February 18, 2025 Fire insurance woes How do I get my insurance to pay for testing of my home for toxins after the fires that raged through L.A. neighborhoods in January? What if my insurance adjuster says they won’t cover a long-term rental? How can I get help navigating the claims…
February 17, 2025 Your insurance might not cover everything you think it does: Here’s how to check how much coverage you have As many as 3 in 4 U.S. homeowners could be underinsured, claims a recent CBS News report with policy holders urged ensure they are fully aware of the details relating to their respective insurance policy. Paying attention to the small print is also highly advised…
February 17, 2025 Climate’s unsolicited payout Rising weather extremes is destabilising the insurance industry, driving up premium prices and pushing insurers out of high-risk markets. The crisis is also spurring re-invention of insurance sector Probability is business-critical for the insurance industry. The insurer applies the “probability” factor to assess and value…
February 14, 2025 California Bill Would Force Insurers to Pay Full Coverage Without Requiring Itemization California’s insurance commissioner joined with state legislators on Friday to propose a new law that would force insurers to pay homeowners 100 percent of the coverage for belongings inside destroyed homes, releasing them from the mentally taxing process of listing every object they lost —…
February 14, 2025 What Defines a Constitutional Crisis?; California Insurer Gets $1 Billion Bailout After LA Fires 0:08 — John Nichols, National Affairs Correspondent for the Nation on the numerous unfavorable court rulings enjoining the Trump Administration and the defining characteristics of a constitutional crisis 0:34 — Joel Laucher, insurance expert and Program Specialist at United Policyholders explains the $1 Billion assessment…
February 14, 2025 Updated CalFire map shows increase in ‘very high’ fire hazard acreage in Northern California CalFire released a new map this week, expanding hazardous fire zones in Northern California. It’s part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order after the Los Angeles fires. Updated for the first time since 2007, CalFire’s new fire hazard severity zone map offers a resource in…
February 13, 2025 Insurers, Homeowners on the Hook for $1 Billion California FAIR Plan Bailout California insurance regulators have approved a request from the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, to get money from regular insurers to help pay customer claims from the Los Angeles Fires. The $1 billion will be collected from private insurance companies in…
February 13, 2025 After the Los Angeles Fires, Many Won’t Get Enough Insurance To Rebuild Their Homes Nobody likes to pay their monthly homeowners insurance premiums. Or at least, we haven’t met anyone who does. But the protection of an insurance policy is worth the annoyance. That is, provided it actually pays out enough. Unfortunately, however, amid the rise of skyrocketing insurance…
February 13, 2025 Climate-driven insurance crisis The climate crisis is costing us a lot of money — higher utility bills, higher health-care costs, skyrocketing housing prices in some areas and nosediving home property values in others. Climate change, as well as the pollution that causes it and the natural disasters caused…
February 10, 2025 Wildfire Survivors Get a Lifeline as California Pushes for Full Coverage Payments California Insurance Commissioner Calls on Insurers to Ease Wildfire Survivors’ Burdens A Compassionate Plea for Full Coverage Without Detailed Inventories California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is taking a strong stance to support survivors of recent wildfires in Southern California. Recognizing the emotional and logistical toll…
February 9, 2025 Higher rates, few options for Calif. home insurance Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group. Insurers pulled back from California after severe wildfires in … Read more
February 9, 2025 Inequity seen after wildfires in California 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 9, 2025 For most LA fire victims, insurance won’t cover rebuild “we fully expect it to be higher than two-thirds underinsured in la,” said amy Bach, the cofounder of United Policyholders, a public interest advocacy … Read more
February 9, 2025 Major insurance company sparks outrage with decision that affects thousands of policies: ‘The opposite of what we’ve been hoping for’ Increasing frequencies of wildfires are pushing insurance companies out of California. Liberty Mutual is one of the latest insurance groups to abandon insurance coverage for California residents, the North Bay Business Journal reported. What’s happening? In late December, Liberty Mutual announced plans to roll back…
February 8, 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 7, 2025 Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires A deadly wildfire may be among the first covered by a new state fund that reimburses at-fault utility companies. This could mean billions of dollars for plaintiffs lawyers, and, if past fires are any indication, frustration and confusion for some victims. Read more.
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…
