How to Figure Out How Much Homeowners Insurance You Need
How to Figure Out How Much Homeowners Insurance You Need

One thing to keep in mind about homeowners insurance is that if you’re like most people, you probably don’t have enough coverage. “Whenever we do a survey in a disaster area, we generally find that two-thirds of the people whose homes are a total loss…
Check deductibles on homeowner insurance
Check deductibles on homeowner insurance

There’s nothing wrong with a high deductible, as long as you keep enough funds in savings to pay it. Like a spare tire or a flashlight, homeowner’s insurance is one of those things that you don’t really want until you need it. Now, even when…
California stops insurance companies from dropping coverage due to wildfires — for now
California stops insurance companies from dropping coverage due to wildfires — for now

Ricardo Lara also called on companies to voluntarily stop sending non-renewal notices in other regions With an increasing number of California homeowners complaining about insurance companies dropping their fire coverage, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday issued a moratorium on non-renewals in some areas, demanding…
Insurance commissioner orders changes to FAIR Plan
Insurance commissioner orders changes to FAIR Plan

Plumas County homeowners may soon get some much needed home insurance relief. The Fair Access to Insurance Requirements FAIR) Plan, which is referred to as the home insurance plan of last resort, is quickly becoming the only resort for many California homeowners due to devastating…
Wildfires Likely to Boost California Surplus Lines Homeowners Share; FAIR Plan Expansion Questioned
Wildfires Likely to Boost California Surplus Lines Homeowners Share; FAIR Plan Expansion Questioned

Wildfires Likely to Boost California Surplus Lines Homeowners Share; FAIR Plan Expansion Questioned Premium volume from homeowners polices written by California’s surplus lines industry, although still small, has doubled over the past four years, seemingly pushed by an increase in wildfires in the state. Some…
Homeowners In Fire Zones Lose Insurance Coverage
Homeowners In Fire Zones Lose Insurance Coverage

OAKLAND KPIX 5) — As fires ravage California each year, more homeowners are at risk of losing their insurance. The fires across the region in recent weeks caused memories of the 1991 fire in the Oakland hills to come racing back to homeowner Al Fleischman.…
Fires’ cost is higher for poorer Californians
Fires’ cost is higher for poorer Californians

Victims of wildfires are at risk of losing not only their homes, but their insurance plans as well. Wildfires have ravaged California over the past few weeks. Fire erupted in Jurupa Valley Thursday and already spread across 300 acres. The Kincade Fire in Northern California…
Sonoma County evacuees during Kincade fire eligible for insurance coverage for hotel, meal costs
Sonoma County evacuees during Kincade fire eligible for insurance coverage for hotel, meal costs

Sonoma County residents forced to evacuate because of the Kincade fire could be reimbursed for their expenses while away from home by their homeowner insurance company. The caveat is that those policyholders would have to be displaced under a mandatory evacuation order issued by Sonoma…
Tips for shopping for home insurance in a challenging market
Tips for shopping for home insurance in a challenging market

It is not uncommon for people to break down in tears after getting a notice that their home insurer is dropping them as a customer.  In some cases, it’s tears of frustration that they paid all that money for insurance they never used, or tears…
Gov. Newsom signs law requiring home insurers give policyholders more time before cancellations
Gov. Newsom signs law requiring home insurers give policyholders more time before cancellations

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed legislation into law that makes insurers give homeowners longer advance notice before canceling their policies. The law increases the minimum time notification for homeowner policy nonrenewals from 45 days to 75 days. However, the change does not go into…
Fire recovery in Sonoma County shows mixed results on 2nd anniversary, experts say
Fire recovery in Sonoma County shows mixed results on 2nd anniversary, experts say

Two years after the October firestorm that swept the North Bay, recovery efforts are both good and not so great. Houses are being rebuilt, the destroyed northwest Santa Rosa neighborhood of Coffey Park is coming back strong, insurance struggles and construction costs remain, and mental…
Spooky Language Hiding in Your Insurance?
Spooky Language Hiding in Your Insurance?

Getting a notice from a home insurer that they’re dropping you is scary, and UP works hard to help people in that situation. Read our latest tips on shopping for affordable home insurance when your options are limited. Just as scary is hearing your insurer…
Insurance companies to stop paying monthly assistance to victims of Santa Rosa firestorm
Insurance companies to stop paying monthly assistance to victims of Santa Rosa firestorm

SANTA ROSA, Calif. KTVU) – With less than two weeks until the second anniversary of the firestorm that devastated Santa Rosa, insured victims are getting some nasty surprises from the insurance companies that promised to protect them. More than 5,000 homes were destroyed by wildfire.…
As Fire Season Heats Up, Insurance Companies Drop Long-Time Clients
As Fire Season Heats Up, Insurance Companies Drop Long-Time Clients

Sep. 15–Frances Mann-Craik loves living amid the trees along Highway 35. But her quiet life in the mountains above Silicon Valley is about to get a lot more expensive. Along with more than a dozen of her neighbors, Mann-Craik recently received a letter from Walnut…
North Bay Fire Victims Face Dire Deadline Ahead of Anniversary
North Bay Fire Victims Face Dire Deadline Ahead of Anniversary

Weeks ahead of the North Bay wildfires’ two-year anniversary, families are bracing for a financial shock. Several homeowners told NBC Bay Area their property insurance providers will stop paying for temporary living expenses, even if their new homes aren’t ready for move-in. The Sonoma and…
Nearly 350,000 California Homeowners in Fire Prone Areas Dropped by Insurers
Nearly 350,000 California Homeowners in Fire Prone Areas Dropped by Insurers

Click Here to Listen to Amy Bach on KQED Forum 8/26/19 Between 2015 and 2018, insurance companies dropped nearly 350,000 California homeowners in high-risk fire areas. This insurance coverage data, recently released by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s office, does not reflect how many people…
California homeowners are facing an “insurance crisis”
California homeowners are facing an “insurance crisis”

Wildfires are a growing concern for residents living in fire-prone areas and now keeping insurance to protect their belongings is becoming a crisis. The California Department of Insurance found a six-percent increase in the number of customers dropped by their insurance companies. In zip codes…
Residents still trying to understand Camp Fire contamination at standing homes
Residents still trying to understand Camp Fire contamination at standing homes

PARADISE — A stale chemical smell hangs in Lisa Kasza’s garage in lower Paradise. Piles of toys, books and other possessions covered in a thin layer of dust wait to be thrown out. Nine months ago, the Camp Fire burned all the trees, bushes and…