Home insur­ance crisis shows signs of eas­ing
Home insur­ance crisis shows signs of eas­ing

When Cali­for­nia’s insur­ance mar­ket deteri­or­ated into a state of crisis, Insur­ance Com­mis­sioner Ricardo Lara sought to solve it with a bar­gain: He would give insur­ance com­pan­ies long-desired reforms that would make it easier to raise rates so long as they prom­ised to write more policies…
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know

When the January 2025 firestorms swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades they not only burned down homes but left thousands still standing riddled with smoke damage. The disaster set the stage for lawsuits by fire victims who alleged their homes were filled with toxic contaminants,…
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know
Testing for toxins in smoke-damaged homes could be mandatory. What to know

When the January 2025 firestorms swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades they not only burned down homes but left thousands still standing riddled with smoke damage. The disaster set the stage for lawsuits by fire victims who alleged their homes were filled with toxic contaminants,…
California’s FAIR Plan carries growing load as insurers retreat beyond wildfire zones
California’s FAIR Plan carries growing load as insurers retreat beyond wildfire zones

As another wildfire season approaches, California’s insurer of last resort is shouldering a rapidly expanding share of the state’s property risk, including in areas with relatively low wildfire exposure, as private carriers tighten underwriting and push more homeowners off standard policies. The California FAIR Plan,…
Dropped via Drone: Why Your Insurer is Scanning Your Roof Without Notice
Dropped via Drone: Why Your Insurer is Scanning Your Roof Without Notice

Linda Bennett lived in her Santa Ana home for decades without a single insurance problem. No leaks. No water damage. No complaints. Then a letter arrived from State Farm telling her to replace her roof or lose her coverage. Nobody knocked on her door. Nobody…
Homeowner hit with $1,200 tree repair charge after insurer’s ‘invasive’ drone flies over property
Homeowner hit with $1,200 tree repair charge after insurer’s ‘invasive’ drone flies over property

Lynne Schueler of Topsfield, Massachusetts, was shocked to receive the notice and terrified of the implications. She told CBS News: “It was very invasive, because they had taken a picture of my house without me knowing, which was really kind of crazy. “They were cancelling…
Amid climate crisis, insurers’ increased use of AI raises concern for policyholders
Amid climate crisis, insurers’ increased use of AI raises concern for policyholders

This article was produced by Capital & Main. It is published here with permission. William May’s home in Pacific Palisades was destroyed in the L.A. wildfires in January 2025. He’s still haunted by the memory of the “fireball burning everything in its path” on that…
Santa Ana homeowner says insurance company used drone to inspect her roof without telling her
Santa Ana homeowner says insurance company used drone to inspect her roof without telling her

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — More insurance companies are using drones to help decide whether to renew policies. One Orange County woman says she believes her home insurance company did this before telling her she needed to make some pricey repairs to her roof. Linda…
CA insurance commissioner Challenges facing next person to hold office
CA insurance commissioner Challenges facing next person to hold office

In November, Californians will vote for “the second-hardest job in the state behind the governor.” That’s according to someone who has held the job twice: John Garamendi, who was the state’s first elected insurance commissioner in the 1990s and served again in the early 2000s.…
Homeowners Urged to Avoid Underinsurance as Rebuilding Costs Rise
Homeowners Urged to Avoid Underinsurance as Rebuilding Costs Rise

A new study found that 74% of homeowners who filed insurance claims after the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado were underinsured by an average of $139,000. With rebuilding costs rising due to inflation, labor shortages, and natural disasters, homeowners are being urged to review their…
Homeowners left in lurch as insurance companies make dramatic policy change: ‘It does expose it and amplify it’
Homeowners left in lurch as insurance companies make dramatic policy change: ‘It does expose it and amplify it’

A year after devastating wildfires tore through the Los Angeles, California, area, many survivors are still dealing with insurance policies that won’t cover the full cost of rebuilding their homes. It’s a problem that has been quietly growing since the 1990s. What’s happening? For decades,…
Sonoma County homeowners who have dealt with damage after a storm on what to expect
Sonoma County homeowners who have dealt with damage after a storm on what to expect

Several weeks passed before Connie Cloak and her husband settled a home insurance claim they filed in August 2024 when a large tree branch fell and damaged their Santa Rosa home. The wait was frustrating. But, according to Cloak, hardly a reflection of an otherwise…
Insurance rates could go up under new homeowners bill
Insurance rates could go up under new homeowners bill

Under Senate Bill 876, Californians who lose their homes to natural disasters like wildfires would get the full cash value of their lost house paid to them by insurance companies. The new bill aims to ensure full compensation for homeowners like the ones who lost…
Will Disaster Insurance Overhaul Increase Protections For Future Survivors?
Will Disaster Insurance Overhaul Increase Protections For Future Survivors?

Hawaiʻi consumers would have additional protections folded into their insurance coverage after a disaster declaration if a bundle of new Senate bills introduced this session are codified into law. While the reforms would not provide immediate help to policyholders still navigating the labyrinth of insurance…
US homeowners face chronic underinsurance as LA wildfire losses mount
US homeowners face chronic underinsurance as LA wildfire losses mount

A year after the Los Angeles wildfires, many survivors still face the same hard math. Insurance payouts fall short of rebuilding costs. Homes stand gone. Coverage caps don’t stretch far enough. Multiple studies show many policies never promised full replacement, despite what policyholders often assume.…
Soaring profits are ‘fueling tremendous anger’ among consumers as insurance rates skyrocket across the US. Here’s how to keep a lid on your premiums
Soaring profits are ‘fueling tremendous anger’ among consumers as insurance rates skyrocket across the US. Here’s how to keep a lid on your premiums

An insurance premium that ratchets up almost $1,000 over a few years is the kind of unwelcome surprise that every homeowner dreads, but that’s what happened to Cliff and Laura Pasquello, now of North Carolina, when they owned a home in Pennsylvania. “We had only…
The 16% Homeowner Trap: Why Major Insurers are Quietly Canceling 2026 Policies This Week
The 16% Homeowner Trap: Why Major Insurers are Quietly Canceling 2026 Policies This Week

If you’ve lived in your home for a decade without ever filing a claim, you might think your “renewal” notice is a formality. But this week, thousands of homeowners in states like California, Florida, and Texas are receiving a different kind of letter: a non-renewal…
California fire survivors got a rude surprise that could hit more Americans
California fire survivors got a rude surprise that could hit more Americans

A year after the Los Angeleswildfires, many survivors face the same problem: Their insurance policies aren’t paying out enough to cover the cost of rebuilding. It’s a tragic predicament. And it will happen again when the next disaster hits. Since the 1990s, American homes have…