
AS CONGRESS WINDS down its current session, there’s little doubt that plenty of bad ideas will pop out of the woodwork as members…
Op-Eds
Be wary of insurance rate cut
Although it may seem like an early New Year’s present, North Carolina drivers have every reason to be wary of the 16.1 percent…
Newsletter
Hurricane Recovery, Union Politics and Disaster Insurance
Residents of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast are being advised to avoid taps and drink only bottled water. Unions increase their spending on campaign advertisements and…
Citation
CEI Insurance Project and SC Department of Insurance hold joint conference
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CEI’s disaster insurance conference
Newsletter
Lehman Brothers, Flood Insurance and Energy Independence
Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Members of Congress consider reforming the National Flood Insurance Program. Democrats and Republicans debate U.S. offshore oil…
Op-Eds
Government Meddling
Bryan K. Mignone isn’t telling the whole story when he claims that economically harmful climate-change-mitigation policies are necessary as an insurance against…
News Release
CEI & South Carolina Department of Insurance Host Major Conference
Washington, D.C., September 16, 2008—The Competitive Enterprise Institute, a think tank often skeptical of government action, is joining with the South Carolina Department of Insurance to host a…
Comment
Comments to The Property and Casualty Insurance© Committee
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Study
Exploring Wind Insurance as a Pilot Program
A pilot federal program could cost taxpayers more than a larger program while destabilizing the National Flood Insurance Program…
Newsletter
Banning Grocery Bags, Hurricane Gustav and Pelosi on Oil Drilling
Lawmakers in Hawaii join others in San Francisco and Los Angeles in voting to ban plastic grocery bags. Hurricane Gustav blasts past Jamaica on its…
Op-Eds
Soggy, slow-moving Fay offers lessons
Paying for insurance The Aug. 22 editorial, “Soggy, slow-moving Fay offers lessons,” contains a lot of common sense, but your call…
Op-Eds
Congress Should Develop Smart, Cost-Effective Natural Catastrophe Policy
Although it’s cold comfort to Florida residents dealing with the massive flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Fay, the slow moving…
Citation
Credit Card Bill Unlikely to Dent Bankers’ Prospects
Op-Eds
Congress Should Develop Smart, Cost-Effective Natural Catastrophe Policy
Although it’s cold comfort to Florida residents dealing with the massive flooding that has resulted from Tropical Storm Fay, the slow moving…
Newsletter
Hurricane Damage, Wind Power and Comcast in the Crosshairs
Florida residents watch the shifting course of Tropical Storm Fay. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveils a plan to build a series of windmills…
News Release
CEI Praises National Wildlife Federation Report
A Senior Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free market group critical of many of the environmental movements’ views on global warming, today endorsed…
Citation
auto insurance reform
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NC Auto insurance industry
Op-Eds
Billionaires won’t keep Florida from fiscal disaster
On July 29, Florida’s State Board of Administration voted to spend $224 million in return for a billionaire’s pledge. Warren Buffett, the…
Op-Eds
Flood Control Subsidies Soak the Treasury
Since the first comprehensive flood control legislation went into effect the early 20th century, America’s federal government has fought a never-ending battle to control floods.
Op-Eds
Barney’s Big Idea
A few powerful members of Congress have got it in their heads that it would be a good idea to shake up…
Citation
N.C. Auto Insurance System Needs Reform
Citation
New report calls for changes to rate-making process for N.C. auto insurance
Study
North Carolina’s Unfair Auto Insurance System
North Carolina’s government-controlled auto insurance subsidizes risky and dangerous drivers by overcharging good driver…
Newsletter
Fairness Doctrine, Wind Power and Flood Insurance
Lawmakers debate the return of the “Fairness Doctrine” for news broadcasts. Famed Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens launches a multimedia campaign to replace oil use…
Citation
Report calls for privatizing many aspects of flood insurance, but not in New Orleans
Study
Reforming the National Flood Insurance Program after 35 Years of Failure
It is time to rethink a federal program that has caused much harm.
Comment
Comments before the National Conference of Insurance Legislators on the Geller/Keiser Resolution
Comments before the National Conference of Insurance Legislators Geller/Keiser Resolution As Prepared for Delivery July10, 2008 New York, New York Eli Lehrer Senior Fellow,…
Op-Eds
It’s time to tune up N.C.’s system
North Carolina's insurance system is headed down the wrong path, Eli Lehrer explains why and how to reform it.
Op-Eds
Swimming in Subsidies: The National Flood Insurance Program must dry up.
Already, the news of the massive flooding in the Midwest has disappeared from most newspaper front pages. And, indeed, the worst…
Op-Eds
Bailing out homeowners
Your June 16 editorial “Tornado warning” is absolutely correct to point out that “every part of the country has its risks.” But these…
Study
Optional Federal Charter for Insurers
An optional federal charter for insurers would help consumers by creating competition between regulators.
