Community Advocacy and Impact Initiative Finalist: Reed Smith
Community Advocacy and Impact Initiative Finalist: Reed Smith

Reed Smith is one of the finalists of The Recorder’s Community Advocacy and Impact Initiative award. Read a Q&A below. Read more.
Insurance Commissioner candidates stump for votes at the beach
Insurance Commissioner candidates stump for votes at the beach

As wildfire recovery continues across communities including Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Altadena, the race for California Insurance Commissioner has evolved beyond discussions of premiums and policies into something much larger; a debate over who gets rebuilt, how quickly communities recover and whether California’s insurance system…
Whistleblower docs show State Farm’s decades-long strategy to deny claims
Whistleblower docs show State Farm’s decades-long strategy to deny claims

As anxious policyholders await a pivotal Oklahoma Supreme Court decision in a bad-faith case involving the now-infamous State Farm documents, additional revealing documents, compiled decades ago by a State Farm whistleblower with Oklahoma roots, have surfaced at the Oklahoma City office of attorney Charles Weddle.…
Oklahoma “Joan of Arc” Waged Prescient State Farm Battle
Oklahoma “Joan of Arc” Waged Prescient State Farm Battle

As anxious policyholders await a pivotal Oklahoma Supreme Court decision in a bad-faith case involving the now-infamous State Farm documents, additional revealing documents, compiled decades ago by a State Farm whistleblower with Oklahoma roots, have surfaced at the Oklahoma City office of attorney Charles Weddle.…
Insurance commissioner candidates float bigger California role
Insurance commissioner candidates float bigger California role

A few of the candidates vying to be California’s next insurance commissioner want to address the insurance crisis by having the state take a bigger financial role. Some of the problems they’re trying to solve include: Not all insurance companies will write new policies in…
Policyholders Win In Calif. Water Leak Precedent Ruling
Policyholders Win In Calif. Water Leak Precedent Ruling

Policyholder advocates in California won a significant victory on Thursday when a state appeals court said litigators can cite a recent ruling that could give legal guidance in disputes over whether… Read more
Two Coasts, Two Wins For Policyholders In Environmental Coverage Disputes
Two Coasts, Two Wins For Policyholders In Environmental Coverage Disputes

Two recent court decisions on opposite coasts have delivered significant victories for policyholders seeking environmental insurance coverage, establishing important precedents for coverage disputes… Read more Two recent federal appellate decisions – one from the Second Circuit, one from the Ninth – will be useful tools…
CA says State Farm violated the law in handling of insurance claims after Eaton, Palisades fires
CA says State Farm violated the law in handling of insurance claims after Eaton, Palisades fires

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Insurance giant State Farm may temporarily lose its California license after an investigation found it violated the law in its handling of claims from the 2025 wildfires. An investigation found the insurance company was slow to investigate and underpaid claims from…
State Farm May Lose Its California License. Here’s What That Means for Homeowners
State Farm May Lose Its California License. Here’s What That Means for Homeowners

California is pursuing historic legal action against its largest home insurer, but for wildfire survivors still waiting on claims, the question is whether that means relief In the aftermath of Los Angeles’ devastating 2025 wildfire season, California regulators have taken their most aggressive action yet…
The Good Neighbor is in the Dog House
The Good Neighbor is in the Dog House

According to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm insures nearly a fifth of all homes in the United States. Let that sink in. One insurance company holds the financial health of one fifth of all the homeowners in America in their hands. So the claim…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…