Working to keep the HOME in home insurance
Working to keep the HOME in home insurance

Consumers buy home insurance where legally required AND for the peace of mind of knowing that if adversity strikes, the policy will generate money to deal with whatever that adversity is.  They don’t sit around thinking up doomsday scenarios of every possible event that could damage or…
Next battle in California with insurers is over home policyholder discounts for cutting fire risks
Next battle in California with insurers is over home policyholder discounts for cutting fire risks

Will Abrams and his family barely escaped from their house in the Riebli-Wallace neighborhood of Santa Rosa as the flames from the 2017 Tubbs fire bore down on their residence. “I had my two) kids under my arms running to our cars and we barely…
California Insurance Commissioner Says Renew California Bill Would Create an Insurance Guarantee to Harden Homes Against Wildfire
California Insurance Commissioner Says Renew California Bill Would Create an Insurance Guarantee to Harden Homes Against Wildfire

Requiring insurance companies to write and renew homeowner insurance policies for hardened homes and communities that meet statewide standard. February 19, 2020 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Yesterday, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez D-San Diego), Assemblywoman Monique Limón D-Santa Barbara), Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and United Policyholders introduced…
Legislation Designed To Forge Community, Insurance Partnership
Legislation Designed To Forge Community, Insurance Partnership

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez D-San Diego), Assemblywoman Monique Limón D-Santa Barbara), Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and United Policyholders on Tuesday introduced legislation to give insurance companies a greater role in protecting communities from devastating wildfires. Renew California AB 2367) would require insurance companies to write or…
What’s a wildfire score? Do you know yours?
What’s a wildfire score? Do you know yours?

SAN FRANCISCO KGO) — Recent firestorms have increased the profile of wildfire modeling companies, firms that rate homes by their likelihood to burn. Most California homes have a wildfire score, but about the only homeowners who know they have one are those who have been…
Renew California’ bill seeks to ease wildfire-fueled homeowners insurance crisis
Renew California’ bill seeks to ease wildfire-fueled homeowners insurance crisis

Insurance companies have been dropping coverage for homeowners living in fire-prone areas, leaving them unprotected at best and unable to keep their homes at worst. SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A wildfire-related crisis facing counties all over the state could have one solution in sight. As the…
Most California insurers don’t incentivize fire prevention. A bill would change that
Most California insurers don’t incentivize fire prevention. A bill would change that

A group of state lawmakers, regulators and consumer advocates hope the insurance industry can encourage homeowners and communities to harden their homes and neighborhoods against wildfires. That’s the intent behind a newly introduced bill that would set statewide standards for fire-hardened homes and communities. It…
The cost of fire insurance across California is rising at a frightening pace if you can get it at all
The cost of fire insurance across California is rising at a frightening pace if you can get it at all

Homeowners are finding their insurance premiums outpacing their incomes, if they can find insurance at all. Who is responsible for the crisis? AUBURN, Calif. — A crisis has been building in the foothills of the Sierra and other fire-prone communities in California. It’s related to…
How to Save Money on Homeowners Insurance
How to Save Money on Homeowners Insurance

The average premium for the most common type of homeowners insurance was $1,211 in 2017, the most recent year for which data was available, according to a report issued last year by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. That figure was up slightly from $1,192…
Camp Fire recovery rebuilding with bigger homes in Paradise
Camp Fire recovery rebuilding with bigger homes in Paradise

PARADISE — Paradise homes are getting bigger during the rebuild. Around 60 percent of the homes under construction in the town are larger in square footage than the home they are replacing, according to permit and property data collected by the Chico Enterprise-Record and Chico…
What You Need to File a Homeowners Insurance Claim
What You Need to File a Homeowners Insurance Claim

After the storm has cleared or the fire has died down, your sense of relief at surviving may quickly give way to a sense of shock when you gaze at the charred or battered wreckage that used to be your home and all the stuff…
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…