State Farm reverses course, renews OC homeowner’s policy after she questioned drone roof assessment
State Farm reverses course, renews OC homeowner’s policy after she questioned drone roof assessment

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) — There’s a positive update on the story of a Santa Ana homeowner whose insurance company told her to replace her roof or lose her coverage after using drones to assess the state of her property. She tried to challenge the…
IMPACT Report: Roadmap to Recovery® Financial Decision-Making Clinic
IMPACT Report: Roadmap to Recovery® Financial Decision-Making Clinic

United Policyholders (“UP”), in collaboration with the Financial Planning Association, Los Angeles Chapter, (“FPA/LA”) hosted a one-day Roadmap to Recovery® event that featured limited scope, in-person and online confidential pro bono (no charge) consultations with Certified Financial Planner® volunteers and a Resource Fair. The Resource…
After the Los Angeles Wildfires, 80% Of Victims Report Serious Insurance Claim Issues
After the Los Angeles Wildfires, 80% Of Victims Report Serious Insurance Claim Issues

When a wildfire destroys a home, most people assume insurance becomes the safety net that keeps recovery moving. In Los Angeles County after the January 2025 fires, many survivors found the opposite. A year later, large numbers were still displaced, still arguing with carriers, and…
The Replacement Cost Reality Check: When Home Insurance Safety Nets Fall Short
The Replacement Cost Reality Check: When Home Insurance Safety Nets Fall Short

On a crisp October day, Gershon and her husband were clearing limbs and burning leaves — a routine fall chore across the Northeast. They weren’t reckless, says Gershon. “We’re the people who look up the county codes ahead of time. Is there a certain time…
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…
Is your home underinsured? Here’s how to tell
Is your home underinsured? Here’s how to tell

Your house isn’t just a place to hang your hat — it’s also one of your most valuable financial assets. That’s why homeowners without enough insurance can face financial ruin when disaster strikes and they find themselves suddenly homeless and unable to rebuild. The problem…
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 bill proposes statewide rules for wildfire smoke insurance claims
California bill proposes statewide rules for wildfire smoke insurance claims

California lawmakers introduced legislation designed to standardize how insurers handle wildfire smoke damage claims. The proposal follows major fires that contaminated thousands of homes across the state. Officials describe the proposal as the first statewide framework in the United States addressing insurance claims related specifically…
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,…
Thirty-two Groups Urge Insurance Commissioner to Withdraw Proposed Intervenor Regulations; Rules Would Undermine $530 Million State Farm Settlement, Say Consumer Watchdog
Thirty-two Groups Urge Insurance Commissioner to Withdraw Proposed Intervenor Regulations; Rules Would Undermine $530 Million State Farm Settlement, Say Consumer Watchdog

LOS ANGELES, March 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A broad statewide coalition of 32 consumer protection, labor, senior, immigrant, low-income, and public advocacy organizations urged Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to withdraw proposed regulations that would significantly restrict independent public participation in insurance rate proceedings. The coalition…
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…
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act

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.…
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…
Homeowner blindsided with $20k bill after State Farm secretly inspected roof by drone
Homeowner blindsided with $20k bill after State Farm secretly inspected roof by drone

The shocking notice came after State Farm reportedly spotted the issue using an AI-powered drone without the homeowner’s knowledge. Now, experts are claiming that the company was incorrect in its updated satellite imaging. Linda Bennett, who has lived in Santa Ana, California, for decades, was…
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act
California’s next insurance commissioner will have ‘brutal’ balancing act

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.…