Liz Weston: Fortify your finances against natural disaster
Liz Weston: Fortify your finances against natural disaster

Emergency preparedness experts recommend that you have a “go bag” and a “stay bin” for disasters: kits with supplies to help you survive a few days if you have to evacuate your home or shelter in place. Preparing your finances for natural disasters is also smart. Having…
Family Of 5 Loses Home to Caldor Fire, Lender Failed To Pay Fire Insurance Premiums From Escrow Account
Family Of 5 Loses Home to Caldor Fire, Lender Failed To Pay Fire Insurance Premiums From Escrow Account

GRIZZLY FLATS (CBS13) – Does your lender pay your fire insurance premiums from an escrow account? Better double-check those payments are being made. A Grizzly Flats family who lost their home to the Caldor Fire learned their lender didn’t pay the fire insurance premiums after their…
Flood insurance revamp aims for fairer rates
Flood insurance revamp aims for fairer rates

A revamped U.S. flood insurance program going into effect this month will charge rates the federal government says better reflect a home’s risk, a change that could mean higher premiums for coastal mansions and — for the first time — reduced rates for others. The…
Call Kurtis: Lenders Fail To Pay Fair Plan Fire Insurance Policies
Call Kurtis: Lenders Fail To Pay Fair Plan Fire Insurance Policies

GRIZZLY FLATS (CBS13) — A military dad and his wife who lost their home to the Caldor Fire learned they weren’t insured and their lender didn’t pay their fire insurance bill. More fire victims are coming forward after our investigation saying the pair learned they…
Residents in high fire risk California zones cancelled, turned down by insurances
Residents in high fire risk California zones cancelled, turned down by insurances

Getting insurance has been a struggle for people residing in fire-risk areas, and for those who had got one were being priced out of their policies. Beth Quintana was among the residents who experienced the fire’s rage three years ago. In August 2018, the Holy…
Fire insurance policies: an endangered species
Fire insurance policies: an endangered species

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. – With fire season now just peaking and plenty of weeks still to go, we have already racked up California’s worst ever fire season. On a regular basis, homeowners in the urban wildland interface are getting multiple shocks from massive insurance increases, less…
Why doesn’t homeowners insurance cover flood damage?
Why doesn’t homeowners insurance cover flood damage?

The remnants of Hurricane Nicholas are drenching Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana — including areas that have barely started recovering from Hurricane Ida. ​There has been a lot of flooding over the past couple of weeks from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast, and many homeowners…
Residents of Western States Face a Dry, Dangerous, Underinsured Future
Residents of Western States Face a Dry, Dangerous, Underinsured Future

As thousands lost everything, insurers have jacked up premiums—or fled altogether. When Steve Kress moved into an old ambulance he’d converted into a travel van some weeks ago, he’d started wearing a pin that reads “Since I gave up hope, I feel much better.” “It’s true…
The shrubs across the street nearly cost him his home insurance
The shrubs across the street nearly cost him his home insurance

It’s not yet common, but in high-risk fire neighborhoods, Berkeley Hills residents may find that keeping their home insurance depends on how well their neighbors prune their property. At the end of August, wildfire prevention advocate Dan Grassetti opened a letter from Allstate, his home’s…
Consumers Who Understand Insurance Coverage Can Save Money and Reduce Debt After Disasters
Consumers Who Understand Insurance Coverage Can Save Money and Reduce Debt After Disasters

In a Nutshell: Insurance is an essential product for those who want to safeguard their property. But the process of understanding and purchasing policies and making claims can be difficult for the average person. United Policyholders provides information and other resources to ensure consumers understand insurance practices and…
Fire insurance policies: an endangered species
Fire insurance policies: an endangered species

SAN MATEO COUNTY, Calif. – With fire season now just peaking and plenty of weeks still to go, we have already racked up California’s worst ever fire season. On a regular basis, homeowners in the urban wildland interface are getting multiple shocks from massive insurance…
Insurance companies increasingly drop homes throughout San Diego County as fire risks rise
Insurance companies increasingly drop homes throughout San Diego County as fire risks rise

The threat of wildfire is increasingly leading insurers to drop the policies of San Diego homeowners, a trend most prominent in the county’s rural areas but also affecting city neighborhoods from Scripps Ranch to Hillcrest. Seven out of 10 insured homes in San Diego County were located in ZIP…
San Diego fire victim shares tips and lessons learned
San Diego fire victim shares tips and lessons learned

Karen Reimus and her family lost their home and everything in it in the 2003 Cedar Fire that destroyed more than 2,200 homes in San Diego County. SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — California’s drought conditions are going from bad to worse, sparking fears that this…
No matter the fire risk, California insurance companies can’t cancel your policy
No matter the fire risk, California insurance companies can’t cancel your policy

State officials have banned companies from revoking renewals of policies in high fire risk areas. For Amy Bach, the turning point in her job came in 2018, when she heard the news that 1 million trees in the Sierra Nevada forests were dead. “I’m not a…
Californians risk losing insurance, face steep premium increase as wildfires worsen
Californians risk losing insurance, face steep premium increase as wildfires worsen

Wildfires in California have burned a record 1 million acres this year. As wildfires continue to rage across the state, Californians face an increased risk of losing homeowners insurance or a steep premium increase. CALIFORNIA’S INSURANCE CRISIS Tucked away in an oak forest off Highway…
Homeowners may reap benefit of insurance coverage ruling
Homeowners may reap benefit of insurance coverage ruling

Tens of thousands of California residents in fire-prone areas have been caught in the middle of a battle between Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the insurance companies. The fight involves California’s FAIR coverage plan, the insurer of last resort, where homeowners go if their insurance…
Judge Rules California Can Expand Insurance For Wildfire Areas
Judge Rules California Can Expand Insurance For Wildfire Areas

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — A judge ruled California’s insurance commissioner can order the “insurer of last resort” to offer more options for homeowners who live in wildfire-prone areas and can’t buy traditional coverage. Recent massive wildfires—like the LNU, SCU and North Complex wildfires that impacted…
‘Almost everyone is getting screwed’: After climate disasters, homeowners find their battle with insurers is just beginning
‘Almost everyone is getting screwed’: After climate disasters, homeowners find their battle with insurers is just beginning

[Please note the complete article is behind a paywall.]   A grant from the NIHCM Foundation helped fund reporting for this story. Even against the backdrop of the past 18 months, and epic levels of American suffering, John and Jodi Philipp have had a rough…