Coastal Alabama homeowners have say on insurance

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — An overflow crowd of more than 700 people pressed the Affordable Homeowners Insurance Commission for relief at a meeting in Mobile.
 Reports state that people sat on the carpet of the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center Monday night as speakers told the panel they're unable to afford higher premiums.
The panel, charged by Gov. Robert Bentley with making insurance cheaper and more available, held the first of five public hearings.
Many retired and working people told the panel their incomes don't increase at the same rate as premiums.
Baldwin County Probate Judge Tim Russell, who chairs the group, said the session was valuable because it gave commission members from outside Mobile and Baldwin counties the chance to gauge the depth of coastal residents' frustration.