Florida's former-largest insurance company is about to get a lesson
in leadership from Florida's former governor.

Jeb Bush, who went on speaking tour shortly after leaving office,
keynotes next month's convention of National Association of
Mutual Insurance Companies in Grapevine, Tex. NAMIC's membership
includes the State Farm Mutual family, which has had nothing but
heartburn in Florida since Bush left and was replaced by Charlie Crist.

Here's the NAMIC word on Crist: "Once again, Florida's governing administration has demonstrated its inability to comprehend or appreciate the realities of the state's insurance situation..."

NAMIC's take on Jeb: "Widely respected for his transformational leadership that enacted
sweeping reforms in the state of Florida, he is well suited to address
leadership and managing change."

What can NAMIC members learn from Bush?

"As governor, he shared his personal e-mail address and invited his
constituents to send him their concerns. This belief in transparent,
customer-oriented service reflects Bush's style of leadership: 'stay
connected and pay attention to your customers,' " the trade group states.

"As leader of one of the most dynamic states in the country, Bush
advanced key reforms by inspiring people to believe that the future
could be better through change. His philosophy of 'Say what you are
going to do and do what you say' allowed him to win trust and
effectively manage a large, diverse bureaucracy. His unifying management
style was key to effective emergency preparation and response in the
face of eight hurricanes during his tenure.

"In his keynote address, 'Saying What You're Going to Do . and Doing
It,' Bush demonstrates how to unite a disparate team into one focused on
innovation and continual success. He defines leadership as 'being an
advocate for big ideas that require big change.' In eight years serving
as governor, he garnered respect for enacting reforms to such
traditional institutions as education and health care as he shaped
policy and sweeping reforms.

"Audiences will learn why leaders should:

"Encourage transparency: Say what they're going to do-and then do it;
"Surround themselves with good people, set high expectations-and
watch them be met;
"Stay connected-enfranchise the disenfranchised;
"Understand that success is never final, that reform is never
complete and that leadership requires constant vigilance."

New York is putting the brakes on an insurance practice also taking
place in Florida -- insuring homes only for coastal residents willing to
buy car and life policies too.

New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo contends it is against
New York law for insurers to base their renewal decisions on what other
policies customers buy. The practice is known in the insurance industry
as "tying" and it is prohibited in many states. Dinallo has ordered at
least two insurers -- Allstate and Liberty Mutual -- to rescind such
policy cancellations.

"The insurance companies' actions contradict what they are telling
policyholders and regulators. They say they are trying to reduce their
exposure to the risk of losses from hurricanes. But pressuring people to
buy homeowners and auto or life insurance actually increases the
insurers' risk," Dinallo said in a prepared statement. "This is obvious
when one company's plans allow it to renew a wood frame house - which is
more susceptible to hurricanes - if the owner also has an auto or life
policy, but not renew a brick house right next door because the owner
has no other insurance with the company."

Read the New York opinion here.

State Farm Florida announced a similar practice in July, when it said it
would no longer insure homes within 10 miles of the coastline, "unless a
named insurer had an automobile insurance policy" with State Farm or its
affiliates. Some 50,000 non-renewal notices are scheduled to start
flying Sept. 15.

Earlier this year, Florida regulators objected to State Farm's efforts
to give discounts to customers who kept their cars with State
Farm but insured their homes through the state.