It’s severe weather season in Texas — do you know where your homeowners insurance policy is?
It’s severe weather season in Texas — do you know where your homeowners insurance policy is?

If you tend to stuff your insurance policy away in a drawer or a file and not look at it for a year or more, it could cost you big. DALLAS — Wed., March 24 is an important date if you are eligible for a…
Rep. Marsh hosts insurance webinar, legal clinic for fire survivors
Rep. Marsh hosts insurance webinar, legal clinic for fire survivors

Those who lost homes in the Almeda and South Obenchain fires could find advice handling their insurance in a webinar this week and an online clinic next week. Oregon Rep. Pam Marsh of Ashland will host a free online workshop with an insurance focused nonprofit…
Fire Victim Trust to Begin Making First Pro Rata Payments to Fire Victims
Fire Victim Trust to Begin Making First Pro Rata Payments to Fire Victims

March 12, 2021, San Francisco – On Monday, March 15, the Fire Victim Trust (FVT) will begin distributing the first round of pro rata payments toward satisfying the claims of individuals and families who suffered losses in the 2015 Butte Fire, 2017 North Bay Fires…
Proposed insurance rules would give property owners access to wildfire risk score
Proposed insurance rules would give property owners access to wildfire risk score

Under new rules proposed by California’s insurance commissioner, home and business owners will have open access to their wildfire risk scores that companies use to determine rates and renew coverage. Commissioner Ricardo Lara said he has heard the frustration and confusion from residents over how…
Step away from the blowtorch…
Step away from the blowtorch…

The extreme cold, snow, and ice that swept across the U.S. in February 2021 is proof positive that closing the door on 2020 wasn’t a cure-all. If your home or business suffered damage due to freezing or bursting pipes or the weight of snow and ice on the…
“Hardening” Homes Against Wildfires In California Has Been An Uphill Battle
“Hardening” Homes Against Wildfires In California Has Been An Uphill Battle

Hardening your home against wildfires is a necessity if you live in a state like California. Over the past four years, dark clouds of ash and smoke from hundreds of out-of-control blazes have blanketed the Golden State. “Every year we make records in terms of…
Why You Should Consider Flood Insurance Even if You Don’t Live in a Flood Zone
Why You Should Consider Flood Insurance Even if You Don’t Live in a Flood Zone

Most homeowners who carry flood insurance have little choice in the matter; they live in a high-risk area where their mortgage lender requires coverage. But flood protection is worth a look even if your bank doesn’t demand you have it. The insurance industry sees the…
Buying homeowners insurance? Ask these 4 questions first
Buying homeowners insurance? Ask these 4 questions first

Purchasing insurance may not be as fun as choosing new furniture and paint colors, but it’s a critical part of the homebuying process. Your homeowners insurance policy is a financial safety net in case of a disaster, so you’ll want to ask a few important…
Additional Living Expenses Coverage In Homeowners Insurance
Additional Living Expenses Coverage In Homeowners Insurance

There’s a battle raging over “ALE” and it has nothing to do with beer. ALE is the acronym for additional living expenses coverage. It’s the money you’ll need to live elsewhere if forced from your home due to fire or any disaster covered by your…
California Department of Insurance Commissioner Protects More Than 2 Million Policyholders Affected by Wildfires from Policy Non-Renewal for One Year
California Department of Insurance Commissioner Protects More Than 2 Million Policyholders Affected by Wildfires from Policy Non-Renewal for One Year

November 5, 2020 – LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing or cancelling residential property insurance policies—helping 2.1 million policyholders, or 18 percent of California’s residential insurance market, affected to date by the record 2020…
State insurance commissioner blocks home insurers from dropping policies near Glass, LNU Lightning fires
State insurance commissioner blocks home insurers from dropping policies near Glass, LNU Lightning fires

The California insurance commissioner on Thursday issued an order prohibiting insurance companies from canceling property insurance policies for one year for people who live in or around the areas burned by the recent Glass and LNU Lightning Complex fires. Ricardo Lara’s action will preserve property…
California protects homeowners from having fire insurance dropped — again
California protects homeowners from having fire insurance dropped — again

As this year’s historic wildfire season winds down, Californians living in fire-prone territory got temporary relief from another threat: they can’t lose their homeowners’ insurance policies for another year. Premiums and nonrenewal rates have skyrocketed in California’s fire-prone regions since 2015 as companies are loath…
Louisiana homeowners beware: Here’s how the ‘hurricane deductible’ could limit Zeta claims
Louisiana homeowners beware: Here’s how the ‘hurricane deductible’ could limit Zeta claims

Louisiana homeowners will likely face an unwelcome obstacle as they recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Zeta: the dreaded hurricane deductible. Those deductibles, which became a nearly universal part of insurance contracts on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, put the onus on homeowners…
Home warranties seem attractive amid lockdown. Here’s why you want to be careful
Home warranties seem attractive amid lockdown. Here’s why you want to be careful

One thing we know for sure about the coronavirus, it’s been giving our homes a workout. With many people spending all day and night in lockdown, this has placed unusual strain on such things as kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures. Which may have gotten you…
Santa Rosa firm helps wildfire victims navigate battles with insurance companies
Santa Rosa firm helps wildfire victims navigate battles with insurance companies

Three years since the Tubbs fire, there have been some notable improvements for homeowners who are wrangling with their insurance carriers in the aftermath of a wildfire loss. The state Legislature enacted some reforms, such as boosting rental living expenses from a maximum of two…
Wildfire survivors facing total property loss struggle with insurance claims process
Wildfire survivors facing total property loss struggle with insurance claims process

With a destructive wildfire season still underway, Insurance Commissioner Lara is urging insurance companies to help wildfire survivors. CALIFORNIA, USA — California has had an incredibly destructive wildfire season, which have left many residences without a home or facing significant property damage. As a result,…
As Climate Impacts Worsen, Homeowners Struggle to Find Affordable Insurance
As Climate Impacts Worsen, Homeowners Struggle to Find Affordable Insurance

Insurance is getting harder for some U.S. homeowners to obtain as a result of the impacts of climate change, according to reporting from The Huffington Post and Marketplace. Many insurance companies are choosing not to renew homeowner policies in areas with increased risks of wildfires,…
California wildfires: What you need to know about insurance for your losses
California wildfires: What you need to know about insurance for your losses

As still more wildfires rage in the Bay Area, many wonder how to handle the practicalities if they must evacuate — or worse, if their home is lost or damaged. Here are answers to common questions about insurance, money and real estate. Q: I had…