California’s home insurance crisis, explained
California’s home insurance crisis, explained

Home buying for the nation is about to get more interesting, as the National Association of Realtors agrees to a seismic settlement that will abolish the 6% commission. In California, there is a home insurance crisis. The big three insurers — Farmers, Allstate and State…
Struggle for home insurance: Santa Rosa couple faces almost 200 rejections after cancellation
Struggle for home insurance: Santa Rosa couple faces almost 200 rejections after cancellation

The Melendys’ experience isn’t new, but it is part of an increasingly dire trend in California. Read more.
What to do if your California homeowners insurance company drops you
What to do if your California homeowners insurance company drops you

As more and more insurance companies quit doing business in California, many local residents are facing sky-high premiums or even the daunting task of finding new home insurance. Here’s some advice from experts on getting property insurance and keeping costs down. Organizations like United Policyholders…
California homeowners struggle amid state’s insurance market crisis
California homeowners struggle amid state’s insurance market crisis

People across California continue to struggle as many are being told that their homeowners insurance policies will not be renewed. A number of providers are now telling homeowners they live in high-risk areas that are too fire prone or “too densely populated.” San Francisco is…
State Farm dropping California policyholders
State Farm dropping California policyholders

Is it home break-ins? Wildfires? Why is State Farm planning to not renew some 30,000 homeowners and 42,000 commercial apartment policies starting this summer in both Northern and Southern California? “It’s an outrage that State Farm is dumping so many customers that have paid their…
State Farm to discontinue 72,000 California home policies due to “financial health”
State Farm to discontinue 72,000 California home policies due to “financial health”

Some State Farm customers will have to look elsewhere for insurance, after the state’s biggest insurer announced it would be discontinuing 72,000 policies this year. According to the announcement this week, 30,000 homeowner policies will not be renewed. They will also be withdrawing from offering…
‘In deep doo-doo’: Policyholders left scrambling as state’s largest home insurer retreats
‘In deep doo-doo’: Policyholders left scrambling as state’s largest home insurer retreats

This week, with little forewarning, more than 70,000 State Farm policyholders in California were unceremoniously informed that their insurance policies would not be renewed. Via a thin boilerplate letter, the state’s largest insurer gave little in the way of details to some 30,000 residential customers…
State Farm dropping 72,000 California home, apartment insurance policies
State Farm dropping 72,000 California home, apartment insurance policies

The Illinois-based company is one of several carriers that in the past two years have back off of or walked away from property insurance coverage in the Golden State. Windsor resident Julie Tyler is among the latest round of policyholders who was forced to find…
State Farm will not renew thousands of California insurance policies over the next year
State Farm will not renew thousands of California insurance policies over the next year

State Farm plans to continue scaling back on what it offers to policyholders in California. That includes homeowner and rental dwelling policies. (Previous coverage in video player above: Consumer advocates say other insurance companies can help after State Farm won’t take on new policies for…
California proposes rule that would change how insurers assess wildfire risk
California proposes rule that would change how insurers assess wildfire risk

Insurance companies in California currently use historical data to assess wildfire risk. A proposal would allow them to use catastrophe modeling instead. Read more.
Cost of homeowner’s insurance going way up for some in California
Cost of homeowner’s insurance going way up for some in California

Owning a home in San Diego County can be a dream come true for those who can afford it. But the dream is becoming increasingly more expensive, and that’s if you can even get insurance. The California Department of Insurance said 7 out of the12…
CALL KURTIS Call Kurtis Investigates: Escrow disaster leaves Antelope mom without full insurance after house fire
CALL KURTIS Call Kurtis Investigates: Escrow disaster leaves Antelope mom without full insurance after house fire

Theresa Ingraham paid for her homeowners insurance each month through her mortgage payment but learned that after her house fire, her AAA bill went unpaid. The mom of three is a fire dispatcher and overheard the call to fight the fire at her own home.…
An acre of land with an abandoned house: Time to call insurance agents
An acre of land with an abandoned house: Time to call insurance agents

Question: We want to build a house. There is a Bay Area lot for sale in our area. It is an acre. It is close to town. There is natural gas connected. However, it is in a high-fire designated area. Plus, the roads are narrow.…
He claims to have saved California homeowners billions. The insurance industry hates him
He claims to have saved California homeowners billions. The insurance industry hates him

Insurance industry groups have called it a “bomb-throwing bogus advocacy” group, a “publicity-seeking, dark money front,” and an organization out to protect its own “financial $elf-interest$.” These are the kinds of attacks that Harvey Rosenfield and Consumer Watchdog, the advocacy group he founded nearly 40…
Local expert addresses hot topic of home insurance availability
Local expert addresses hot topic of home insurance availability

The Via Farallon La Cuesta Firewise group hosted a Zoom meeting, open to the public, on Feb. 22, so that local residents could hear from a local insurance expert about the problem of home insurance nonrenewals. Joel Laucher, a Moraga resident who worked for the…
United Policyholders: February 2022 Events
United Policyholders: February 2022 Events

United Policyholders (UP) is offering a Roadmap to Recovery® Q&A workshop in February for survivors of wildfires in California. You can submit your questions in advance and UP will address them during the webinar. UP will also have two Survivor to Survivor Forums scheduled for…
Virtual town hall will spotlight ‘homeowner insurance crisis’ in Humboldt County
Virtual town hall will spotlight ‘homeowner insurance crisis’ in Humboldt County

As insurers abandon fire-prone areas, homeowners are hard pressed to find — and afford — coverage. Wildfires are increasingly common in rural Northern California, and many homeowners are having to rely on insurance coverage through the insurer of last resort known as the FAIR Plan.…
VIRTUAL TOWN HALL TO ADDRESS HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE CRISIS IN CALIFORNIA
VIRTUAL TOWN HALL TO ADDRESS HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE CRISIS IN CALIFORNIA

At this virtual Town Hall, participants will hear from experts from the California Department of Insurance, United Policyholders, University of California Cooperative Extension of Humboldt/Del Norte Counties (UCCE) and CAL FIRE, who will discuss on-going actions being taken to address California’s homeowner insurance crisis and…