California mandates bigger rebuild cushions as voters demand the right to sue insurers
California mandates bigger rebuild cushions as voters demand the right to sue insurers

Many families who lost their homes in the Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025 made a second discovery in the weeks that followed. The dwelling limit on their policy, in some cases paid for over decades, would not cover the cost of rebuilding. California’s…
The Stark Consequences of Home, Renters and Car Underinsurance
The Stark Consequences of Home, Renters and Car Underinsurance

When a fire, an automobile accident or property damage upends your life, the emotional and practical toll can last weeks, months or even years. This is before the financial consequences are considered. Being underinsured does not just mean you receive a smaller check. You carry…
Spokane Strong event provides many resources, including help with insurance
Spokane Strong event provides many resources, including help with insurance

As Spokane continues recovering from the Spokane Area Complex Fires, many people are facing questions about insurance and what help they can claim. At the Spokane Strong Wildfire Recovery Event, groups including United Policyholders helped people sort through their options and understand what their policies…
California home insurance is about to see a major overhaul
California home insurance is about to see a major overhaul

A defining question on home insurance emerged in the aftermath of the Los Angeles County wildfires — one California is now poised to answer. Read more.
California Enacts Standards for Wildfire Smoke Damage Insurance Claims
California Enacts Standards for Wildfire Smoke Damage Insurance Claims

California has enacted new requirements for investigating, testing, and restoring homes affected by wildfire smoke. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act, authored by Assemblymember Mike Gipson and sponsored by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. According to the California Department of Insurance,…
Landmark legislation addresses smoke damage
Landmark legislation addresses smoke damage

For years, California families have returned home after a wildfire only to discover that the danger did not end when the flames were extinguished. Smoke contamination can linger long after a fire is out, leaving homeowners fighting to prove their homes are unsafe and that…
California protects families from hidden smoke damage after wildfires
California protects families from hidden smoke damage after wildfires

Governor signs landmark legislation establishing enforceable standards for investigating, testing, and restoring smoke-damaged homes SACRAMENTO, Calif. — For years, California families have returned home after a wildfire only to discover that the danger did not end when the flames were extinguished. Smoke contamination can linger long…
Newsom Signs New Law to Clear Confusion Around Smoke Damage
Newsom Signs New Law to Clear Confusion Around Smoke Damage

One of the paradoxes facing people whose homes survive a wildfire is that they are often still victims of it. Sometimes, they have the least help for restoring their home to how it was. How insurance ought to address the damage caused by heat and…
California enacts new laws to aid wildfire victims with smoke damage and mortgage relief
California enacts new laws to aid wildfire victims with smoke damage and mortgage relief

California is enacting new rules to help wildfire victims recover from the devastating effects. A new package of legislation, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in Altadena alongside wildfire survivors, directly responds to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in early 2025. One of the new…
Property insurance faces a new test as disaster losses accelerate
Property insurance faces a new test as disaster losses accelerate

Extreme weather is creating a more demanding environment for property owners, insurers, and communities. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the United States recorded 27 confirmed billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2024, resulting in a total cost of $182.7 billion. These…
Major changes to California home insurance could be coming under bills headed to Newsom’s desk
Major changes to California home insurance could be coming under bills headed to Newsom’s desk

California lawmakers have sent several home-insurance bills to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would strengthen protections for policyholders by addressing underinsurance, increasing penalties for insurer violations and delayed claims, improving claims transparency, and giving homeowners more notice before coverage is dropped. Read more.
First Steps After a Fire – Insurance Claim Help for Sea Spray Fire Impacted Residents
First Steps After a Fire – Insurance Claim Help for Sea Spray Fire Impacted Residents

United Policyholders is a nonprofit organization that is a voice and an information resource for insurance consumers in all 50 states. UP has helped guide disaster survivors on the road to recovery since 1991. This information is for residents and condo owners affected by the…
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.

As wildfires blaze across Big Sur and much of the West, it might be surprising to hear news that the insurance market in California is showing early signs of stabilization. Katie Rodriguez here, sharing with you all a list of takeaways from a statewide insurance…
Exiting California’s FAIR Plan
Exiting California’s FAIR Plan

More than a year and a half after the devastating wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades and four years mired in the state’s insurer of last resort, our reporter’s systematic fire-hardening measures have finally provided an escape hatch. In earlier articles, “An Insurance Journalist’s Perspective…
Congressmen Carter, Ezell, Carbajal Introduce STORM FORTIFIED and Wildfire Prepared Act
Congressmen Carter, Ezell, Carbajal Introduce STORM FORTIFIED and Wildfire Prepared Act

Today, Congressmen Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), Mike Ezell (R-MS), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA) introduced the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation FORTIFIED and Wildfire Prepared Act, or STORM FORTIFIED and Wildfire Prepared Act. This legislation would establish funding to help states finance homeowner mitigation projects…
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely

With the Bug and Stallion fires north of Reno already claiming homes, there’s a piece of advice being shared on social media by homeowners in nearby evacuation zones: If there’s time before you have to leave, document your home and belongings, however you’re able. That…
Tips for Consumers to Get Fair Insurance Treatment After the Washington State Wildfires
Tips for Consumers to Get Fair Insurance Treatment After the Washington State Wildfires

As survivors of the recent wildfires in the Spokane, Washington area begin the challenging process of finding temporary housing and rebuilding their lives, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and United Policyholders (UP) shared tips and resources to help residents get their homeowners insurance claims…
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely

With the Bug and Stallion fires north of Reno already claiming homes, there’s a piece of advice being shared on social media by homeowners in nearby evacuation zones: If there’s time before you have to leave, document your home and belongings, however you’re able. That…