February 21, 2025 L.A. homeowners fight insurers over smoke damage coverage after fires Clashes over covering smoke damage have become a growing issue in recent years as wildfires intensify and home insurance companies look for ways to limit their financial risks. Read more.
February 21, 2025 State: Home insurance companies can’t cancel policies based solely on aerial photos The department that oversees private insurance in New Hampshire has warned companies that it takes more than an aerial photo or two of a house to make decisions about issuing a policy. “The Department has received several complaints in recent months in which certain carriers…
February 20, 2025 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…
February 20, 2025 Calif. Subrogation Bill Sets Insurers Against Oil Cos. A California bill that would incentivize insurers to recoup disaster losses from oil and gas companies is being hailed by supporters as a novel way to hold large polluters accountable for… Download PDF to read.
February 19, 2025 NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications While the North Carolina Supreme Court’s recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 comes too late for most insureds to benefit, it should nonetheless have coverage implications far beyond COVID-19 claims, say attorneys at Robinson Bradshaw.…
February 19, 2025 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…
February 18, 2025 Fire insurance woes How do I get my insurance to pay for testing of my home for toxins after the fires that raged through L.A. neighborhoods in January? What if my insurance adjuster says they won’t cover a long-term rental? How can I get help navigating the claims…
February 17, 2025 Your insurance might not cover everything you think it does: Here’s how to check how much coverage you have As many as 3 in 4 U.S. homeowners could be underinsured, claims a recent CBS News report with policy holders urged ensure they are fully aware of the details relating to their respective insurance policy. Paying attention to the small print is also highly advised…
February 17, 2025 Climate’s unsolicited payout Rising weather extremes is destabilising the insurance industry, driving up premium prices and pushing insurers out of high-risk markets. The crisis is also spurring re-invention of insurance sector Probability is business-critical for the insurance industry. The insurer applies the “probability” factor to assess and value…
February 14, 2025 California Bill Would Force Insurers to Pay Full Coverage Without Requiring Itemization California’s insurance commissioner joined with state legislators on Friday to propose a new law that would force insurers to pay homeowners 100 percent of the coverage for belongings inside destroyed homes, releasing them from the mentally taxing process of listing every object they lost —…
February 14, 2025 What Defines a Constitutional Crisis?; California Insurer Gets $1 Billion Bailout After LA Fires 0:08 — John Nichols, National Affairs Correspondent for the Nation on the numerous unfavorable court rulings enjoining the Trump Administration and the defining characteristics of a constitutional crisis 0:34 — Joel Laucher, insurance expert and Program Specialist at United Policyholders explains the $1 Billion assessment…
February 14, 2025 Updated CalFire map shows increase in ‘very high’ fire hazard acreage in Northern California CalFire released a new map this week, expanding hazardous fire zones in Northern California. It’s part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order after the Los Angeles fires. Updated for the first time since 2007, CalFire’s new fire hazard severity zone map offers a resource in…
February 13, 2025 Insurers, Homeowners on the Hook for $1 Billion California FAIR Plan Bailout California insurance regulators have approved a request from the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, to get money from regular insurers to help pay customer claims from the Los Angeles Fires. The $1 billion will be collected from private insurance companies in…
February 13, 2025 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…
February 13, 2025 Climate-driven insurance crisis The climate crisis is costing us a lot of money — higher utility bills, higher health-care costs, skyrocketing housing prices in some areas and nosediving home property values in others. Climate change, as well as the pollution that causes it and the natural disasters caused…
February 10, 2025 Wildfire Survivors Get a Lifeline as California Pushes for Full Coverage Payments California Insurance Commissioner Calls on Insurers to Ease Wildfire Survivors’ Burdens A Compassionate Plea for Full Coverage Without Detailed Inventories California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is taking a strong stance to support survivors of recent wildfires in Southern California. Recognizing the emotional and logistical toll…
February 9, 2025 Higher rates, few options for Calif. home insurance Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group. Insurers pulled back from California after severe wildfires in … Read more
February 9, 2025 Inequity seen after wildfires in California 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…