Newsletter
Gas Prices, the Federal Reserve and Insurance Regulation
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) claims that the global warming legislation she recently endorsed would not result in an increase in gas prices. Federal Reserve Bank…
News Release
CEI Commends Insurance Reform Hearings
The House of Representatives today convenes its first hearings on proposals to create a first-ever federal insurance overseer, an Office of Insurance Information. That’s…
Study
Toward a National Market for Insurance
A small step to liberalizing property and casualty insurance…
Op-Eds
Catastrophe coalition looking out for public, not reinsurers
Your recent editorial, “Who’s really opposing national disaster plan?” (May 13), mischaracterizes the interests and motivations behind the organizations that comprise Americans for Smart…
Op-Eds
A Financial Disaster Waiting to Happen
Florida's state government easily could end up bankrupt this year unless the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist change the state's homeowners' insurance laws.
Op-Eds
A financial disaster waiting to happen
Florida’s state government easily could end up bankrupt this year unless the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist change the state’s homeowners’ insurance…
Newsletter
National ID Cards, Green Hypocrisy and Insurance Subsidies
The Cato Institute hosts a policy forum on proposals to create a de facto national ID card. The Daily Mail profiles the hypocrisy of jet-setting…
Newsletter
Net Neutrality, Poultry Wars and Disaster Insurance
The House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee holds a hearing on proposed rules for “net neutrality.” The European Union refuses to lift a ban on the…
News Release
Coalition of Free Market Groups Speaks out against Subsidized Wind Insurance
A coalition of free market groups, including the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is urging members of the Senate to oppose an expansion of federal insurance subsidies.
Op-Eds
Ensuring Disaster
Congress may put taxpayers on the hook for what could easily top $100 billion in liabilities before Memorial Day…
Op-Eds
Legislature can set tone to save Florida
Florida’s state government easily could end up bankrupt unless the Legislature abruptly changes course. Minor insurance law changes approved Wednesday don’t change much at…
Op-Eds
Don’t be fooled – horses are risky
Regarding the April 18 story, “Bridgeton woman’s horses make insurance company skittish”: Cordelia Ashton believes that it’s unfair for her insurance company…
Op-Eds
How a minor storm could bankrupt Florida
Here’s one scary Halloween scenario that could easily come true: By trick-or-treat time, just past the hurricane season’s peak, Florida’s state government…
Blog
GINA Law Passes, Will Afflict Insurers and Employers
On April 24, the Senate voted 95-to-0 to pass the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (GINA), which bans insurers and employers from taking genetic information into…
Blog
Killing Consumer-Directed Health Care?
One of the most important recent innovations in health care has been the expansion of consumer-directed care, especially through Health Savings Accounts. HSAs offer patients…
Citation
Regulation of Insurance Rates
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Insurance Price Controls
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CEI’s Property and Casualty Insurance Report Card
News Release
CEI Welcomes New State Insurance Rankings
Following the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s lead, the Consumer Federation of America today released its own ranking of state insurance environments. Washington, D.C., April 24, 2008—Following…
Comment
Comments to National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Emptying the insurance policy shelves: Why price controls are a bad idea even in insurance markets.
Newsletter
Financial Regulations, Greenhouse Gases and Microsoft’s Bid for Yahoo
The Treasury Department’s “blueprint” for overhauling financial regulation faces strong opposition. State governments across the country pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. News Corp. considers…
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Optional Federal Chartering of Insurance Companies
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National Flood Insurance Program
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the Chamber of Commerce’s Support of Optional Federal Chartering
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South Carolina Homeowners Insurance Reform
Newsletter
Bandwidth Flood, Ethanol Victims and Insurance Mandates
Politicians debate the possibility of requiring Americans to purchase health insurance. Ethanol mandates continue to raise prices on agricultural producers around the country. Internet experts…
Study
Property and Casualty Insurance Report Card
Full Document Available in PDF According to Barron’s, the U.S. dominates the…
Study
The Case for Interstate Insurance Choice
Why Creating National Markets for Property and Casualty Insurance and Health Insurance Will Help Insurers and Consumers…
Study
First Steps toward Restoring Florida’s Insurance Market
Full Document Available in PDF As Florida’s Legislature proceeds with its…
Study
Restoring Florida’s Insurance Market
By the end of the 1990s, Florida’s property insurance market had largely recovered from the effects of 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, one of the costliest storms…
Op-Eds
A Disaster in the Making
Late last year, two recently elected southern Republican governors, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Florida's Charlie Crist, vowed to work together for a "national catastrophe fund"…
Op-Eds
Lawmakers, undo some of 2007 reforms
A year has passed since Gov. Charlie Crist and a nearly unanimous Legislature hailed the arrival of a new era for Florida’s property insurance…
Study
Pros and Cons of Optional Federal Chartering for Insurers
Full Document Available in PDF The National Insurance…
Op-Eds
Vaccine Vindication
The vaccine preservative Thimerosal is not linked with autism, a new study reports. The data also suggest that the dilettante "scientist" Robert F. Kennedy,…
Products
CEI Planet: November – December 2007
Full Document Available in PDF The Tiger at a…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS President Bush threatens to veto the 2007 Farm Bill. CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct…
Study
Web Memo: How an OFC Would Impact the States
Introduction…
News Release
Wildfire Crises Exacerbated by Government Forest, Insurance Policies
Washington, D.C., Oct. 26, 2007—In the aftermath of devastating fires ravaging parts of Southern California and causing an estimated $500 million in damage, it’s…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BUSINESS Residents of southern California survey the damage from recent wildfires. CEI Expert Available to Comment:…