Class sues State Farm for manipulating homeowners with water damage
Class sues State Farm for manipulating homeowners with water damage

Insurer directed claimants to repair services it had under contract to hold down costs, class action states. A putative class action accuses State Farm Insurance, the nation’s largest property insurer, of willfully directing homeowners to substandard water damage repair services, bolstering the company’s bottom line…
The Big One Is Coming: Should Californians Get Earthquake Insurance?
The Big One Is Coming: Should Californians Get Earthquake Insurance?

In disaster movies, California gets hit hard: The Golden Gate Bridge has fallen umpteen times. Los Angeles has been flattened by megaquakes and monstrous destruction. And let’s not even talk about the damage wrought by cyborgs sent back in time to ensure a nuclear holocaust.…
Insurance commissioner, consumer advocate split over Allstate rates
Insurance commissioner, consumer advocate split over Allstate rates

In the California insurance world, activist Harvey Rosenfield and Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones have been longtime collaborators. Until recently. Rosenfield, a feisty consumer advocate from Santa Monica, wrote Proposition 103, a landmark 1988 ballot measure that turned the insurance commissioner into an elected position. It…
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today issued a notice to all property and casualty insurers doing business in California advising them that so-called “price optimization” in ratemaking is unfairly discriminatory and violates the law.Price optimization is used by insurers to set rates based…
Living in wildfire country? Make sure you clear a defensible space and update your insurance
Living in wildfire country? Make sure you clear a defensible space and update your insurance

There’s nothing like a mountain cabin for a great vacation getaway, a retirement home or simply a quiet and beautiful place to live. But the relaxed pace of living and the fresh scent of pine trees come with a risk — the threat of wildfires…
Who Should Have Earthquake Insurance?
Who Should Have Earthquake Insurance?

Listen to the audio online Download audio MP3) Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A passerby stops to look at a collapsed carport following the 6.0 South Napa Earthquake on August 24, 2014. Last weekend’s South Napa Earthquake is a dramatic reminder to Bay Area property owners that…
FEMA Inspectors Make No Aid Guarantees After Assessing Napa Quake Damage
FEMA Inspectors Make No Aid Guarantees After Assessing Napa Quake Damage

A lot of homeowners impacted by Sunday’s earthquake are wondering if they’ll get any federal help rebuilding their homes. Insurers are out in force at the Red Cross Center, but only 10 percent of Californians buy earthquake insurance. On Wednesday, inspectors from FEMA started surveying…
Getting a Good Insurance Settlement Takes Time
Getting a Good Insurance Settlement Takes Time

NAPA, Calif. KGO) –Many of the victims of this week’s Napa earthquake are already dealing with their insurance companies. Those that want the best settlement can expect to put in a lot of work. Getting a good settlement with an insurance company can be as…
Napa earthquake insured losses estimated at $2.1B, with wineries taking the biggest hit
Napa earthquake insured losses estimated at $2.1B, with wineries taking the biggest hit

BY MICHAEL B. MAROIS, BLOOMBERG, ZACHARY TRACER, BLOOMBERG, DAN HART, BLOOMBERGThe earthquake that struck northern California yesterday will lead to economic losses of as much as $4 billion, fueled by damaged wineries and shuttered businesses that rely on tourists.Insurers will probably cover about $2.1 billion,…
Department of Insurance responds to assist residents following Napa quake
Department of Insurance responds to assist residents following Napa quake

News: 2014 Press ReleaseFor Release: August 25, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Department of Insurance responds to assist residents following Napa quakeDepartment’s consumer services and enforcement teams on site to assist NAPA, Calif. – The 6.0 earthquake that struck the Napa valley in the pre-dawn hours Sunday,…
Should you buy earthquake insurance?
Should you buy earthquake insurance?

Last weekend’s magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Napa, Calif., may be easy to dismiss if you live outside the West Coast, but it should prompt homeowners coast-to-coast to check their risk to determine whether earthquake insurance is warranted, because the threat may be greater than you…
Insurance Coverage Likely to Get More Respect After the California Earthquake
Insurance Coverage Likely to Get More Respect After the California Earthquake

One of the most predictable aftereffects of a hurricane or earthquake, such as the weekend’s California earthquake, is a spike in interest by homeowners in getting, or improving, their existing insurance coverage. And there is a lot of room for improvement in California, when it…
Seniors win more protection with new annuity disclosure requirements
Seniors win more protection with new annuity disclosure requirements

For Release: July 23, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Seniors win more protection with new annuity disclosure requirementsBill sponsored by the Department of Insurance is signed into lawSACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today thanked Governor Brown for signing into law AB 2347 (Gonzalez) which…
San Diego fires prompt UP Special Alert
San Diego fires prompt UP Special Alert

UP Special Alert: Returning to your home after a wildfire If your home is close to a wildfire area and you’re returning to it after an evacuation order has been lifted, here is a checklist of things to consider: Visit the UP Claim Help library…
CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake
CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake

For Release: April 29, 2014 CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake But recent earthquakes show that Californians are uncertain about their insurance coverage Media Inquiries to CEA: D’Anne Ousley 916-769-5766 / ousleyd@CalQuake.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Earthquake Authority…
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California

Some people don’t need Earth Day to be reminded they live on a planet powered by the forces of nature.The recent string earthquakes on the Pacific belt may have hit home with California homeowners, who were already a bit shaken up by the 5.1 magnitude…
Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution
Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution

For Release: April 8, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In observance of National Retirement Planning week, the California Department of Insurance is reminding consumers about the importance of understanding what they are purchasing before signing on…
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2014 Notice to Consumers5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big OneEarthquake insurance can help residents repair, rebuild, or replaceLOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 5.1 La Habra earthquake was significantly more powerful than the 4.4 magnitude…