| More in S. Fla. may jump into state pool
Citizens Property Insurance, cursed and dreaded since its inception, is becoming a lower-cost coverage option for some homeowners. The massive insurance reform bill that was passed last month allows homeowners covered by a private carrier to opt into Citizens if they're paying rates 25 percent higher than what the state-run insurer charges. And, under a ruling last fall that's now in the law, Citizens customers don't have to leave if they receive a notice transferring coverage to a private insurer that wants to hit them with a 25 percent or higher increase. Steven Tate of Palmetto Bay, a Florida Peninsula policyholder, got a notice that his premium would jump from $3,200 to $9,000. Mitigation credits could save Tate about $2,000, but he already has two agents shopping Citizens for him.
Most drugs don't bug the bugs
The flu bug has left most of us alone so far this winter, although stomach viruses have kept spider webs from forming on the drugstore shelves. Even colds and other respiratory bugs have been relatively rare. It's still early, though. .
Investigation cloud on Sky's horizon over stake in ITV as broadcaster signs up large number of subscribers
SOME of the UK's biggest companies will come to the market this week at the start of the busiest few weeks of the year for corporate results. Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell will set another profits record when it posts full-year results on Thursday. Soaring oil prices mean broker UBS expects a net income figure in the region of £12.22bn, which far exceeds Shell's previous best of £11.67bn set last year. But the performance in the fourth quarter, when profits are likely to be marginally lower, will carry the most interest for investors. Oil prices have eased by 30% since hitting $77 in August, meaning Shell's production record will be brought into focus. It is likely that output fell marginally in the year, following attacks on its production facilities in Nigeria.
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