Even Jane Kim thinks her run for Calif. insurance commissioner is a head-scratcher
Even Jane Kim thinks her run for Calif. insurance commissioner is a head-scratcher

Some people never really leave San Francisco politics. Jane Kim is one of them. After losing a high-profile state Senate race in 2016 and a mayoral bid in 2018, the former supervisor and progressive activist left office in 2019. She went on to work for…
Consumer Watchdog Claims New Regulations from Commissioner Lara Will Silence Consumer Voice in Insurance Rates
Consumer Watchdog Claims New Regulations from Commissioner Lara Will Silence Consumer Voice in Insurance Rates

Ignoring the protests of 32 consumer protection, labor, senior, immigrant, low-income, and public advocacy organizations, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued regulations that will make it nearly impossible for members of the public to scrutinize and challenge increases in home, auto and business insurance premiums.…
Your House Survived the Fire — Now Mold Could Be the Second Wave of Damage Your Insurance Can Cover
Your House Survived the Fire — Now Mold Could Be the Second Wave of Damage Your Insurance Can Cover

You picture a house fire and you think of smoke, flames, charred walls. What most homeowners don’t picture — until it happens to them — is the water. Thousands of gallons of it, soaked into every wall, floor, and ceiling while firefighters did their job.…
Bill to Extend Insurance Moratorium for Eaton Fire Survivors Clears Assembly Committee
Bill to Extend Insurance Moratorium for Eaton Fire Survivors Clears Assembly Committee

A bill authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) that would give wildfire survivors in Altadena and other fire-affected areas more time before insurers can drop their coverage passed the Assembly Committee on Insurance this week. AB 2038, jointly authored by Harabedian and Assemblymember Rick Chavez…
Florida insurance commissioner says now is ‘great time’ to ‘shop around’ for better rates
Florida insurance commissioner says now is ‘great time’ to ‘shop around’ for better rates

Florida’s insurance regulators hosted a two-day industry summit in Tallahassee with a much more optimistic view of the future than in recent years. “I’m confident we are on the right track in Florida,” said Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky in his opening comments, kicking off the…
SoCal homeowners face soaring insurance premiums, policies reviewed by A.I.
SoCal homeowners face soaring insurance premiums, policies reviewed by A.I.

For millions of Southern California homeowners, insurance is becoming harder to afford as rates soar. Some are even being told their policies are no longer being reviewed by a person, but instead by an algorithm. “Well, it’s not fair. It’s not fair,” said Paul, a…
California Faces $36 Billion Price Tag to Build Durable Wildfire Catastrophe Fund, State Study Finds
California Faces $36 Billion Price Tag to Build Durable Wildfire Catastrophe Fund, State Study Finds

California would need approximately $36 billion to build a wildfire fund durable enough to last 20 years with a 75% probability of solvency, which is more than double the commitment made in 2025, according to a report submitted to the governor and Legislature by the…
Who Controls Your Home Insurance? A High-Stakes California Race Could Decide
Who Controls Your Home Insurance? A High-Stakes California Race Could Decide

Few statewide elections stand to matter more this year than the race for insurance commissioner — the primary official tasked with stemming a wildfire-stoked home insurance crisis that has sent rates soaring across California. The insurance commissioner leads the state agency that approves rate hikes…
California insurance commissioner defends bill in face of strong opposition
California insurance commissioner defends bill in face of strong opposition

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday defended a bill that would make broad changes to insurance coverage after a home is destroyed in a wildfire or other disaster, which is facing stiff opposition from industry lobbyists. “Do you really think I would once again…
Texas Is Entering Peak Hail Season — And Most Homeowners Don’t Understand the Deductible That Could Cost Them Thousands
Texas Is Entering Peak Hail Season — And Most Homeowners Don’t Understand the Deductible That Could Cost Them Thousands

Spring has arrived in Texas, which means the skies are about to get interesting. April and May are historically the most active months for severe hailstorms across the state, and North Texas sits in one of the most active hail corridors in the country. According…
Insurance Companies Just Had Their Best Year in a Decade. So Why Is Your Bill Still Going Up?
Insurance Companies Just Had Their Best Year in a Decade. So Why Is Your Bill Still Going Up?

You opened your homeowners renewal notice. The number went up. Again. Maybe it was 8%. Maybe it was 14%. Either way, your first thought was probably the same as everyone else’s: Who exactly is benefiting from all of this? As it turns out, the answer…
State Farm is in Trump’s crosshairs over LA fires
State Farm is in Trump’s crosshairs over LA fires

LOS ANGELES—State Farm has burnished its reputation as the country’s largest home and auto insurer with its “good neighbor” slogan. President Trump this week offered a different take on the company: “absolutely horrible” and “not there to help!” Trump’s social-media post critical of State Farm…
State Farm forced into humiliating climb down after drone spying scandal
State Farm forced into humiliating climb down after drone spying scandal

State Farm has finally agreed to renew the insurance of a Santa Ana homeowner after drones were used to spy on her house. Linda Bennett said she felt an enormous relief after the insurer reversed its decision to pull her policy following the scandal last…
State Farm reverses course, renews OC homeowner’s policy after she questioned drone roof assessment
State Farm reverses course, renews OC homeowner’s policy after she questioned drone roof assessment

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — There’s a positive update on the story of a Santa Ana homeowner whose insurance company told her to replace her roof or lose her coverage after using drones to assess the state of her property. She tried to challenge the…
After the Los Angeles Wildfires, 80% Of Victims Report Serious Insurance Claim Issues
After the Los Angeles Wildfires, 80% Of Victims Report Serious Insurance Claim Issues

When a wildfire destroys a home, most people assume insurance becomes the safety net that keeps recovery moving. In Los Angeles County after the January 2025 fires, many survivors found the opposite. A year later, large numbers were still displaced, still arguing with carriers, and…
Eye in the Sky: How a Connecticut insurance company is using third party data to help deny claims
Eye in the Sky: How a Connecticut insurance company is using third party data to help deny claims

When Anthony Cusano filed a claim after storm damage to his late mother’s home, he didn’t expect it to be denied based on a historical image. But experts say insurers are increasingly relying on data such as aerial images to deny claims. The claim was…
The Replacement Cost Reality Check: When Home Insurance Safety Nets Fall Short
The Replacement Cost Reality Check: When Home Insurance Safety Nets Fall Short

On a crisp October day, Gershon and her husband were clearing limbs and burning leaves — a routine fall chore across the Northeast. They weren’t reckless, says Gershon. “We’re the people who look up the county codes ahead of time. Is there a certain time…
Home insur­ance crisis shows signs of eas­ing
Home insur­ance crisis shows signs of eas­ing

When Cali­for­nia’s insur­ance mar­ket deteri­or­ated into a state of crisis, Insur­ance Com­mis­sioner Ricardo Lara sought to solve it with a bar­gain: He would give insur­ance com­pan­ies long-desired reforms that would make it easier to raise rates so long as they prom­ised to write more policies…