State Farm under fire for hundreds of violations — but experts say Californians won’t lose coverage
State Farm under fire for hundreds of violations — but experts say Californians won’t lose coverage

Regulators want State Farm barred from writing new policies for a year for allegedly violating state law after the Los Angeles wildfires — but experts say current customers shouldn’t panic. “Auto insurance and home insurance contracts are one year contracts, and they commenced at different…
State Farm fined by California regulators over wildfire claim violations
State Farm fined by California regulators over wildfire claim violations

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Department of Insurance has sanctioned and fined State Farm, the largest home insurer in both the state and the nation, for 432 violations of the Unfair Insurance Claims Practices Act and other laws. Claims stem from California wildfires What we…
Insurance companies using drones to jack rates, cancel policies: 5 ways to fight back
Insurance companies using drones to jack rates, cancel policies: 5 ways to fight back

If you think your backyard is your private sanctuary, think again. Your insurance company is probably spying on you from above. And I promise you, it isn’t doing it to admire your landscaping. It’s looking for an excuse to cancel your policy. According to a…
Indiana court rules watercraft exclusion bars Superfund coverage for barge company
Indiana court rules watercraft exclusion bars Superfund coverage for barge company

An Indiana appeals court has ruled that a watercraft exclusion in excess liability policies bars coverage for EPA Superfund cleanup costs. The Court of Appeals of Indiana handed down its decision on April 28, 2026, reversing a trial court’s finding that had sided with the…
Maui Fire Lawsuit Payouts Are Near. Few Survivors Will Break Even
Maui Fire Lawsuit Payouts Are Near. Few Survivors Will Break Even

Leslie Clark isn’t counting on money from the Maui wildfire settlement to help rebuild her family home near Front Street in Lahaina. Worrying about something out of her control “is not good for your health,” said Clark, 62, who lost her home in the August…
United Policyholders’ One-Year Los Angeles Fire Survey & the Kind of Advocacy Policyholders Deserve
United Policyholders’ One-Year Los Angeles Fire Survey & the Kind of Advocacy Policyholders Deserve

There are very few organizations in the insurance world that have earned the level of trust and respect United Policyholders has. United Policyholders (UP) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded in 1991 after a Northern California wildfire exposed just how devastating underinsurance and adversarial claims handling…
USAA, State Farm win as court narrows cooperation statute scope
USAA, State Farm win as court narrows cooperation statute scope

The Colorado Supreme Court just gave insurers a new playbook for defending claims – and it could reshape how cooperation disputes play out statewide. In a 6-1 decision issued on April 27, 2026, the court ruled that Colorado’s failure-to-cooperate statute does not apply when an…
United Policyholders LA Wildfires Year One Survey Report
United Policyholders LA Wildfires Year One Survey Report

Full report and survey data Significant Findings: A substantial number, 69%, of households report being underinsured by an average amount of $247 per square foot. The dollar amount is a significant increase from underinsurance data we have collected from previous wildfires recovery surveys. Common claim problems continue…
Legislature considers bills to address home insurance issues following disasters
Legislature considers bills to address home insurance issues following disasters

Bhejay Yadao’s family had just finished converting their garage in their Lahaina home to a one-bedroom unit for their elderly grandparents. His family had used their savings to complete the project on Aug. 6, 2023. “They spent the night and the day just enjoying their…
California Insurance Commissioner Candidates Answer Climate Risk Questions at Ceres-Moderated Forum
California Insurance Commissioner Candidates Answer Climate Risk Questions at Ceres-Moderated Forum

SAN FRANCISCO — On Wednesday Ceres moderated a “first-of-its-kind” forum bringing together six California Insurance Commissioner candidates for a substantive conversation on climate risk, insurance affordability, the California FAIR plan, resiliency ideas and the future of the state’s insurance market. Held at The Historic Klamath…
Final event in Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s Fire and Water Speaker Series, ‘Firewise Futures,’ comes to Rifle’s Ute Theater
Final event in Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s Fire and Water Speaker Series, ‘Firewise Futures,’ comes to Rifle’s Ute Theater

As summer approaches, preparing for peak fire season is a priority for many Coloradans who witnessed the effects of the state’s fifth largest wildfire, the Lee Fire, near Meeker last year. The final installment of the Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s Fire and Water Speaker Series,…
Hit by flooding in Michigan? A guide to insurance, cars and homes
Hit by flooding in Michigan? A guide to insurance, cars and homes

The heartbreaking flooding we’re seeing in northern Michigan means many unsettling days ahead when it comes to dealing with loss and possible insurance claims. Many homeowners could be shocked to discover that they do not have adequate insurance — and many continue to be at…
California Assemblymember John Harabedian Announces Extension of the Insurance Cancellation Moratorium for Wildfire Survivors Passes Assembly Insurance Committee
California Assemblymember John Harabedian Announces Extension of the Insurance Cancellation Moratorium for Wildfire Survivors Passes Assembly Insurance Committee

On Tuesday, Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) announced that AB 2038, which would provide wildfire survivors greater protections from insurance companies’ nonrenewals by extending the period insurance companies must renew existing policies, has passed the Assembly Committee on Insurance. In January 2025, the Eaton and Palisades…
California agency to decide how consumer groups can fight rate increases
California agency to decide how consumer groups can fight rate increases

The state’s administrative law office will decide whether to accept Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s changes to a law passed as a referendum in 1988, which allows consumer advocates to be compensated for their work. Read more.
Wildfire Survivors, Consumer and Environmental Groups Slam State Report for Letting Utilities Off the Hook for Deadly Fires, Says Consumer Watchdog
Wildfire Survivors, Consumer and Environmental Groups Slam State Report for Letting Utilities Off the Hook for Deadly Fires, Says Consumer Watchdog

A coalition of twenty-three organizations — including wildfire survivors, consumer advocates, and environmental groups — today blasted the California Earthquake Authority’s (CEA) wildfire report for failing to hold utilities accountable for their role in causing some of the most destructive fires in state history. In…
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.…