California insurance commissioner has plan for home market “crisis”
California insurance commissioner has plan for home market “crisis”

Ricardo Lara tells agents reform is coming with “relief” for buyers seeking coverage California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara did not mince words when speaking at a Realtor event this week on the difficulties facing homeowners in the wake of major pullbacks by State Farm, Allstate…
Insurance – ‘Surface waters’ – Roof
Insurance – ‘Surface waters’ – Roof

Where the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has certified a question asking whether rainwater that landed on the roof of a hospital and subsequently inundated the interior of the building constituted “surface waters” under Massachusetts law, the definition of “surface waters” does not include…
Save the Date! District 1 Town Hall
Save the Date! District 1 Town Hall

Supervisor Heidi Hall will be hosting a District 1 Town Hall on Tuesday, Aug, 13 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Nevada City Council Chambers, 317  Broad St. The meeting will feature Amy Bach of United Policyholders, a nationally recognized fire insurance expert and advocate. Topics…
Emergency preparedness focus of Poway Picnic with the Chief
Emergency preparedness focus of Poway Picnic with the Chief

Wildfire and emergency preparedness tips will be shared at free Picnic with the Chief event set for July 17 in Poway A Picnic with the Chief event is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 17 in Poway to help community residents prepare for an emergency…
Home insurance canceled in Oakland? Here’s what to do
Home insurance canceled in Oakland? Here’s what to do

Amy Bach of United Policyholders shares tips for homeowners who’ve received non-renewals and insight into the future of insurance rates in California. If you own a house in the Oakland hills, you’ve probably gotten one already or are dreading the day it will arrive in…
5 Signs Your Home Insurance May Go Up This Summer
5 Signs Your Home Insurance May Go Up This Summer

After watching Hurricane Beryl ravage Texas and parts of the Midwest this summer, you might wonder if insurance companies will be hiking home insurance rates the way they sometimes do after a natural disaster of this proportion. Following Hurricane Katrina, insurance premiums rose by 30%,…
Preparing for California’s natural disasters
Preparing for California’s natural disasters

Californians face a wide range of natural disasters every year, including earthquakes, wildfires, landslides and floods. In June, half a dozen earthquakes with a magnitude over 2.5 hit parts of Southern California in just one week. Around the state, at least six wildfires have burned…
Insurance Companies Are Using Drones To Monitor Homes — 4 Things They’re Looking For That Could End Up Costing You
Insurance Companies Are Using Drones To Monitor Homes — 4 Things They’re Looking For That Could End Up Costing You

If you’re a homeowner and notice a drone hovering around your house, don’t assume it’s one of the neighbors playing with a new toy. It could be your homeowners insurance company doing a little spying to see if your house and property meet all the…
Allstate in midst of requesting 34% insurance rate hike
Allstate in midst of requesting 34% insurance rate hike

Allstate has asked the state to approve an average 34.1% homeowners insurance rate hike for this year, the Department of Insurance confirmed Thursday . The rate hike request, filed in April 2023, was initially for 39.6%. But Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica-based consumer advocacy group,…
5 questions with Tahoe Truckee Community Organizations Active in Disaster
5 questions with Tahoe Truckee Community Organizations Active in Disaster

Even this week, with the Royal Fire, we’ve seen an example of the risk Tahoe faces when it comes to disasters. Nonprofits and community-based organizations are a key partner to the county when disaster strikes, often supporting vulnerable residents with disabilities or other challenges. This…
Insurance – Pandemic – Restaurants
Insurance – Pandemic – Restaurants

Where plaintiff restaurant owners filed a complaint over the defendant insurance company’s denial of their claim for the loss of business income sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic, a judgment in favor of the insurer should be affirmed under Verveine Corp. v. Strathmore Ins. Co., 489…
Home Insurance Rates in America Are Wildly Distorted. Here’s Why.
Home Insurance Rates in America Are Wildly Distorted. Here’s Why.

Climate change is driving rates higher, but not always in areas with the greatest risk. Enid, Okla., surrounded by farms about 90 minutes north of Oklahoma City, has an unwelcome distinction: Home insurance is more expensive, relative to home values, than almost anywhere else in…
United Policyholders available for hurricane recovery information
United Policyholders available for hurricane recovery information

Hurricane recovery and insurance questions? Road map to recovery help is available Tuesday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Greater Pine Island Alliance office at 10484 Stringfellow Road, Suite 2, St. James City. For additional information, contact Julitza Perez @ julitza@uphelp.org…
State Farm Requests Major Rate Increases Amid Escalating California Insurance Crisis
State Farm Requests Major Rate Increases Amid Escalating California Insurance Crisis

Mere months after its last rate increases went into effect, California’s largest insurance provider is asking for another huge hike. Earlier this week, State Farm’s California subsidiary submitted a request to the Department of Insurance to raise its rates by an average of 30% for…
‘We have no voice’: NC consumers sidelined as state and insurers negotiate new rates
‘We have no voice’: NC consumers sidelined as state and insurers negotiate new rates

As weather-related risks mount, companies are pushing for higher homeowners’ premiums in North Carolina. Policyholders are pushing back. Read more.
Calif. Long-Tail Ruling Continues Policyholder-Friendly Trend
Calif. Long-Tail Ruling Continues Policyholder-Friendly Trend

The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement & Gypsum, rejecting horizontal policy exhaustion, was the latest in a string of its decisions involving insurance coverage for continuous or progressive injury claims that favor policyholders, say Billie Mandelbaum and David…
State Farm seeking 30% rate hike for CA homeowners: Here’s what to know
State Farm seeking 30% rate hike for CA homeowners: Here’s what to know

Many California homeowners are concerned about their home insurance, and that anxiety ratcheted up on Friday when State Farm requested one of its biggest rate increases ever, a sign they may be struggling financially. “It’s critical to understand that nothing changes today for State Farm…
Opinion: In California, State Farm is not such a good neighbor after all
Opinion: In California, State Farm is not such a good neighbor after all

For decades, people have dutifully paid their insurance premiums, trusting that when disaster strikes, their insurance companies would stand by them. However, recent decisions by major insurers to abandon homeowners, renters and businesses across California, including in San Diego County, have shattered this trust. This…