News
State bill would mandate insurance for homeowners who reduce wildfire risks
6+ hour, 51+ min ago (777+ words) A bill requiring insurers to offer coverage to California homeowners who make their property resistant to wildfires was introduced Wednesday in the Legislature. The Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes Act would allow the commissioner to impose a five-year ban on…...
Lawmakers demand insurers explain tough requirements for payouts to wildfire victims
2+ week, 2+ day ago (1044+ words) One of the biggest complaints from victims of the January 2025 wildfires has been demands by insurers that they provide itemized receipts for personal property losses, even if their records were destroyed in their burned homes. Now, California Sen. Adam Schiff…...
Wildfire victims decry state law protecting utilities from cost of disasters they cause
1+ mon, 3+ day ago (1502+ words) A year after the Eaton fire, survivors and the state's electric utilities are clashing over whether state law should continue to protect the companies from the cost of disastrous wildfires they ignite. Southern California Edison says that with the help…...
Insured losses from wildfire, storms and floods hit record high globally
1+ mon, 5+ day ago (357+ words) Never before has the insurance industry faced such big losses tied to floods, severe thunderstorms and wildfires, according to a fresh study that links rising temperatures to increasingly dangerous weather patterns. Insured losses for so-called nonpeak perils " also sometimes referred…...
After L.A. wildfires, complaints about insurers prompt a flurry of bills - Los Angeles Times
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (1095+ words) Since the January 2025 firestorms damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 homes in Los Angeles County, fire victims have repeatedly complained that insurers have delayed, denied or underpaid many of their claims, with most still displaced. A year later, state lawmakers have…...
Courts rejects bid to beef up policies issued by California's home insurer of last resort - Los Angeles Times
1+ mon, 3+ week ago (816+ words) Retired nurse Nancy Reed has been through the ringer trying to get insurance for her home next to a San Diego County nature preserve. First, she was dropped by her longtime carrier and forced onto the state's insurer of last…...
Early adopters of 'zone zero' fared better in L.A. County fires, insurance-backed investigation finds
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (979+ words) As the Eaton and Palisades fires rapidly jumped between tightly packed houses, the proactive steps some residents took to retrofit their homes with fire-resistant building materials and to clear flammable brush became a significant indicator of a home's fate. Over…...
Insurers won't be forced to offer home coverage after measure dropped
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (645+ words) An initiative that would have required California insurers to offer policies to homeowners who fireproof their houses has been withdrawn after the backer of a competing industry measure similarly did so. The mutually agreed-upon move means the consumer protections offered…...
California’s insurance crisis existed long before the L.A. wildfires. Why wasn’t it fixed? - Los Angeles Times
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (1692+ words) California's property insurance market was unraveling fast in mid-2023 when the state's insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, landed in Bermuda for four days of elbow-rubbing with industry figures. The state's largest carriers were dumping customers by the tens of thousands and refusing…...
Contributor: Moving to a climate-disaster zone just to afford a home
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (868+ words) Picture this: You're looking to buy a place to live, and you have two options. Option A is a beautiful home in California near good schools and job opportunities. But it goes for nearly a million dollars " the median California…...