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…
Wildfire Survivors, Consumer and Environmental Groups Slam State Report for Letting Utilities Off the Hook for Deadly Fires, Says Consumer Watchdog
Wildfire Survivors, Consumer and Environmental Groups Slam State Report for Letting Utilities Off the Hook for Deadly Fires, Says Consumer Watchdog

A coalition of twenty-three organizations — including wildfire survivors, consumer advocates, and environmental groups — today blasted the California Earthquake Authority’s (CEA) wildfire report for failing to hold utilities accountable for their role in causing some of the most destructive fires in state history. In…
Even Jane Kim thinks her run for Calif. insurance commissioner is a head-scratcher
Even Jane Kim thinks her run for Calif. insurance commissioner is a head-scratcher

Some people never really leave San Francisco politics. Jane Kim is one of them. After losing a high-profile state Senate race in 2016 and a mayoral bid in 2018, the former supervisor and progressive activist left office in 2019. She went on to work for…
Consumer Watchdog Claims New Regulations from Commissioner Lara Will Silence Consumer Voice in Insurance Rates
Consumer Watchdog Claims New Regulations from Commissioner Lara Will Silence Consumer Voice in Insurance Rates

Ignoring the protests of 32 consumer protection, labor, senior, immigrant, low-income, and public advocacy organizations, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued regulations that will make it nearly impossible for members of the public to scrutinize and challenge increases in home, auto and business insurance premiums.…
Bill to Extend Insurance Moratorium for Eaton Fire Survivors Clears Assembly Committee
Bill to Extend Insurance Moratorium for Eaton Fire Survivors Clears Assembly Committee

A bill authored by Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) that would give wildfire survivors in Altadena and other fire-affected areas more time before insurers can drop their coverage passed the Assembly Committee on Insurance this week. AB 2038, jointly authored by Harabedian and Assemblymember Rick Chavez…
Florida insurance commissioner says now is ‘great time’ to ‘shop around’ for better rates
Florida insurance commissioner says now is ‘great time’ to ‘shop around’ for better rates

Florida’s insurance regulators hosted a two-day industry summit in Tallahassee with a much more optimistic view of the future than in recent years. “I’m confident we are on the right track in Florida,” said Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky in his opening comments, kicking off the…
Who Controls Your Home Insurance? A High-Stakes California Race Could Decide
Who Controls Your Home Insurance? A High-Stakes California Race Could Decide

Few statewide elections stand to matter more this year than the race for insurance commissioner — the primary official tasked with stemming a wildfire-stoked home insurance crisis that has sent rates soaring across California. The insurance commissioner leads the state agency that approves rate hikes…
California insurance commissioner defends bill in face of strong opposition
California insurance commissioner defends bill in face of strong opposition

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday defended a bill that would make broad changes to insurance coverage after a home is destroyed in a wildfire or other disaster, which is facing stiff opposition from industry lobbyists. “Do you really think I would once again…
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know

When the January 2025 firestorms swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades they not only burned down homes but left thousands still standing riddled with smoke damage. The disaster set the stage for lawsuits by fire victims who alleged their homes were filled with toxic contaminants,…
California bill proposes statewide rules for wildfire smoke insurance claims
California bill proposes statewide rules for wildfire smoke insurance claims

California lawmakers introduced legislation designed to standardize how insurers handle wildfire smoke damage claims. The proposal follows major fires that contaminated thousands of homes across the state. Officials describe the proposal as the first statewide framework in the United States addressing insurance claims related specifically…
Thirty-two Groups Urge Insurance Commissioner to Withdraw Proposed Intervenor Regulations; Rules Would Undermine $530 Million State Farm Settlement, Say Consumer Watchdog
Thirty-two Groups Urge Insurance Commissioner to Withdraw Proposed Intervenor Regulations; Rules Would Undermine $530 Million State Farm Settlement, Say Consumer Watchdog

LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A broad statewide coalition of 32 consumer protection, labor, senior, immigrant, low-income, and public advocacy organizations urged Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to withdraw proposed regulations that would significantly restrict independent public participation in insurance rate proceedings. The coalition…
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.” That’s according to someone who has held the job twice: John Garamendi, who was the state’s first elected insurance commissioner in the 1990s and served again in the early 2000s.…