Calfire Wildfire Prevention Grants: Open 11/1/23-1/10/24
Calfire Wildfire Prevention Grants: Open 11/1/23-1/10/24

Statewide Grant Alert:  Calfire Wildfire Prevention Grants: Open 11/1/23-1/10/24 Funds for projects in and near fire threatened communities to improve public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Learn more here: https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants/wildfire-prevention-grants Thank you to Chief Berlant for sharing this opportunity with our WRAP working…
Spooky Insurance News
Spooky Insurance News

There’s lots being said these days about the negative impact on home and business owners of reduced competition and coverage and sharply rising premiums resulting from insurers’ reactions to climate change, technology and inflation. The marketplace dynamics and political forces in play in Florida, Louisiana…
Close to Home: Insurance crisis rooted in climate change, big profits
Close to Home: Insurance crisis rooted in climate change, big profits

Press Democrat Op Ed, by: Amy Bach In the North Bay today, and many other areas considered to be at risk for wildfires, we are in the grip of a serious property insurance availability and affordability crisis. Until fairly recently, most North Bay residents didn’t…
Insurance Access Emergency Hits Close To Home
Insurance Access Emergency Hits Close To Home

Across California, the cost of homeowners insurance is further fueling housing unaffordability. While many city households in California may still enjoy some of the lowest homeowners insurance rates in the nation, the astronomical insurance cost increases for residents, businesses and even public service agencies like…
Calif. annuity legislation must pass by 2025 to avoid ‘dual regulation’
Calif. annuity legislation must pass by 2025 to avoid ‘dual regulation’

California Senate Bill 263, which would make California the 41st state to adopt best-interest annuity sales rules, has stalled amid pushback from consumer groups. It is currently in the suspense file with the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and five consumer associations want it to stay that…
California Insurance Crisis: ‘Insurer of Last Resort’ Gets ‘Astronomical’ 1,000 Applications a Day
California Insurance Crisis: ‘Insurer of Last Resort’ Gets ‘Astronomical’ 1,000 Applications a Day

As a string of major insurers have pulled out of California or restricted business in the state, more and more homeowners have been forced to seek coverage from the California FAIR Plan, a fire insurer for high-risk properties. Last month, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said…
Insurance Crisis: Bay Area Insurance Company That Left California Leaves Arizona, Nevada
Insurance Crisis: Bay Area Insurance Company That Left California Leaves Arizona, Nevada

When CSE Insurance announced to its agents earlier this month that it was pulling out of California and would not be renewing its customers’ policies, the company was the latest in a long list of insurers exiting the state. Now, The Standard can report that…
Homeowners Flock to Last-Resort Insurance Policies
Homeowners Flock to Last-Resort Insurance Policies

Robert Dubie was paying around $1,100 a year to insure his Paradise, Calif., home before it burned down in a wildfire five years ago. He rebuilt it with a host of fire protections, but it costs 10 times as much to insure. He couldn’t get…
California Annuity Sales Rule Bill Stalls
California Annuity Sales Rule Bill Stalls

The California State Legislature is not moving forward with SB 263, a bill to update annuity sales standards that is supported by the insurance industry but has drawn fierce opposition from consumer groups. The bill sailed through the state Senate in May, with no opposing…
Local Organizations and Individuals Express Support for California Wildfire Insurance Companies’ Coverage Expansion
Local Organizations and Individuals Express Support for California Wildfire Insurance Companies’ Coverage Expansion

California wildfire insurance companies are expected to change their policies based on the sustainable strategy before the year ends in an attempt to provide more affordable insurance and safety from wildfire for residents, Politico reported. Local organizations and individuals also expressed their support and optimism,…
Mitigation Matters
Mitigation Matters

No matter where you live, if you’re a homeowner today, you need to do your best to maintain your property and take steps to avoid it being damaged or destroyed in a severe weather event. Why? 1) No place on earth is immune from risk…
New Jersey Supreme Court to rule on pandemic-related insurance exclusions
New Jersey Supreme Court to rule on pandemic-related insurance exclusions

New Jersey’s Supreme Court is considering whether an Atlantic City casino can get payouts from business interruption insurance for losses during the COVID-19 outbreak, potentially providing guidance for policyholders nationwide regarding the scope of coverage for pandemic-related losses. The state’s high court heard arguments Wednesday…
Will this plan solve California’s insurance crisis? This is what you need to know
Will this plan solve California’s insurance crisis? This is what you need to know

A week after negotiations to save California’s faltering home insurance market stalled in the Legislature, the state’s top insurance regulator unveiled its own plan to save the effective value of a swap for the first. which is the state insurer. Under the proposed regulations announced…
What to know about California’s plan to fix its insurance crisis
What to know about California’s plan to fix its insurance crisis

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement last month of a major home insurance overhaul is being met with skepticism in some corners over fears the deal will cause rates to rise for the average homeowner, even as Sacramento seeks to safeguard the marketplace for millions of landowners.…
As premiums rise, consumers need answers – some states are on the case
As premiums rise, consumers need answers – some states are on the case

As auto and home insurance premiums continue to rise across the United States, insurance oversight agencies are reporting a marked increase in consumer complaints and inquiries that seek to understand the reasons for increased pricing and what they can do to qualify for lower rates.…
What is Reinsurance?
What is Reinsurance?

What ( the #%!) is Reinsurance? And how does it impact homeowners insurance in California? The following was written by Joel Laucher, a former regulator and current United Policyholders’ staff member whose work is focused on wildfire risk reduction and appropriate insurance rewards for mitigation.…
California’s New Home, Auto Insurance Strategy Is Controversial. Here’s Why
California’s New Home, Auto Insurance Strategy Is Controversial. Here’s Why

It happened like clockwork. On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order calling for swift action to expand insurance coverage options for consumers. Hours later, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara outlined what he termed “the largest insurance reform” in decades. The regulation, to be…
California Insurance Carriers Can Use Disaster Models for Pricing
California Insurance Carriers Can Use Disaster Models for Pricing

California has reached an “historic” agreement with insurance carriers to modernize the way pricing is related to the cost of disasters in order to stem an exodus of the largest carriers from the Golden State. After seven of the top 12 insurance carriers in California…