Ask Tim; Industry News

​A law taking effect in March adds new restrictions to homeowners insurers’ ability to underwrite breeds of dogs residing in a home or apartment. The law, which builds on one that took effect a year ago, effectively requires insurers to provide liability coverage at full policy limits for most dogs regardless of breed.The New York State Assembly approved the bill last March by a vote of 115 to 32, and the Senate followed in May by a vote of 49 to 13. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law on December 15, 2022.Previously, insurers were prohibited from:Refusing to issue or renewCancelling, orSurcharging a rate or…

​Used under under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license​.​The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has announced a campaign, led by the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF) to help newly-licensed cannabis businesses in the state obtain required insurance. NYSIF will lead the effort to help these businesses obtain Workers' Compensation, New York State Disability Law (DBL) and Paid Family Leave (PFL) insurance.According to a news release on the NYSIF website:"Eligible applicants can apply under the qualifying business or qualifying non-profit track. Prospective Qualifying Business applicants must: Have a conviction for a marijuana-related offense that occurred prior to the passage of the Marijuana Regulation…

​It doesn't happen often, but occasionally a New York licensed insurance agent or broker changes their name and needs to show that on their license. Subsection (f) of Section 2102 of the New York Insurance law requires a "licensee" to notify the state Department of Financial Services "upon changing his, her or its legal name."Probably the most common reason for this is when a woman marries and assumes her husband's last name. The reverse may also occur - a marriage ends and the former wife wants to become known under her maiden name. And some folks just like to change names every few years.Whaever the…