March 2, 2024 An acre of land with an abandoned house: Time to call insurance agents Question: We want to build a house. There is a Bay Area lot for sale in our area. It is an acre. It is close to town. There is natural gas connected. However, it is in a high-fire designated area. Plus, the roads are narrow.…
March 1, 2024 He claims to have saved California homeowners billions. The insurance industry hates him Insurance industry groups have called it a “bomb-throwing bogus advocacy” group, a “publicity-seeking, dark money front,” and an organization out to protect its own “financial $elf-interest$.” These are the kinds of attacks that Harvey Rosenfield and Consumer Watchdog, the advocacy group he founded nearly 40…
February 28, 2024 Local expert addresses hot topic of home insurance availability The Via Farallon La Cuesta Firewise group hosted a Zoom meeting, open to the public, on Feb. 22, so that local residents could hear from a local insurance expert about the problem of home insurance nonrenewals. Joel Laucher, a Moraga resident who worked for the…
February 23, 2024 United Policyholders: February 2022 Events United Policyholders (UP) is offering a Roadmap to Recovery® Q&A workshop in February for survivors of wildfires in California. You can submit your questions in advance and UP will address them during the webinar. UP will also have two Survivor to Survivor Forums scheduled for…
February 23, 2024 California Legislature OKs Annuity Sales Rule Update The California Senate voted 37-0 earlier this week to give final legislative approval to Senate Bill 263, California’s version of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners annuity sales standards model. The bill would update California’s existing annuity suitability rules and require annuity sellers to act…
February 23, 2024 Coalition of Consumer and Senior Groups Urges Governor Newsom to Veto SB 263 SB 263 Harms Consumers and Undermines Vital Regulations Sacramento, California–(Newsfile Corp. – February 23, 2024) – A coalition of consumer and senior groups has sent a letter urging Governor Gavin Newsom to veto SB 263. Senator Bill Dodd’s (D – Napa) Senate Bill 263, sponsored…
February 19, 2024 Virtual town hall will spotlight ‘homeowner insurance crisis’ in Humboldt County As insurers abandon fire-prone areas, homeowners are hard pressed to find — and afford — coverage. Wildfires are increasingly common in rural Northern California, and many homeowners are having to rely on insurance coverage through the insurer of last resort known as the FAIR Plan.…
February 17, 2024 VIRTUAL TOWN HALL TO ADDRESS HOMEOWNER’S INSURANCE CRISIS IN CALIFORNIA At this virtual Town Hall, participants will hear from experts from the California Department of Insurance, United Policyholders, University of California Cooperative Extension of Humboldt/Del Norte Counties (UCCE) and CAL FIRE, who will discuss on-going actions being taken to address California’s homeowner insurance crisis and…
February 17, 2024 California Public Adjusters Legislative Conference in Sacramento, February 27 and 28 One of the easiest and best presentations I will make this year will be on February 27 at the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (CAPIA) Legislative Conference in Sacramento. The topic is “Update to Significant California Property Insurance Legislation Recently Enacted.” California public adjusters…
February 16, 2024 As Home Insurance Bills Go Up, Owners’ Coverage Is Going Down Frequent natural disasters and high inflation have led insurers to raise premiums, and forced many customers to pare back their policies. Robert Shiver’s bill for his homeowner insurance jumped from $3,800 in 2022 to $8,000 in July. “I remember opening the bill and, honestly, laughing,…
February 14, 2024 Leading Senior Groups Join Coalition Opposing SB 263 Senator Bill Dodd’s (D – Napa) Senate Bill 263, sponsored by the California Department of Insurance (CDI), was passed by the Assembly on Monday, February 12, without the implementation of key amendments proposed by consumer protection groups. The coalition of consumer groups opposing SB 263…
February 9, 2024 Bach Talk: CALIFORNIA HOME INSURANCE UPDATE – 2024 The following is an update on the California home insurance situation from the non-profit consumer organization, United Policyholders, (“UP”). UP is working hard to help California property owners stay insured and financially protected despite unprecedented availability and affordability challenges in the current marketplace. Insurers are…
February 9, 2024 Desperate California homeowners turning to the Fair Plan for insurance, but facing severe delays The delays are forcing them to go uninsured, so mortgage lenders are putting them on force-placed insurance, which can cost thousands of dollars a month Lloyd Messineo’s Simi Valley home is surrounded by beautiful hills. But those hills are now creating a problem. “We thought…
February 8, 2024 Caught in the Crossfire: One Homeowner’s Battle with California’s Overwhelmed Insurance System When Lloyd Messineo’s homeowners insurance was abruptly dropped due to wildfire risk, he found himself ensnared in a bureaucratic labyrinth. Turning to the California FAIR Plan as a last resort, he faced inexplicable delays and costly force-placed insurance. His story underscores a larger issue that…
February 7, 2024 Hurricane in California hits homeowners already facing insurance crisis This week’s hurricanes in California hit a part of the US that was already struggling with a home insurance crisis. Insurance costs have become too high in most of California, with some insurers leaving the market, unwilling to take the risks posed by the frequency…
February 6, 2024 Storms in California hit homeowners already facing an insurance crisis The storms pummeling California this week hit a part of the US already being battered by a home insurance crisis. Insurance costs in much of California have become exceedingly high, with some insurers abandoning the market, unwilling to take on the risk presented by the…
February 5, 2024 Bach Talk: An insured future depends on bold public/private innovation By Amy Bach, Executive Director, United Policyholders So far 2024 has brought more bad news for property owners, public officials, lenders and home builders on the insurance availability and affordability fronts with non-renewals, scant options and high premiums. Front page news across the country. Rate…
January 25, 2024 Increase your resiliency in the new year… If you own a home, we suggest putting “make risk reduction improvements” on your New Year’s resolution list. Taking steps to make it less likely that severe weather or a wildfire will damage your home is more important than ever. Insurers have added new coverage…
