Napa earthquake insured losses estimated at $2.1B, with wineries taking the biggest hit
Napa earthquake insured losses estimated at $2.1B, with wineries taking the biggest hit

BY MICHAEL B. MAROIS, BLOOMBERG, ZACHARY TRACER, BLOOMBERG, DAN HART, BLOOMBERGThe earthquake that struck northern California yesterday will lead to economic losses of as much as $4 billion, fueled by damaged wineries and shuttered businesses that rely on tourists.Insurers will probably cover about $2.1 billion,…
Department of Insurance responds to assist residents following Napa quake
Department of Insurance responds to assist residents following Napa quake

News: 2014 Press ReleaseFor Release: August 25, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Department of Insurance responds to assist residents following Napa quakeDepartment’s consumer services and enforcement teams on site to assist NAPA, Calif. – The 6.0 earthquake that struck the Napa valley in the pre-dawn hours Sunday,…
Availability and Affordability of Insurance Under Climate Change: A Growing Challenge for the U.S.
Availability and Affordability of Insurance Under Climate Change: A Growing Challenge for the U.S.

(From the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, University of California at Berkeley) In 2005, we prepared a special report focusing on this topic.Mills, E., R.J. Roth Jr., and E. Lecomte. 2006. “Availability and Affordability of Insurance Under Climate Change: A Growing Challenge for the U.S.” Journal of…
Agent scams seniors out of more than $2 million
Agent scams seniors out of more than $2 million

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (#073)NEWS RELEASEAgent scams seniors out of more than $2 millionDepartment of Insurance asks additional victims to come forward PALM DESERT, Calif. – John Paul Slawinski, 59, was arrested at his home in Palm Desert on July 29, and is being arraigned on…
Seniors win more protection with new annuity disclosure requirements
Seniors win more protection with new annuity disclosure requirements

For Release: July 23, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Seniors win more protection with new annuity disclosure requirementsBill sponsored by the Department of Insurance is signed into lawSACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today thanked Governor Brown for signing into law AB 2347 (Gonzalez) which…
Coastal flooding has surged in U.S., Reuters finds
Coastal flooding has surged in U.S., Reuters finds

Coastal flooding along the densely populated Eastern Seaboard of the United States has surged in recent years, a Reuters analysis has found. During the past four decades, the number of days a year that tidal waters reached or exceeded National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flood…
Colo. wildfire victims sue insurance companies
Colo. wildfire victims sue insurance companies

A group of nearly 20 Colorado fire survivors are suing more than 100 national insurance companies, corporations and nonprofits, alleging they conspired to defraud those who lost property to the High Park Fire and other wildfires.Thirteen Larimer County residents are named as plaintiffs in Snyder…
Nearly 1,000 NJ Sandy victims have sued flood insurance providers
Nearly 1,000 NJ Sandy victims have sued flood insurance providers

Nearly 1,000 Hurricane Sandy victims in New Jersey have filed lawsuits against their flood insurance providers since late 2013, and that number is expected to double in the next year, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.The U.S. District Court Clerk’s Office said there have been…
2014 Car Insurance by Credit Score Report
2014 Car Insurance by Credit Score Report

Everyone knows that auto insurance is mandatory (except in New Hampshire). Furthermore, we know that our credit scores dictate the types of loans and credit cards for which we can garner approval. But when it comes to the connection between credit scores and car insurance,…
Bobby Jindal signs bill to kill lawsuit against oil, gas companies
Bobby Jindal signs bill to kill lawsuit against oil, gas companies

Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed legislation aimed at killing a lawsuit filed by a New Orleans area regional levee board against 97 oil and gas companies, despite concerns that the new law could negatively affect state and government claims against BP over the 2010 Gulf…
Doubt Lingers for New Yorkers Devastated by Hurricane Sandy
Doubt Lingers for New Yorkers Devastated by Hurricane Sandy

NEW YORK – Edith Harris was cornered in her living room, inside her brick house, deep in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Volunteers in green t-shirts swarmed around her. They banged away at new appliances in the bathrooms, studied the interior supports that held up her fragile basement…
Wildfire Season Starts Early Amid Drought; Costs to Top $1 Billion
Wildfire Season Starts Early Amid Drought; Costs to Top $1 Billion

May 13, 2014By: Jennifer Oldham, Bloomberg NewsU.S. states plagued by historic drought are bracing for an early wildfire season with a cost that may rise as high as $1.8 billion, or almost $500,000 more than what’s available to control the blazes.Oklahomans fought seven fires in…
GAO Issues Dire Report on National Flood Insurance Program
GAO Issues Dire Report on National Flood Insurance Program

May 14, 2014By: Arthur PostalWASHINGTON—The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a long, dark tunnel with no light in sight, a new Government Accountability Office report indicates, meaning that it is likely to be a political headache for the property casualty insurance industry for some…
CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake
CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake

For Release: April 29, 2014 CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake But recent earthquakes show that Californians are uncertain about their insurance coverage Media Inquiries to CEA: D’Anne Ousley 916-769-5766 / ousleyd@CalQuake.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Earthquake Authority…
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California

Some people don’t need Earth Day to be reminded they live on a planet powered by the forces of nature.The recent string earthquakes on the Pacific belt may have hit home with California homeowners, who were already a bit shaken up by the 5.1 magnitude…
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act

On March 21, 2014, President Obama signed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 into law.This law repeals and modifies certain provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which was enacted in 2012. FEMA looks forward to working with Congress, the private Write…
The Strip Mining of Legal Rights
The Strip Mining of Legal Rights

By: Ralph Nader and Theresa AmatoThe fine print in standard form contracts is undermining tort law, and it is not limited to mandatory arbitration. Corporations use it to insulate themselves and take away consumers’ tort law rights in other ways, including unfair choice of law…
Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for Long-Term-Care Insurance: How to Pick the Best the Policy for Your Needs and What to Avoid
Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for Long-Term-Care Insurance: How to Pick the Best the Policy for Your Needs and What to Avoid

It’s a decision many baby boomers are grappling with: Should I buy long-term-care insurance? The decision has never been more difficult. According to researchers at Georgetown University and Pennsylvania State University, about 70% of individuals 65 and older will need long-term care—whether at home or…