Key questions to ask when shopping for homeowners insurance
Key questions to ask when shopping for homeowners insurance

If you haven’t shopped around for homeowners insurance, experts say you should You’ve heard it pays to shop around for homeowners insurance rates, but price is only part of the equation. Policies vary depending on coverage limits, deductibles and exclusions. Here are some key questions…
Insurance companies are using drones to inspect homes
Insurance companies are using drones to inspect homes

If you’re a homeowner and you notice a drone flying over your house, it might be your insurance company checking to see if your home is meeting policy requirements. Insurance companies are using drones to take images of homes to avoid insuring high-risk homes and…
A “Flood” of Uncertainty; Massachusetts SJC Finds Policy Term Ambiguous
A “Flood” of Uncertainty; Massachusetts SJC Finds Policy Term Ambiguous

The highest court in Massachusetts recently held that term “Flood” and the associated phrase “surface waters,” as used in two all-risk insurance policies, is ambiguous in the context of water that accumulated on a parapet roof and rooftop courtyard, thereby negating the insurers’ attempt to…
Insurance expert weighs in on Missoula storm aftermath, claims process
Insurance expert weighs in on Missoula storm aftermath, claims process

With severe damage throughout the Missoula area after last week’s storm, some citizens may be wondering how much the repairs will hurt their wallet. Fallen trees on homes and caved-in fences are currently a common sight in Missoula, and insurance companies are receiving countless insurance…
Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance price due to wildfire risk?
Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance price due to wildfire risk?

In the past several years, homeowners across the state have been either burdened with extremely high insurance premiums or have struggled to find coverage at all. Wildfires have sent California’s homeowners insurance market into crisis and the situation is only getting worse. So far, 2024…
11 Investigates gets homeowner’s insurance reinstated for family almost dropped due to aerial images
11 Investigates gets homeowner’s insurance reinstated for family almost dropped due to aerial images

A local man from Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, reached out to 11 Investigates at a loss for what to do and just days away from having his homeowner’s insurance dropped. Bob Emerick was upset and angry and told 11 Investigates, he was left with few…
Home insurance experts say changes coming for California’s insurance crisis — with key tips for consumers
Home insurance experts say changes coming for California’s insurance crisis — with key tips for consumers

LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Important regulatory updates, coming by end of year, plan to provide homeowners insurance options to consumers, according to a panel discussion this week hosted by the Center for California Real Estate. Panelists offered important tips on specific actions…
Home insurance experts say changes coming for California’s insurance crisis — with key tips for consumers
Home insurance experts say changes coming for California’s insurance crisis — with key tips for consumers

Important regulatory updates, coming by end of year, plan to provide homeowners insurance options to consumers, according to a panel discussion this week hosted by the Center for California Real Estate. Panelists offered important tips on specific actions to take now to help better protect…
Auto insurance costs up nearly 20% nationwide. Here’s how to save | Dollars & Sense
Auto insurance costs up nearly 20% nationwide. Here’s how to save | Dollars & Sense

You’re likely paying more for auto insurance here in California than you were last year, according to new data. The Consumer Price Index shows auto insurance rates went up 20% from May 2023 to May 2024, based on the U.S. average. Amy Bach, executive director…
Climate change may have an impact on your homeowners’ insurance policy
Climate change may have an impact on your homeowners’ insurance policy

Amy Bach, Executive Director and co-founder of United Policyholders, joins Lisa Dent to explain how insurance companies are paying close attention to the uptick of severe weather, adapting to climate change, and applying it to insurance policy premiums when you file a claim. LISTEN
Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance price due to wildfire risk?
Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance price due to wildfire risk?

In the past several years, homeowners across the state have been either burdened with extremely high insurance premiums or have struggled to find coverage at all. Wildfires have sent California’s homeowners insurance market into crisis and the situation is only getting worse. So far, 2024…
California’s last-resort fire insurance could get big commercial coverage boost, home ‘hardening’ discount
California’s last-resort fire insurance could get big commercial coverage boost, home ‘hardening’ discount

Giving real estate agents a heads up two days before, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Friday more upgrades to the state’s insurer of last resort to address significant ongoing coverage challenges for owners of homes and businesses in fire-risk areas. Read more.
Want to bounce around on a trampoline? You might want to check your insurance coverage
Want to bounce around on a trampoline? You might want to check your insurance coverage

Surveilling you by drone, checking on your home sales listing and observing your address via satellite: Your insurance company might be sounding like a jealous ex. A trampoline in the yard or debris on the roof can also get you dropped from coverage these days.…
Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance prices due to wildfire risk?
Is this the solution to California’s soaring insurance prices due to wildfire risk?

In the past several years, homeowners across the state have been either burdened with extremely high insurance premiums or have struggled to find coverage at all. Wildfires have sent California’s homeowners insurance market into crisis and the situation is only getting worse. So far, 2024…
Policyholder Attys Cheer Justices’ Ruling On ‘Surface Waters’
Policyholder Attys Cheer Justices’ Ruling On ‘Surface Waters’

Like a bridge over troubled water, Massachusetts’ highest court laid down a rejection of the term “surface waters,” finding insurers couldn’t rely on the phrase to limit coverage to a storm-damaged hospital… Read more.
California insurance commissioner has plan for home market “crisis”
California insurance commissioner has plan for home market “crisis”

Ricardo Lara tells agents reform is coming with “relief” for buyers seeking coverage California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara did not mince words when speaking at a Realtor event this week on the difficulties facing homeowners in the wake of major pullbacks by State Farm, Allstate…
How will climate change and more severe weather affect homeowners’ insurance policies?
How will climate change and more severe weather affect homeowners’ insurance policies?

Climate change means more extreme weather—weather that could be like what the Chicago area saw last week with storms and tornadoes tearing through the area by the dozen. Experts say insurance companies are paying close attention, and the average person should be doing so too.…
Insurance – ‘Surface waters’ – Roof
Insurance – ‘Surface waters’ – Roof

Where the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has certified a question asking whether rainwater that landed on the roof of a hospital and subsequently inundated the interior of the building constituted “surface waters” under Massachusetts law, the definition of “surface waters” does not include…