California Home Insurance FAQs
California Home Insurance FAQs

The home insurance situation remains very challenging in California, there’s no sugar-coating it. The one bright spot in the recent announcements by three leading insurers that they will no longer sell new policies is that none of them are leaving the state or wide-scale dropping…
Wildfire Season is Here – Get Prepared!
Wildfire Season is Here – Get Prepared!

Summertime and the living is easy…except that wildfire season’s starting and the leading insurer just announced they’re not selling new policies in California. UP has been busier than ever getting useful tips out to residents of wildfire-vulnerable regions on reducing risk, being prepared and keeping…
What’s the RX for home insurance headaches?
What’s the RX for home insurance headaches?

Rising home insurance prices and shrinking availability have made headlines across the nation in recent weeks, but the situation is not news to UP. It has been developing regionally for years, and we’ve been contributing to solutions through multiple advocacy and consumer help workstreams. The…
As Fire Season Approaches, CA Homeowners Face Insurance Woes
As Fire Season Approaches, CA Homeowners Face Insurance Woes

As major companies stop selling new policies in the Golden State, rates are rising sparking fears of an insurance market collapse. The recent decision by the California Department of Insurance to allow Allstate to raise insurance rates for California homeowners is adding to insurance woes…
UC ANR: How Can We Navigate Changes in the California Home Insurance Market Due to Wildfires?
UC ANR: How Can We Navigate Changes in the California Home Insurance Market Due to Wildfires?

A wildfire shockwave recently hit California. Maybe you missed it. While there were no large wildfires threatening homes, and the air wasn’t thick with smoke like in the Northeast from the wildfires in Canada, a shockwave did hit. State Farm, California’s largest home insurance company,…
Advocacy Wins in Colorado! (2023)
Advocacy Wins in Colorado! (2023)

By Lisa Hughes, Marshall Fire Survivor and UP Local Liaison Team UP Colorado worked closely with Insurance Commissioner Mike Conway and Rep. Judy Amabile to enact new consumer protections this legislative session, and we were very pleased to join Governor Polis when he signed HB-23-1174…
Preparing your home for wildfire season? Here’s what you need to know
Preparing your home for wildfire season? Here’s what you need to know

As a relative newcomer to the North Bay, I’ll admit I didn’t know much about how to best protect my home from wildfires. But, experts tell me there are many misconceptions even among those who are more seasoned, informed and have lived through the trauma…
It’s getting harder and more expensive to insure your California home. What can you do?
It’s getting harder and more expensive to insure your California home. What can you do?

Consumer advocate shares homeowners insurance tips as wildfires make policies harder to get, more expensive Californians are finding it harder and more expensive to insure their homes in the wake of devastating wildfires across the state in recent years. Premiums are rising sharply, even with…
BACH TALK: Consumers need help (with shrinking property insurance affordability and availability)
BACH TALK: Consumers need help (with shrinking property insurance affordability and availability)

Americans today in hurricane, flood and wildfire prone regions (particularly in areas where there have been recent disasters) are paying much higher premiums and having a very hard time finding affordable property insurance options.  This is a national phenomenon that United Policyholders has been helping…
California Annuity Sales Rule Bill Faces Consumer Group Opposition
California Annuity Sales Rule Bill Faces Consumer Group Opposition

SB 263, California’s annuity sales standards update bill, sailed through the state Senate in May, with no opposing votes at the committee level or on the state Senate floor. But the ultimate fate of the bill is still uncertain because of ongoing strong opposition from…
Climate disasters make it harder to insure your home. Here’s what to know.
Climate disasters make it harder to insure your home. Here’s what to know.

Premiums are soaring and carriers are pulling back coverage, citing disaster risks. Climate change is a big factor, but there are others at play. Homeowners are bracing for hurricane and fire seasons, but with insurance premiums rising and carriers pulling back coverage in riskier states,…
Allstate becomes the second home insurer to pull out of California
Allstate becomes the second home insurer to pull out of California

State Farm announced a similar decision last week The question must now be asked. Will California homeowners be able to buy insurance coverage for their homes? Allstate has become the second major insurance company to announce it will stop writing homeowners insurance policies in the…
A Timely New Tool From a UP Partner
A Timely New Tool From a UP Partner

Patient, informed shopping has never been more important than in today’s property insurance marketplace. Consumers face a triple threat: Protection gaps, deductibles and premiums are all sharply increasing. This is happening due to financial trends, insurtech, disasters linked to climate change and insurers’ strategies to…
Insurance consumer advocate group unveils state-by-state guide to insurance legal rights
Insurance consumer advocate group unveils state-by-state guide to insurance legal rights

For Immediate Release:  March 13, 2023 Contact: Amy Bach, Executive Director SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2023 – United Policyholders (UP), a national insurance consumer advocacy non-profit, today announced a major expansion of its services. Insurance company claim adjusters are required to know and follow the…
UP alerts CA legislators to proceed with caution on insurers’ wish list
UP alerts CA legislators to proceed with caution on insurers’ wish list

California consumers have long enjoyed the benefits of property insurance premium savings thanks to the voter-enacted Proposition 103 rate regulation regime, and insurers have long decried that regime. United Policyholders generally focuses on helping consumers get treated fairly by insurers, avoid and solve coverage gaps,…
Catch UP on replacement cost estimates with Matt Everson and Bill Wallace
Catch UP on replacement cost estimates with Matt Everson and Bill Wallace

In this Catch UP segment, CA construction experts Matt Everson and Bill Wallace, authors of “The Claim Game” share how they helped wildfire-impacted homeowners get accurate rebuild estimates in order to negotiate fair claim settlements with insurance companies.  
How to Prepare For a Hurricane and Other Natural Disasters
How to Prepare For a Hurricane and Other Natural Disasters

It’s natural to worry about the effect of wildfires, floods and other natural disasters on your home. Get ready for whatever might come your way. As a resident of storm-prone central Florida for close to 40 years, Rich Franco is prepared for pretty much anything…
Marin lawmaker aims to protect home insurance for seniors in fire-prone areas
Marin lawmaker aims to protect home insurance for seniors in fire-prone areas

A bill introduced by Assemblymember Damon Connolly of San Rafael would prohibit home insurance providers from dropping coverage for seniors living in high fire-risk areas and would cap premium hikes. The bill, AB 478, would forbid insurance providers from dropping policies for residents 65 and…