Experts caution L.A. fire victims to approach insurance claims process as ‘business transaction’
Experts caution L.A. fire victims to approach insurance claims process as ‘business transaction’

As policyholders begin to file loss claims, experts say taking notes and keeping records is key to a smooth process Southern California residents facing losses from this week’s Los Angeles-area fires are beginning to confront their next challenge: filing an insurance claim. Though mainstream insurers…
Experts Raise Concerns About Who Pays to Rebuild California When Insurance Falls Short
Experts Raise Concerns About Who Pays to Rebuild California When Insurance Falls Short

As California struggles with another devastating wildfire season, a looming crisis threatens to leave thousands of homeowners in financial ruin. The recent blazes have exposed a critical gap in the state’s disaster recovery system: insurance shortfalls that could leave many unable to rebuild their homes…
California Faces a Staggering $20 Billion Wildfire Insurance Crisis, and ‘Sad Surprises’ May Be Ahead for Homeowners
California Faces a Staggering $20 Billion Wildfire Insurance Crisis, and ‘Sad Surprises’ May Be Ahead for Homeowners

The wildfires burning across Southern California are on their way to being the most costly natural disaster in the history of the state, with estimates that insurers are facing losses exceeding $20 billion. The estimate could grow as the fires continue to rip through Los…
2017 North Bay survivor gearing up to help LA wildfire victims navigate insurance claim process
2017 North Bay survivor gearing up to help LA wildfire victims navigate insurance claim process

The 2017 Tubbs Fire became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and the images we are seeing now out of Southern California serve as a reminder of what many people went through here. One of them is Annie Barbour, who has used…
Rising concerns over CA FAIR Plan’s financial capability due to LA wildfire costs
Rising concerns over CA FAIR Plan’s financial capability due to LA wildfire costs

In the Sunol hills, homeowners denied normal insurance coverage have had to turn to California’s FAIR Plan. It’s the insurer of last resort. Data from California’s Department of Insurance shows it’s the only option for one in every 10 homeowners there. “Recently, enrollment in the…
Wildfires will alter California’s homeowners insurance landscape
Wildfires will alter California’s homeowners insurance landscape

The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test California’s efforts to stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace after many insurers stopped issuing residential policies due to the high fire risk. The wind-driven blazes that started Tuesday roared through neighborhoods…
Insurance Hacks Every LA Fire Survivor Needs to Know RN
Insurance Hacks Every LA Fire Survivor Needs to Know RN

The LA fires have left a trail of destruction across the region, displacing thousands of residents and destroying homes and businesses. For those affected, navigating insurance claims amidst emotional and financial upheaval can feel overwhelming. However, experts and survivors emphasize the importance of approaching this…
LA’s catastrophic fires could supercharge California’s insurance crisis
LA’s catastrophic fires could supercharge California’s insurance crisis

As gale-force winds picked up this week around his home in Brentwood, the quiet neighborhood in the Westside of Los Angeles, Karl Susman had a bad feeling. Now, as fires torch swaths of the city’s hillsides, Susman, the owner of an insurance agency, has evacuated…
California had a home insurance crisis before the LA fires. It’s only going to get worse.
California had a home insurance crisis before the LA fires. It’s only going to get worse.

As firefighters race to control roaring blazes that have forced thousands to flee their homes, the mounting financial toll from the most destructive firestorm in Los Angeles history could deal a devastating blow to the property insurance market and the California homeowners who rely on…
As LA needed reinforcements, private firefighters and prisoners answered the call
As LA needed reinforcements, private firefighters and prisoners answered the call

There is fire and fury on the streets of one of America’s richest suburbs as its high-profile residents come to terms with the loss of their homes and the possible impact fire department funding cuts and cancelled insurance policies might have had on the disaster.…
The Insurance Crisis That Will Follow the California Fires
The Insurance Crisis That Will Follow the California Fires

Last week, on the day before New Year’s Eve, California’s insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, announced what his office called “a landmark regulation” to improve access to coverage. The new rule, the commissioner declared, would address the problems that California homeowners were facing in the present…
What’s next for California residents who lost their homes in the wildfires
What’s next for California residents who lost their homes in the wildfires

L.A. County Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said he used his moratorium power to prevent insurance companies from canceling or not renewing home coverage for wildfire victims over the next year. The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test…
Why a ‘scarlet letter’ insurance is increasingly one of the only options for homeowners
Why a ‘scarlet letter’ insurance is increasingly one of the only options for homeowners

The devastation in L.A. could become the most expensive wildfire disaster in U.S. history and push more homeowners across the state into a less-regulated insurance market with higher premiums and less protection. While it will take months or even years to understand the full scope…
L.A. wildfires: Tips for filing home or business claims to recoup losses
L.A. wildfires: Tips for filing home or business claims to recoup losses

Don’t rush it, experts say. Document everything, and ask for copies of policies, if they burned in the fire. With thousands of homes destroyed by wildfires across the Los Angeles County this week, homeowners, renters and business owners are likely scrambling to launch their property…
Insurance claims are a negotiation. Here are 7 tips for Californians who lost homes in fires
Insurance claims are a negotiation. Here are 7 tips for Californians who lost homes in fires

Insurance is designed to help victims of natural disasters like wildfires get back on their feet. But it’s also a complicated process that can leave you feeling overwhelmed after dealing with the experience of losing your home to a wildfire. Both consumer advocates and industry…
After the fire, the insurance battles: LA victims’ ordeal may just be beginning
After the fire, the insurance battles: LA victims’ ordeal may just be beginning

California homeowners who lost everything in this week’s devastating Los Angeles-area fires now have to battle their insurance companies to recover the value of their homeowners’ policies – if they are lucky enough to have insurance at all. With estimates of the economic damage from…
How the wildfires in the Los Angeles area could affect California’s home insurance market
How the wildfires in the Los Angeles area could affect California’s home insurance market

The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test California’s efforts to stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace after many insurers stopped issuing residential policies due to the high fire risk. The wind-driven blazes that started Tuesday roared through neighborhoods…
Tips for insurance claims after fires
Tips for insurance claims after fires

“It’s so common that people who lose their home in a wildfire find out that they didn’t have enough coverage.” “Understand the reality of a large-dollar insurance claim, that it really does require you to advocate for yourself,” said Amy Bach, executive director of United…