Tips for Consumers to Get Fair Insurance Treatment After Hurricane Helene
Tips for Consumers to Get Fair Insurance Treatment After Hurricane Helene

Insurance Regulators Must Make Sure Consumers Are Fairly Treated, Claims Are Paid Promptly and In Full Washington, D.C. — Today the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and United Policyholders shared resources and tips to help consumers get their wind and flood insurance claims paid quickly,…
Think flood insurance is pricey now? Premium hikes were coming long before Hurricane Helene.
Think flood insurance is pricey now? Premium hikes were coming long before Hurricane Helene.

Homeowners insurance typically does not cover flood damage – though too many people discover that after the fact, consumer advocates say Hurricane Helene inundated parts of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas, and now the estimated billions of dollars in damage are bringing Americans’ receding…
Homeowner says she needs new roof, insurer says no, just one shingle
Homeowner says she needs new roof, insurer says no, just one shingle

It started with Tropical Storm Debby back in August and more homeowners could find themselves in a similar situation after Helene. “My husband went through the house and came back and looked at me and said, ‘We got problems,’” Mary Barnes said. She says her…
New insurance insights from second series forum hosted by Center for California Real Estate
New insurance insights from second series forum hosted by Center for California Real Estate

LONG BEACH, Calif., Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The California Dept. of Insurance and other industry leaders gathered last week to continue statewide conversations around insurance challenges at the forum, “Securing California’s Insurance Market: The Path Forward,” hosted by the Center for California Real Estate.…
State Farm forecasts decline in California policies over the next five years
State Farm forecasts decline in California policies over the next five years

The drop is expected to be around 1 million Insurer State Farm has stated that it was expecting to see the number of policies that it issues in California decline by 2 million by the year 2028, following the financial issues it was encountering, as…
Hurricane Helene brings more losses to struggling insurance market, but no major turmoil expected
Hurricane Helene brings more losses to struggling insurance market, but no major turmoil expected

Hurricane Helene caused the type of widespread destruction that has roiled the U.S. insurance market in recent years, pushing premiums for property insurance in the most vulnerable states, including Louisiana… Read more
Preparing Vulnerable Communities for Natural Disasters
Preparing Vulnerable Communities for Natural Disasters

During September, which is also National Preparedness Month, CWS’ Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery (EPRR) team dedicated its time to equipping vulnerable communities in northern California with the knowledge and tools they need to survive a disaster. September is also a wildfire season, making the…
State Farm projects dropping 1 million policies in California over next five years
State Farm projects dropping 1 million policies in California over next five years

State Farm is projecting that by 2028, the number of policies it issues in California will drop by 1 million, as the insurance giant grapples with financial distress and pulls back from the Golden State. According to a filing submitted to the California Department of…
Homeowners scramble after insurance company hikes rates following major disasters: ‘Doubles down on the bad news’
Homeowners scramble after insurance company hikes rates following major disasters: ‘Doubles down on the bad news’

With prices continually rising, many people cannot afford to pay for insurance, making them vulnerable to financial damage as well as the risk to life that wildfires bring. What’s happening? The Washington Post reported that Allstate has been approved to raise insurance premiums by 34%…
State Farm Expects to Shed 1M Homeowner Policies in California
State Farm Expects to Shed 1M Homeowner Policies in California

State Farm, California’s largest home insurer, expects to cut 1 million policies to stay financially solvent. The Illinois-based firm, whose trademarked jingle is “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” expects it won’t be here for a third of its statewide property insurance policyholders…
How Hurricane Helene could have widespread consequences for homeowners
How Hurricane Helene could have widespread consequences for homeowners

When Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida on Thursday night, it made landfall in the state’s sparsely populated Big Bend, far from the glittering cities with expensive waterfront property to the south. But that didn’t stop Helene from becoming another multibillion-dollar superstorm. The hurricane’s massive size…
Home listings now come with their climate risks—and the results are terrifying
Home listings now come with their climate risks—and the results are terrifying
A Florida homeowner was dropped by his insurer over drone images of his roof — here’s how to keep your policy intact
A Florida homeowner was dropped by his insurer over drone images of his roof — here’s how to keep your policy intact

When Mike Arman of Oak Hill, Florida, received notice that his home insurance policy wouldn’t be renewed, he was furious about the reason. Despite 52 years without a claim, his insurer claimed his roof was deteriorating based on satellite images, without conducting an in-person inspection.…
Bonny Doon homeowners to hear from state on insurance crisis
Bonny Doon homeowners to hear from state on insurance crisis

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has accepted an invitation from the Rural Bonny Doon Association to speak at an online forum at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, on the home-insurance crisis facing residents of Santa Cruz County who live in wildfire-prone areas. “All of us…
What to do if you can’t get insurance in California
What to do if you can’t get insurance in California

While plenty of Californians will tell you there’s nowhere they’d rather live, many will also tell you they’re fed up with trying to get affordable home and auto insurance. Still, homeowners insurance is not optional if a house is mortgaged, and all California drivers must…
California Insurance Commissioner says ‘real change’ coming to homeowners insurance crisis
California Insurance Commissioner says ‘real change’ coming to homeowners insurance crisis

In the last few years, most of California’s major homeowners insurance companies have paused or limited business in the state, citing the rising risk of wildfire, the cost of rebuilding homes and what they consider burdensome state regulations. As a result, hundreds of thousands of…
Anguished homeowners struggle to keep their insurance
Anguished homeowners struggle to keep their insurance

Kerry McCalmont’s insurance company told her to cut down the majestic oak tree towering over her Glendale house if she wants to renew her homeowner’s policy. But there’s a catch. A city ordinance declares that indigenous trees are “natural aesthetic resources” that add “distinction and…
California’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy: What the most extensive insurance overhaul in 30 years means for homeowners
California’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy: What the most extensive insurance overhaul in 30 years means for homeowners

It was a historic summer for California, with 2024 bringing the most severe wildfire season in 16 years. The Park Fire, which began in late July, has burned over 400,000 acres and blazed its way into history books as the fourth-largest wildfire in the state’s…