Carriers Have Stopped Accepting Some Cars. Here’s What You Need To Know

​Major news outlets publicly reported late last month that State Farm and Progressive have stopped issuing new auto insurance policies or coverage on certain older Kia and Hyundai models. A television station in Rochester contacted Big I New York about it.  The reason given for the carriers' action was high theft rates for these vehicles – Progressive told USA Today, “In some areas, the vehicles are almost 20 times more likely to be stolen than other vehicles.”Two Big I New York members in different parts of the state have told us this week that another major carrier has gone further. According to a producer bulletin, the…

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Big I NY Photo Inspection Bill Included In Governor’s Budget

Governor Hochul has released her executive budget proposal, and we are thrilled to report she has included our bill to allow insurance companies to waive photo inspections. Since the bill was vetoed in November 2022, we have been negotiating with the Governor to reach an agreement, and those efforts have paid off.The proposed budget legislation, if passed, will take effect in October of 2023, and carriers will be allowed to waive photo inspections until October 2027. Between now and April 1st, the state Senate and Assembly will release their own budget proposals, and then the Governor and Legislative Leaders will negotiate a final budget. Therefore, we need…

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DFS Formally Adopts Peer-To-Peer Car Sharing Insurance Rules

​The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS)  announced today that it has formally adopted its proposed regulations on insurance for peer-to-peer car sharing arrangments. The new and amended rules took effect today.Peer-to-peer car sharing programs match individual vehicle owners who are willing to rent their vehicles to others with willing potential renters. The arrangement is normally done via a smartphone app or website. Turo is the best-known example of a peer-to-peer car sharing service.In 2021, the state Senate and Assembly passed and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the Peer-To-Peer Car Sharing Program Act​.  Amendments were enacted ​in February 2022, and the final version of…

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