February 7, 2025 Up to two thirds of homeowners underinsured for wildfires Up to two thirds of homeowners are underinsured for wildfire losses, according to the consumer advocacy group, United Policyholders. Kristine Lazar speaks with an Altadena couple who lost their home and explains how you can make sure you’re covered.
February 6, 2025 The Agony of the List The text notification woke Ashley Bryn Carter at 12:38 a.m., hours after the start of the most destructive wildfires in California history. She packed quickly, imagining she’d be back soon. But earlier that day, something had possessed her to go room by room and film…
February 6, 2025 State Farm Was All In on California—Until It Pulled the Plug Before the Fires Insurer aggressively grew in Los Angeles, despite getting overweight on fire risk, but decided to cut thousands of policies last year, adding to the state’s home-insurance crisis After the pandemic, most home insurers were fleeing wildfire-prone areas of California. But State Farm was there—and making…
February 6, 2025 Fire-ravaged LA areas faced high non-renewal rates for home, fire insurance before disaster struck State Farm’s request for an emergency home insurance rate hike on Tuesday was one of many troubling signs for California’s home insurance market. Now, 7 on Your Side Investigates has data showing how traditional residential and fire policies are becoming out of reach for many…
February 5, 2025 LA neighbors have vastly different rebuilding options due to insurance crisis Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses. “I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has soul,” said Hamlin, a 51-year-old single mom with a…
February 5, 2025 What to know about home insurance coverage after a major natural disaster It’s one thing to fix your home after something basic has gone wrong, but it’s a different beast to rebuild and recover after a major natural disaster has destroyed multiple properties on your street, in your neighborhood or across the region. Don’t wait until you’re…
February 5, 2025 California’s insurance crisis leaves neighbors facing unequal recovery after wildfires Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses. “I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has soul,” said Hamlin, a 51-year-old single mom with a…
February 4, 2025 Stay Tuned NOW with Gadi Schwartz President Trump held a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Trump suggested the U.S. could “take control of Gaza,” and the White House sent the first military flights filled with migrants to Guantanamo Bay. 00:00 Trump: U.S. ‘will take over the Gaza strip’…
February 4, 2025 California’s insurance crisis leaves neighbors facing unequal recovery after wildfires Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses. “I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has soul,” said Hamlin, a 51-year-old single mom with a…
February 3, 2025 State Farm Seeks Emergency Rate Hike in California After LA Fires State Farm is asking California regulators to approve a significant emergency rate hike, saying it is needed to avert a “dire situation for our customers and the insurance market in the state” accelerated by the disastrous wildfires across Southern California. The company, California’s largest insurance group,…
February 2, 2025 States eye solutions for home insurance crisis … United Policyholders. “Yes, we are in a crisis.” Some of the most shocking instances of natural disaster – like the recent LA wildfires, as well … Read more.
February 2, 2025 Rising Climate Risks Prompt Surge In Home Insurance Costs Homeowners face mounting challenges as insurers tighten policies and increase rates nationwide. With climate change increasingly influencing weather-related disasters, the home insurance market is feeling the heat. From skyrocketing premiums to properties being dropped by insurers, the consequences of more frequent hurricanes, wildfires, and floods…
January 31, 2025 Over $4 billion in LA fire claims distributed, more to come Insurance companies have paid out $4.2 billion in claims so far to survivors of the Los Angeles County fires, the state Insurance Department said Thursday. That figure includes home, business, living expenses and other disaster-related claims related to the Eaton and Palisades fires, the department…
January 31, 2025 Rep. Mike Thompson, Santa Rosa fire survivor aid Los Angeles as state braces for rate hikes When U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson and Coffey Strong founding Director Annie Barbour went to Los Angeles this week , they were in familiar territory among fire survivors and lawmakers coping with the immensity of damage from the fires there. That’s roughly where the common ground…
January 30, 2025 Wildfires, Property Insurance, and the Cost of Rebuilding Lives: Navigating the Legal Landscape In recent years, wildfires have become an increasingly devastating force, scorching landscapes and upending lives across California, Oregon, and Washington. The Los Angeles wildfires, in particular, have left a haunting imprint: 28 lives lost, thousands of homes reduced to rubble, and untold economic and emotional…
January 29, 2025 California fires show states’ ‘last resort’ insurance plans could be overwhelmed In the months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in flames, property insurance companies dropped coverage in many neighborhoods of the city, citing the growing wildfire risks caused by climate change. As a result, a fast-growing number of California residents have switched to…
January 28, 2025 Ensuring insurance: Homeowners insurance coverage reassessed amid LA wildfires Two United States representatives from California proposed a new bill Jan. 16 that would reassess home insurance coverage in areas with high wildfire risk. The Wildfire Insurance Coverage Study Act, reintroduced by Representatives Maxine Waters and Brad Sherman, would ask the Government Accountability Office to…
January 28, 2025 First Steps For Disaster Relief: A ‘Navigating Insurance’ Webinar Please join California Western School of Law Professor Kenneth Klein, homeowners’ insurance expert, 2003 wildfire survivor, and Senior Advisor to United Policyholders, along with Amy Bach, Founder and President of United Policyholders, and Annie Barbour, 2017 wildfire survivor and United Policyholders Program Liaison. This webinar is…
