Allstate gets OK to raise California home insurance rates by average of 34%
Allstate gets OK to raise California home insurance rates by average of 34%

Home insurance is about to get a whole lot more expensive for a lot of people in California. California’s Department of Insurance recently approved Allstate’s request for the largest rate increase the state has seen in the past three years. Homeowners’ insurance will go up…
California homeowners left scrambling as State Farm slashes policies and hikes rates — here’s what this could mean for you
California homeowners left scrambling as State Farm slashes policies and hikes rates — here’s what this could mean for you

The process was described as “ongoing with no timeline for when it could be resolved.” The ongoing climate crisis has increased the frequency and intensity of natural disasters like the recent Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, and insurance companies are pulling back coverage from the…
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…
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…
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…
Coverage shrinks, premiums skyrocket as wildfire risk hits OC multifamily complex
Coverage shrinks, premiums skyrocket as wildfire risk hits OC multifamily complex

At Laguna Village, insurance costs double while damage benefits drop 98% Laguna Village, a townhome community in Laguna Hills, is facing a severe insurance crisis as rising wildfire risks have drastically reduced its coverage while premiums skyrocket. Two years ago, the insurance coverage for the…
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…
The best way to protect yourself from the home insurance crisis is also the easiest
The best way to protect yourself from the home insurance crisis is also the easiest

There are countless expensive and arduous ways to protect yourself in California’s home insurance crisis, but brokers say the simplest and most effective may be this: Check your mail. It may seem obvious, but letting a piece of mail from your insurance company fall through…
Nosotros la Gente: FEMA – Dysfunction or distraction
Nosotros la Gente: FEMA – Dysfunction or distraction

My habitual optimism now faces an insurmountable conclusion concerning the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire Claims Office. When any governmental effort of that size, especially one with a clear and straightforward mission, remains in chaos two years after initial implementation, something is basically wrong. I have…
Harris used her big climate moment to talk about … insurance?
Harris used her big climate moment to talk about … insurance?

The vice president was asked one climate question at the Tuesday debate. Her answer surprised analysts. When Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about climate change at Tuesday’s presidential debate, she used an unusual example to emphasize its importance. Property insurance. Harris’ description of how…
Thousands turn out for Ember Stomp festival in North Bay to celebrate wildfire safety, preparedness
Thousands turn out for Ember Stomp festival in North Bay to celebrate wildfire safety, preparedness

As we head into prime wildfire season, thousands came out for a festival like no other in the North Bay on Saturday. Ember Stomp is a wildfire safety and prevention event, helping homeowners prepare for the very real possibility of a wildfire emergency. Freshly cut…