California’s largest home insurer to hike rates this year
California’s largest home insurer to hike rates this year

California’s largest home insurer will raise rates by an average of 20% this year. The California Department of Insurance approved State Farm’s request to increase rates for policies that are being renewed, a State Farm spokesperson confirmed. The new rates take effect March 15. “These…
Advice From A Fire Survivor: ‘I Learned A Lot’
Advice From A Fire Survivor: ‘I Learned A Lot’

Don’t rush into things, especially major decisions. You have plenty of time. I was a board member for Coffey Strong which was formed after our fire to help our neighborhood, Coffey Park, recover. I now work for United Policyholders, which is a nonprofit that has…
State Farm raising insurance rates 20% for California customers in new year
State Farm raising insurance rates 20% for California customers in new year

State Farm customers across California are facing a 20% rate hike starting March 15, 2024 after California Department of Insurance officials greenlit the insurance giant’s new rates. The announcement comes months after State Farm General Insurance Company stopped accepting new California homeowners as customers because…
Crisis on the Availability and Affordability of Wildfire Insurance
Crisis on the Availability and Affordability of Wildfire Insurance

At the California State Association of Counties’ (CSAC) annual meeting in November, where I serve as the County’s representative, I moderated an informational panel titled “Fire Insurance Crisis: How We Got Here and Where We’re Going.” The panel included Deputy Commissioner of Community Relations and…
Supervisor Hall Leads Discussion on Fire Insurance, Emergency Planning
Supervisor Hall Leads Discussion on Fire Insurance, Emergency Planning

Supervisor Heidi Hall took a leadership role at the California State Association of Counties’ annual meeting in November in Alameda County. She moderated the panel, “Fire Insurance Crisis: How We Got Here and Where We’re Going.” The panel included a representative from state Insurance Commissioner…
Urban wildfires may become more likely. A Modern West live panel discusses how to prepare.
Urban wildfires may become more likely. A Modern West live panel discusses how to prepare.

Urban wildfires in unlikely places are likely to become more prevalent as the climate warms, so homeowners across the American West should consider their immediate risk. That’s according to a panel of wildfire survivors and experts assembled for a Facebook Live event with Wyoming Public…
FAIR Plan insurance polices delayed as more homeowners turn to the ‘insurance of last resort’
FAIR Plan insurance polices delayed as more homeowners turn to the ‘insurance of last resort’

Mark and Alma O’Brien’s Napa County ranch dodged major damage in a grass fire, however it did not dodge all of the fallout. When ABC7 News spoke with them last year, their insurance company had dropped the couple’s coverage. “We have been trying to find…
Buying a house? Want to know if it floods? It might be hard to find out.
Buying a house? Want to know if it floods? It might be hard to find out.

Two weeks after Pam Sidman and her family moved into their new condo in Brooklyn in September, New York City got historic, torrential rain. That morning, her wife, Kelly, looked out their bedroom window into the yard and noticed water backing up by their son’s…
The Insurance Industry “Cries ‘Wolf!’” About Lawyers
The Insurance Industry “Cries ‘Wolf!’” About Lawyers

Decades of history has taught us that plaintiff’s lawyers are not the primary reason insurance premiums go up or insurance companies fail. But plaintiff’s lawyers are the shiny object that insurance companies point to as an easy answer to a complex problem. Again. There is…
Will climate change make your homeowners insurance unaffordable? Here’s what you need to know
Will climate change make your homeowners insurance unaffordable? Here’s what you need to know

With both premiums and sea levels rising, here’s how you can save money on homeowners insurance. Leigh C. knew that the homeowners insurance on her home in Black Forest, Colorado, an area just northeast of Colorado Springs, would be renewing soon. But when she opened…
As wildfire risk increases in Bay Area, communities are building back better with new technology
As wildfire risk increases in Bay Area, communities are building back better with new technology

For many people in California, memories of recent wildfires are vivid and painful. The same can be said for construction consultant Ed Nessinger, who can recreate the terrifying moments from recent wildfires in Sonoma County in chilling detail. “So the last Tubbs fire, I was…
Hawaii Supreme Court Rules Insurers Can’t Recoup Defense Costs from Insureds
Hawaii Supreme Court Rules Insurers Can’t Recoup Defense Costs from Insureds

An insurer cannot seek reimbursement from its insured for the cost of defending a lawsuit after learning that no coverage was owed unless the policy says it can, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled. “Hawaii’s stout duty to defend clashes with repayment,” the court said in…
Insurance In California Is Changing. Here’s How It May Affect You
Insurance In California Is Changing. Here’s How It May Affect You

For most people, insurance is the first line of defense against climate change. When struck by wildfire, flooding or other calamity, an adequate insurance policy can come to the rescue. It’s like a financial first responder, an ambulance full of money to help people back…
Advice from experts on securing property insurance and keeping costs down
Advice from experts on securing property insurance and keeping costs down

As another insurer leaves California, organizations like United Policyholders and the Department of Insurance have tips and resources to help homeowners shop for coverage and challenge nonrenewal. Before settling for the California FAIR Plan, make sure to exhaust all other options. The California Department of…
Another insurer is leaving California. Here’s what the troubling trend could mean to North Bay homeowners
Another insurer is leaving California. Here’s what the troubling trend could mean to North Bay homeowners

A subsidiary of Farmers Insurance has become the latest in a long string of companies to leave or limit coverage in the state since May, including Allstate, State Farm, Farmers and USAA. Yet another insurer is leaving the California market, affecting tens of thousands of…
‘Prompt action’ on fire insurance has yet to help California homeowners
‘Prompt action’ on fire insurance has yet to help California homeowners

While state regulators craft new regulations and consult with the insurance industry, many Californians are paying extra-high premiums — or going without insurance entirely. In September, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order for “prompt regulatory action” to address the plight of California homeowners facing…
Climate change is impacting the home insurance industry and damaging the housing market
Climate change is impacting the home insurance industry and damaging the housing market

When Michael Monaghan, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Sellers Realty in northern California, got an offer for a home in Bayside at the seller’s $650,000 list price in September, he told the buyer’s agent that the buyer needed to start looking for insurance…
10th Circuit rules Black Hawk casino’s insurance policy did not cover COVID-19 closure
10th Circuit rules Black Hawk casino’s insurance policy did not cover COVID-19 closure

The Colorado Supreme Court and the 10th Circuit have both found COVID-19 harms people, but does not damage property The federal appeals court based in Denver decided last week that a Black Hawk casino’s insurance policy, with limited exception, did not provide for hundreds of…