May 31, 2024 Can You Lower Your Home Insurance Premium? I attended the May 15 workshop in Scotts Valley on home insurance, hoping I could find a way to lower my State Farm premium, which has jumped from $1,000 a year before the CZU wildfire in Boulder Creek to $3,290 a year. The panel of…
May 31, 2024 Iowa insurers cut roof coverage, leaving customers with big bills and jeopardizing mortgages After years of waiting, Vadim Shapiro finally got his new roof. He got a large bill, too. Shapiro, 57, said he asked his insurer for a replacement three years ago, after a hailstorm swept through his Clive neighborhood. He said a contractor believed the storm…
May 30, 2024 California property owners paying more as state works to keep insurers from leaving California plans to close the door on insurance carriers leaving the state by granting many of their rate hike requests, some into the double digits. That’s the plan state officials are banking on to stabilize the California insurance market in an environment where surveys indicate…
May 30, 2024 California property owners paying more as state works to keep insurers from leaving Property owners in the Golden State face more insurance rate hikes, some into the double digits, amid ongoing concerns over carriers leaving the state. Despite requests for increases, state officials aim to stabilize the market and prioritize insurance access. California plans to close the door…
May 30, 2024 Berkeley homeowner’s insurance Zoom webinar video is now available online Homeowners around the city, as with much of the state, have been getting non-renewal notices from their insurers, leaving them with few options and rising costs. Original story, May 23: Councilmember Susan Wengraf, who represents the northeastern corner of Berkeley, has organized a Zoom seminar…
May 30, 2024 More insurance companies using drones to inspect homes, evaluate storm damage More insurance companies are using drones to survey storm damage and whether to write or renew homeowner’s insurance policies. But some consumer advocates say it can unfairly put a homeowner’s coverage at risk. More insurance companies are using drones to survey storm damage and whether…
May 29, 2024 California consumer group blasts insurance bill backed by Newsom A bill backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that is intended to halt more exits from California’s troubled homeowners insurance market by speeding up reviews of proposed rate hikes drew sharp criticism Wednesday from an influential consumer group. The administration this week released the draft of…
May 29, 2024 How Newsom ended up siding with insurers HITTING A CRISIS POINT: The wildfire insurance problem in California has gotten so bad that Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking a counter-intuitive stance for a top Democrat: siding with industry in its long-standing feud with consumer advocates. A legislative proposal the Newsom administration published late…
May 28, 2024 How NC insurers use drone, satellite photos to drop home policies (and what you can do) Rosemary Resler stands outside her home in Chapel Hill Thursday, May 23, 2024. She was recently dropped from her homeowners insurance because aarial photos showed roof damage on her property. Read more.
May 27, 2024 How consumers can navigate insurance claims after storms Following damaging weekend storms, the weeks and months ahead will prove critical for the people impacted. Read on for key steps to get started. MEETING IMMEDIATE NEEDS Facing significant damage, consumers may need help covering the basics like temporary housing, food and clothing. “Check to…
May 27, 2024 As insurers around the U.S. bleed cash from climate shocks, homeowners lose At first glance, Dave Langston’s predicament seems similar to headaches facing homeowners in coastal states vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes: As disasters have become more frequent and severe, his insurance company has been losing money. Then, it canceled his coverage and left the state. But Langston…
May 25, 2024 As insurers around the US bleed cash from climate shocks, homeowners lose At first glance, Dave Langston’s predicament seems similar to headaches facing homeowners in coastal states vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes: As disasters have become more frequent and severe, his insurance company has been losing money. Then, it canceled his coverage and left the state. But Langston…
May 24, 2024 Wildfires and home insurance: what Arizonans need to know At least 1.8 million acres have burned in wildfires so far in 2024, according to the National Interagency Fire Center ABC15 meteorologists are forecasting high winds and fire danger heading into the holiday weekend. Already this year, Arizona residents have seen the impact from one…
May 24, 2024 Residents face uncertainty as home insurance options dwindle amid fire risks Wildfire preparedness meeting highlights dire situation in the Valley There was a moment, about an hour and a half into City of Scotts Valley’s wildfire preparedness meeting May 14, when the stark reality of the current home insurance landscape in California came into focus. Vice…
May 24, 2024 Insurance Companies Sending Drones To Spy On Homeowners, Find Defects And Cancel Policies Homeowners in Massachusetts are facing an unexpected threat to their insurance coverage: drones and aerial imagery. In a trend that is raising alarms, insurance companies are increasingly using these technologies to inspect properties and identify potential issues, leading to a surge in policy cancellations and…
May 23, 2024 Home-insurance payouts are shrinking. Here’s how to prevent the worst. Thanks to inflation and climate change, homeowners are getting less money back from their insurers to repair and rebuild. With tornado season in full swing — hitting Texas and Iowa hard in the last week — and hurricane and wildfire season looming this summer, insurance…
May 23, 2024 Can a Home Insurer Drop You Due to Aerial Photos? Brace Yourself for It Your insurance company might be spying on you. If so, you could quickly lose homeowners coverage. Is your insurance company spying on you? Insurers are increasingly using technology such as drones, airplanes and even high-altitude balloons to survey homes from coast to coast. If these…
May 22, 2024 Insurers are using drones to inspect homes Insurers are figuring out if your home is worth their risk without even stepping foot on your property. Consumer advocates worry this will make Florida’s insurance crisis even worse for homeowners. Industry experts believe using drones is a better way to assess homes. Just Google…
