Los Angeles fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds
Los Angeles fire survivor is told State Farm’s $900K check on hold due to insufficient funds

Amelia McDonald couldn’t believe her ears. She had been navigating what she calls “a horrible experience” trying to get her claims paid by State Farm after the Eaton Fire burned down her Altadena home and ranch in January. She, along with her father, daughter and…
Resource guides and links for homeowners and renters
Resource guides and links for homeowners and renters

Understanding homeowner’s and renter’s insurance can be daunting, with more questions than answers. KCAL News is here to help provide resources to help answer those questions. It is all apart of KCAL Insurance Week: We’ve Got You Covered. Below is a list of organizations and…
Wildfire survivors are finding out they are underinsured after losing their homes
Wildfire survivors are finding out they are underinsured after losing their homes

As many as two-thirds of fire victims are uninsured or underinsured, according to the consumer advocates at the non-profit United Policyholders. Most people don’t know the ins and outs of their homeowner’s insurance policy, and even if they do, they often buy it and let…
LA’s fire hazard has grown. What does that mean for insurance?
LA’s fire hazard has grown. What does that mean for insurance?

If Los Angeles’s growing concerns about wildfires weren’t clear enough already, maps released by the state earlier this week confirmed the obvious: The county’s fire hazard has grown in the past decade. The updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps — published by the Office of…
Advocate answers questions about home insurance and wildfire recovery
Advocate answers questions about home insurance and wildfire recovery

After the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire destroyed and damaged thousands of homes across Los Angeles County, residents are being forced to navigate the complicated landscape of home and renter insurance. ABC7 Eyewitness News received dozens of questions about home insurance and wildfire recovery. Anchor…
CA Wildfires Vol. 5 – California’s Insurance Crisis: How Did We Get Here?
CA Wildfires Vol. 5 – California’s Insurance Crisis: How Did We Get Here?

In this vital episode of The Legal Lens Podcast, Angela Reddock-Wright speaks with Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, about the California insurance crisis, wildfire recovery, and what homeowners need to know about filing claims. Amy and her organization, United Policyholders, have spent over…
After the Los Angeles Fires, Many Won’t Get Enough Insurance To Rebuild Their Homes
After the Los Angeles Fires, Many Won’t Get Enough Insurance To Rebuild Their Homes

Nobody likes to pay their monthly homeowners insurance premiums. Or at least, we haven’t met anyone who does. But the protection of an insurance policy is worth the annoyance. That is, provided it actually pays out enough. Unfortunately, however, amid the rise of skyrocketing insurance…
For most LA fire victims, insurance won’t cover rebuild
For most LA fire victims, insurance won’t cover rebuild

“we fully expect it to be higher than two-thirds underinsured in la,” said amy Bach, the cofounder of United Policyholders, a public interest advocacy … Read more
Fire-ravaged LA areas faced high non-renewal rates for home, fire insurance before disaster struck
Fire-ravaged LA areas faced high non-renewal rates for home, fire insurance before disaster struck

State Farm’s request for an emergency home insurance rate hike on Tuesday was one of many troubling signs for California’s home insurance market. Now, 7 on Your Side Investigates has data showing how traditional residential and fire policies are becoming out of reach for many…
LA neighbors have vastly different rebuilding options due to insurance crisis
LA neighbors have vastly different rebuilding options due to insurance crisis

Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses. “I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has soul,” said Hamlin, a 51-year-old single mom with a…
What Southern California wildfire victims can expect from their insurance adjuster
What Southern California wildfire victims can expect from their insurance adjuster

Even with flames still burning in parts of Los Angeles County, total insured losses from the wildfires this month are already estimated at more than $30 billion, according to Goldman Sachs. The massive amount of damage dwarfs the previous record of $12 billion in insured…
What Los Angeles fire victims can expect from their insurance adjuster
What Los Angeles fire victims can expect from their insurance adjuster

Even with flames still burning in parts of Los Angeles County, total insured losses from the wildfires this month are already estimated at more than $30 billion, according to Goldman Sachs. The massive amount of damage dwarfs the previous record of $12 billion in insured…
What Los Angeles fire victims can expect from their insurance adjuster
What Los Angeles fire victims can expect from their insurance adjuster

Even with flames still burning in parts of Los Angeles County, total insured losses from the wildfires this month are already estimated at more than $30 billion, according to Goldman Sachs. The massive amount of damage dwarfs the previous record of $12 billion in insured…
Some L.A. fire victims are not getting claims advances as required by law, state says
Some L.A. fire victims are not getting claims advances as required by law, state says

Some policyholders who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires are not getting claims advances that are due to them, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara alleged Thursday. In response, Lara issued a bulletin reminding all California insurers that the law requires victims who have suffered…
Some LA fire victims are not getting claims advances as required by law, state says
Some LA fire victims are not getting claims advances as required by law, state says

Some policyholders who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires are not getting claims advances that are due to them, Insurance Commissioner Richard Lara alleged Thursday. In response, Lara issued a bulletin reminding all California insurers that the law requires victims who have suffered…
Paralyzed by heaps of post-fire paperwork? Here are 8 tips to get started
Paralyzed by heaps of post-fire paperwork? Here are 8 tips to get started

Wildfire victims face heaps of bureaucratic paperwork, including insurance claims, loan applications and requests for FEMA assistance. Completing such forms can be time-consuming and overwhelming. We spoke to psychologists and insurance experts for tips on how to get through it. With containment of the Palisades…
Los-Angeles Fires Push Insured Losses Beyond $20 Billion, Compounding Insurance Woes
Los-Angeles Fires Push Insured Losses Beyond $20 Billion, Compounding Insurance Woes

Nick Ramirez hunched over a screen in his Los Angeles insurance agency, watching a map tracking the raging wildfires engulfing clients’ properties. “Hayley—gone. Oliver, his home also went down,” he said, pointing to small dots in a fast-expanding sea of red.“I’ve been in the insurance…
How Los Angeles wildfires could affect California’s home insurance market
How Los Angeles wildfires could affect California’s home insurance market

The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test California’s efforts to stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace after many insurers stopped issuing residential policies due to the high fire risk. The wind-driven blazes that started Tuesday roared through neighborhoods…