California to require insurance discounts for property owners who reduce wildfire risk
California to require insurance discounts for property owners who reduce wildfire risk

California will become the first state in the nation to require insurance premium discounts for owners of homes and businesses that are made safer from wildfires. New rules mandate that insurance companies reward consumers who take wildfire safety and mitigation actions under the state’s Safer…
Liz Weston: 3 inflation-savvy moves to make now
Liz Weston: 3 inflation-savvy moves to make now

Inflation is proving to be a stubborn, unwanted houseguest. No one particularly likes paying more for food, fuel and other living costs. But so far, the Federal Reserve’s attempts since March to evict inflation with higher interest rates haven’t worked. Because we may be stuck…
Purchasing Or Renewing Your Homeowners Insurance? What You Have to Ask Your Agent
Purchasing Or Renewing Your Homeowners Insurance? What You Have to Ask Your Agent

Will your insurance cover you if you have a fire or if your home is destroyed in a disaster? These are some of the questions you should be asking your insurance agent before you have a disaster. One of the top Public Insurance Adjusters in…
Record number of residents rebuilding high-performance homes after Marshall Fire
Record number of residents rebuilding high-performance homes after Marshall Fire

41% rebuilding to standards that earn incentives for energy efficiency Boulder County, Colo.- Record numbers of residents impacted by the Marshall Fire are choosing to rebuild high-performance homes that use less energy and little to no fossil fuel energy. 41% of homes that have been…
Tips To Help Consumers Get Fair Insurance Treatment After Hurricane Ian
Tips To Help Consumers Get Fair Insurance Treatment After Hurricane Ian

Insurers and Public Officials Must Ensure Consumer Claims Get Paid in Full Washington, DC – Today Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and United Policyholders (UP) shared resources to help consumers get their wind and flood insurance claims paid promptly, fully, and fairly in the wake of Hurricane…
Food manufacturer may amend COVID business interruption suit
Food manufacturer may amend COVID business interruption suit

An organic and vegetarian food manufacturer should be allowed to amend its COVID-19 business interruption lawsuit to allege coverage under its communicable disease policy provision, a California appeals court has ruled, in overturning a lower court ruling that dismissed the case. Petaluma, California-based Amy’s Kitchen…
Much of the damage from Hurricane Ian will be from flooding, but will homeowners be covered?
Much of the damage from Hurricane Ian will be from flooding, but will homeowners be covered?

Ian has now regained hurricane strength after exiting the state of Florida. It’s now threatening the Carolinas. A lot of destruction from the storm is from water. Massive storm surges inundated cities and towns along the Gulf Coast, and there’s been heavy rain across much…
Vermont High Court: COVID Virus, Like Cat Urine, Can Cause Physical Loss
Vermont High Court: COVID Virus, Like Cat Urine, Can Cause Physical Loss

Citing decisions that found insurance coverage was owed for contamination caused by cat urine and gasoline vapors, the Vermont Supreme Court broke from courts across the nation and found that SARS-CoV-2 can cause a direct physical loss to property. The 3-2 decision released Friday revived…
Vermont high court first to rule in policyholders’ favor in COVID litigation
Vermont high court first to rule in policyholders’ favor in COVID litigation

The Vermont Supreme Court on Friday became the first state high court to rule in policyholders’ favor in COVID-19-related business interruption litigation, holding in a divided ruling that the virus may have caused direct physical damage. The 3-2 ruling in Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. et…
How Do You Solve a Problem Like California?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like California?

California has a wildfire crisis. Arguably, the entire Western United States has a wildfire crisis, but California’s crisis is of an entirely different magnitude. California also has a homeowners insurance crisis. That crisis began in 2019, when nonrenewals of residential policies in the state grew…
Does car insurance go down at 25?
Does car insurance go down at 25?

Car insurance rates for young drivers can be eye-wateringly expensive, but does your car insurance premium decrease when you turn 25? Based on Bankrate’s study of average premiums, potentially yes. The average cost of car insurance for 25 year olds is $2,176 per year for…
New rule aims to help California homeowners dropped by insurance companies over wildfire risk
New rule aims to help California homeowners dropped by insurance companies over wildfire risk

Rita Tanner noted that she did much of what state officials have asked of California homeowners to better fireproof their homes. She and her husband put on a new fire-resistant roof in January and have cleared the defensible space around their home along Calistoga Road…
Will new regulations do enough to keep homeowners from losing fire insurance?
Will new regulations do enough to keep homeowners from losing fire insurance?

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KGO) — Homeowners in California who live in a high-risk fire zones could find it easier to get their home policies renewed. That’s if new state regulations work as intended. Not everyone is convinced it will work. John Campos says he’s done…
Commissioner Lara submits first-in-nation wildfire safety regulation to drive down cost of insurance
Commissioner Lara submits first-in-nation wildfire safety regulation to drive down cost of insurance

Strong support in public meetings and written testimony for requiring insurance companies to provide discounts to consumers under new Safer from Wildfires framework SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara submitted his insurance pricing regulation to the California Office of Administrative Law that would recognize…
Yahoo Defense Tab Up for Grabs in California Supreme Court Case
Yahoo Defense Tab Up for Grabs in California Supreme Court Case

Yahoo! Inc., besieged by class actions accusing the pioneering internet search engine of sending unwanted ads via text message in violation of federal law, turned to its insurer to provide and pay for its legal defense. But, despite the existence of specifically negotiated and distinct…
Insurance Industry Groups Criticize Litigation, Regulations
Insurance Industry Groups Criticize Litigation, Regulations

Law360 (August 30, 2022, 9:45 PM EDT) — A new report from a group of insurance industry organizations blamed “man-made” factors for much of the troubles facing property insurance markets in states such as California, Louisiana and Florida. While the organizations said they are able…
Marshall Fire victims pressured to return to toxic home
Marshall Fire victims pressured to return to toxic home

LOUISVILLE, Colo. (KDVR) — A family of Marshall Fire victims is speaking out after getting pressure to move back into their home with toxic levels of contamination inside. Having a mailbox to check and a roof still standing in a town ravaged by the fire,…
Preparing Financially, Before the Storm Hits
Preparing Financially, Before the Storm Hits

With the cost and frequency of weather-driven disasters on the rise, taking steps to be ready is more crucial than ever. As a lifelong resident of Lafourche Parish in southern Louisiana, Jeanne Gouaux knew the storms that cut through the region demanded preparation. She had…