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…
INSURANCE AFLAME: COVERAGE INEQUITIES RAGE AS POPULATION GROWS IN WILDFIRE REGIONS
INSURANCE AFLAME: COVERAGE INEQUITIES RAGE AS POPULATION GROWS IN WILDFIRE REGIONS

Northern California is currently ablaze with numerous wildfires, including the deadly McKinney Fire in Siskiyou County that burned more than 60,000 acres and killed four people. As of August 15, the National Interagency Fire Center cites more than 5.9 million acres burned in over 42,000…
More homeowners report insurance claims being denied, MN Department of Commerce says
More homeowners report insurance claims being denied, MN Department of Commerce says

The state is reporting a spike in complaints from homeowners whose insurance claims were denied following recent storms, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. The department is issuing an alert, asking Minnesotans to review their insurance policies, particularly in the areas of hail and…
A Flagstaff family’s insurance came up short after their home was destroyed by a wildfire
A Flagstaff family’s insurance came up short after their home was destroyed by a wildfire

The Leazier family has lived at the same Flagstaff property more than three decades. This past April, theirs was one of 30 homes that burned down in the Tunnel Fire. The fire took nearly everything they had, including sentimental items that reminded them of the…
Why didn’t Marshall fire homeowners have enough insurance? Watchdogs blame industry software.
Why didn’t Marshall fire homeowners have enough insurance? Watchdogs blame industry software.

In 2021, a Louisville couple bought $419,000 worth of insurance coverage for their home, based on their agent’s recommendation. Now, that policy payout is only providing about half of what they need to rebuild the house they lost in the Marshall fire. In a lawsuit…
Survivors of East Troublesome Fire sue insurance company
Survivors of East Troublesome Fire sue insurance company

Fire survivors said State Farm low-balled them on rebuilding costs and took too long to pay their insurance claims after the East Troublesome Fire. GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — There are survivors of the East Troublesome Fire in October 2020 who are suing their insurance company…
Home inventory: What is it and why do you need one?
Home inventory: What is it and why do you need one?

You never know when your home might get damaged in a flood, fire or other disaster. And you can’t rule out the possibility of a home break-in, either. Ideally, you’ll have homeowners or renters insurance in place to cover your damaged or stolen items. But…
Study Finds Wildfires Disproportionately Impact Lower-Income Families
Study Finds Wildfires Disproportionately Impact Lower-Income Families

Non-renewals, higher premiums, and costly property improvements make wildfires even worse for already marginalized homeowners Climate change and California’s historic drought are stretching fire season beyond its traditional boundaries, causing worse and more costly wildfires, and according to a new study, they’re disproportionately impacting the…