State addresses insurance issues
State addresses insurance issues

Homeowners who have faced difficulty renewing home insurance policies can breathe a little easier for now. On Dec. 5, state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one year moratorium on insurance companies not renewing policyholders, helping at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas…
Wall Street Could Make $1 Billion Off PG&E’s Bankruptcy – and Ratepayers Are on the Hook
Wall Street Could Make $1 Billion Off PG&E’s Bankruptcy – and Ratepayers Are on the Hook

PG&E’s bankruptcy is making some people very rich. Since the utility filed for Chapter 11 protection in January, lawyers and consultants have made a staggering $217 million. Big banks have netted $114 million in financing fees — and that number could top $1 billion by…
Do you know your home’s wildfire risk score? Your insurance company does
Do you know your home’s wildfire risk score? Your insurance company does

Do you know your wildfire risk score? Most people know they have credit scores that help determine whether they get a loan and what their interest rate will be. They probably don’t know that if they live in the West, they have a wildfire risk…
When Your Insurer Decides Your Home Isn’t Worth the Risk
When Your Insurer Decides Your Home Isn’t Worth the Risk

Homeowners living in areas prone to fire- and hurricane-related damage face another risk: getting dropped by their insurance company As if living through a string of deadly wildfires weren’t bad enough, some California homeowners were further burned when their insurers wouldn’t renew their fire-protection policies.…
State bans insurers from dropping policies in fire areas
State bans insurers from dropping policies in fire areas

Helping at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas in Northern and Southern California, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders Thursday. The action is the result of Senate Bill 824 in order to give temporary relief from…
The Observer: Moratorium issued on wildfire insurance cancellations
The Observer: Moratorium issued on wildfire insurance cancellations

Really good news regarding insurance companies cancelling homeowner policies in areas devastated by wildfires. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday, Dec. 5, issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders — helping at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas in California.…
State insurance chief bans insurers from dropping coverage of homeowners near Kincade fire
State insurance chief bans insurers from dropping coverage of homeowners near Kincade fire

The state insurance commissioner took a bold step Thursday to prevent property insurance companies from dropping a slew of homeowner customers, banning insurers for a year from canceling coverage for people residing in or near areas where the state’s 16 wildfires burned this year. It…
Wildfire insurance crisis leads commissioner to call for first-ever statewide non-renewal moratorium
Wildfire insurance crisis leads commissioner to call for first-ever statewide non-renewal moratorium

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders — helping at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas in Northern and Southern California, a news release states, but Nevada County residents will not be impacted by the…
Insuring the uninsured for wildfire risk
Insuring the uninsured for wildfire risk

OAKLAND, Calif. KGO) — Beginning on Thursday insurance companies doing business in California cannot cancel a homeowners policy in fire zone areas. The moratorium is good for one year. This action will help residents of more than 800 thousand homes in wildfire areas whose policies…
How Climate Prediction Tech is Reshaping the Insurance Industry
How Climate Prediction Tech is Reshaping the Insurance Industry

Nevada County sits in the Sierra foothills in the heart of Gold Country. Narrow roads snake through towering old-growth pine trees and cedars. Cal Fire has designated the county seat, Nevada City, and nearby Grass Valley as “very high fire hazard severity zones.” Right in…
Wildfires Likely to Boost California Surplus Lines Homeowners Share; FAIR Plan Expansion Questioned
Wildfires Likely to Boost California Surplus Lines Homeowners Share; FAIR Plan Expansion Questioned

Wildfires Likely to Boost California Surplus Lines Homeowners Share; FAIR Plan Expansion Questioned Premium volume from homeowners polices written by California’s surplus lines industry, although still small, has doubled over the past four years, seemingly pushed by an increase in wildfires in the state. Some…
California to beef up backstop for those losing homeowners’ insurance in wildfire-prone areas
California to beef up backstop for those losing homeowners’ insurance in wildfire-prone areas

California regulators announced on Thursday new protections aimed at helping the growing number of people living in wildfire-prone areas who cannot find adequate homeowner’s insurance. Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said that starting early next year his agency will significantly expand a state-created program that acts…
NEW extended deadline: December 31. How to apply for compensation for uninsured wildfire losses from the PG&E fund
NEW extended deadline: December 31. How to apply for compensation for uninsured wildfire losses from the PG&E fund

If you were affected by the recent (2015, 2017, 2018) Northern California Wildfires you have until 5pm on Monday, October 21st, 2019 December 31, 2019 (deadline extended!) to file a claim form to potentially receive compensation from PG&E for your uninsured losses. We encourage you to watch the…
Evacuated from the fires? Read this before you file an insurance claim
Evacuated from the fires? Read this before you file an insurance claim

The California Department of Insurance has been urging residents who were under mandatory evacuation during the Kincade and Southern California wildfires to see if they can file a claim for additional living expenses under their homeowners or renters policies. Most policies in California cover expenses…
Insurance Commissioner to Order Increased FAIR Plan Coverage Options
Insurance Commissioner to Order Increased FAIR Plan Coverage Options

Sacramento, CA…As wildfire risk drives more non-renewals of homeowner insurance across the state, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is taking action to help homeowners find adequate coverage to protect their homes by ordering the FAIR Plan to offer a comprehensive policy in addition to its current…
Kincade fire survivors gather for updates, resources at Alexander Valley Community Center
Kincade fire survivors gather for updates, resources at Alexander Valley Community Center

When the more than 200 Kincade fire survivors who gathered Saturday morning at the Alexander Valley Community Center in Geyserville heard a firefighter introduce himself, they filled the hall with applause. More than half of them had structures burned in the fire. Some lost entire…
Survey: One-third want to rebuild after Camp Fire, over 60% under-insured
Survey: One-third want to rebuild after Camp Fire, over 60% under-insured

United Policyholders one-year survey released Less than one third of the Camp Fire survivors who responded to a survey about their insurance claims a year after the disaster said they had decided to rebuild. Those who said they planned to rebuild their home was 28…
California to expand last-resort fire insurance plan for homeowners
California to expand last-resort fire insurance plan for homeowners

With more destructive wildfires burning California, insurance companies are increasingly declining coverage to homeowners As more companies refuse to provide fire insurance to homeowners in a state plagued by increasingly destructive blazes, California’s insurance commissioner said Thursday that a plan once meant to be a…