California enacts new laws to aid wildfire victims with smoke damage and mortgage relief
California enacts new laws to aid wildfire victims with smoke damage and mortgage relief

California is enacting new rules to help wildfire victims recover from the devastating effects. A new package of legislation, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in Altadena alongside wildfire survivors, directly responds to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in early 2025. One of the new…
Property insurance faces a new test as disaster losses accelerate
Property insurance faces a new test as disaster losses accelerate

Extreme weather is creating a more demanding environment for property owners, insurers, and communities. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the United States recorded 27 confirmed billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in 2024, resulting in a total cost of $182.7 billion. These…
First Steps After a Fire – Insurance Claim Help for Sea Spray Fire Impacted Residents
First Steps After a Fire – Insurance Claim Help for Sea Spray Fire Impacted Residents

United Policyholders is a nonprofit organization that is a voice and an information resource for insurance consumers in all 50 states. UP has helped guide disaster survivors on the road to recovery since 1991. This information is for residents and condo owners affected by the…
Last-resort home insurance surges as climate risks grow – Finance & Commerce
Last-resort home insurance surges as climate risks grow – Finance & Commerce

Surplus home insurance is rapidly expanding as traditional insurers retreat from high-risk areas, leaving homeowners with fewer protections. Read more.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.
The slow climb toward stability in California’s insurance market.

As wildfires blaze across Big Sur and much of the West, it might be surprising to hear news that the insurance market in California is showing early signs of stabilization. Katie Rodriguez here, sharing with you all a list of takeaways from a statewide insurance…
Why more homeowners across the U.S. are turning to an insurance that offers less coverage
Why more homeowners across the U.S. are turning to an insurance that offers less coverage

As climate-driven disasters make conventional homeowners insurance harder to obtain, Americans are increasingly being pushed into a fast-growing, less-regulated insurance market that can provide badly needed coverage but often at higher prices, with fewer protections and more restrictive terms. Read more
Exiting California’s FAIR Plan
Exiting California’s FAIR Plan

More than a year and a half after the devastating wildfires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades and four years mired in the state’s insurer of last resort, our reporter’s systematic fire-hardening measures have finally provided an escape hatch. In earlier articles, “An Insurance Journalist’s Perspective…
How to slash your hurricane insurance premiums by more than a third
How to slash your hurricane insurance premiums by more than a third

Home hurricane insurance that cost $1,000 annually three-to-five years ago could cost more than twice that today. These are sobering statistics for Hawaiʻi residents thinking about updating their insurance policies after seeing the wreckage left by Hurricane Lala this month. Natural disasters around the world…
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely

With the Bug and Stallion fires north of Reno already claiming homes, there’s a piece of advice being shared on social media by homeowners in nearby evacuation zones: If there’s time before you have to leave, document your home and belongings, however you’re able. That…
Tips for Consumers to Get Fair Insurance Treatment After the Washington State Wildfires
Tips for Consumers to Get Fair Insurance Treatment After the Washington State Wildfires

As survivors of the recent wildfires in the Spokane, Washington area begin the challenging process of finding temporary housing and rebuilding their lives, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and United Policyholders (UP) shared tips and resources to help residents get their homeowners insurance claims…
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely
As wildfires burn in Northern Nevada, insurance experts say document what you can — safely

With the Bug and Stallion fires north of Reno already claiming homes, there’s a piece of advice being shared on social media by homeowners in nearby evacuation zones: If there’s time before you have to leave, document your home and belongings, however you’re able. That…
Homeowners face growing home insurance threat beyond cost
Homeowners face growing home insurance threat beyond cost

Rising homeowners insurance premiums have forced millions of American property owners to rethink their household budgets over the past two years. A first-of-its-kind analysis from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) suggests that rising costs may be only one part of a much larger…
Why insurance matters to renters, landlords and California
Why insurance matters to renters, landlords and California

Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. A year and a half after the Eaton Fire, Gil Barel…
Omaha woman’s house burns down before they even move in. Then she learns what their home insurance covers: ‘It just doesn’t work like that’
Omaha woman’s house burns down before they even move in. Then she learns what their home insurance covers: ‘It just doesn’t work like that’

An Omaha woman recently realized that even if you have home insurance, you may not have the right terms to cover what you need. As 2025 was coming to an end, Conner Lukowski (connerrensch07) took to TikTok to share the horrible note on which their…
Four myths about insurance in California
Four myths about insurance in California

Many Californians have seen rising costs, less availability and are running into other issues with insurance — including delays and denials of their claims — in the past several years. As climate change increases the risk of wildfires and other disasters, it’s important to know…
The Aspen Acres fire has destroyed your home. When it comes to insurance, what’s next?
The Aspen Acres fire has destroyed your home. When it comes to insurance, what’s next?

With 319 burned homes so far tallied, the Aspen Acres fire is the most destructive Colorado wildfire by homes lost since the Marshall fire in 2021. In the intervening half-decade, lessons learned have put a legislative focus on the Colorado insurance landscape for communities facing…
How Austin’s Weather Affects Your Roof and What Homeowners Can Do About It
How Austin’s Weather Affects Your Roof and What Homeowners Can Do About It

Your roof works harder in Central Texas than almost anywhere in the country. It absorbs triple digit summer heat, punishing sun, and some of the most frequent hail in the United States. Texas has led the nation in major hail events for eleven straight years,…
Setting the Record Straight: Common Insurance Myths California Homeowners Should Know
Setting the Record Straight: Common Insurance Myths California Homeowners Should Know

Southern Californians have watched insurance costs climb, coverage options shrink, and claim disputes multiply in recent years, and much of what people believe about why is simply wrong. As wildfire risk grows alongside a warming climate, understanding how the insurance market actually works matters more…