Home insurer’s agents kick up fuss

Agents at Citizens Property Insurance, Florida’s largest insurer of homes, condos and apartments in the state, say the company is selling them short on commissions. Citizens, which has about 9,000 agents writing policies, is among the few companies willing to write homeowners policies, because many private carriers balk at offering policies in weather-wracked Florida. Agents say they get almost 50 percent less than private insurance agents because of a paltry commission schedule. Citizens pays agents about 5.5 percent and no commissions are paid on assessments tacked on to existing policies, while private carriers’ average about 10 percent.