Accountability

Los Angeles Times – Insurance commissioner rejects State Farm’s request for 22% emergency rate hike

By Lawrence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-14/insurance-commissioner-rejects-state-farms-request-for-22-emergency-rate-hike? State Farm General’s request for an emergency 22% hike of its home insurance rates due to the L.A. fires was turned down Friday by...

Los Angeles Daily News – California will pay part of FAIR plan’s $1 billion assessment

By Pat Maio, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/02/12/california-fair-plan-gets-1-billion-assessment-to-head-off-insolvency/ The state’s insurance of last resort is charging a $1 billion special assessment to private insurance providers, a move approved Tuesday by the...

Associated Press – California’s insurer for people without private coverage needs $1 billion more for LA fires claims

By Tran Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-insurance-fair-plan-dfb7cda506560ec50edee8ad72cbcda8 California's plan that provides insurance to homeowners who can't get private coverage needs $1 billion more to pay out claims related to the Los Angeles...

Cal Matters – California homeowners will have to fund half of high-risk insurer’s $1 billion ‘bailout’

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/homeowners-insurance-costs-rising-in-california-fair-plan/ After saying it would run out of funds by March, California’s last-resort fire insurance provider will impose a special charge of $1 billion on insurance companies...

Los Angeles Times – FAIR Plan to assess insurers $1 billion for L.A. fires; consumers may be on the hook for nearly half

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-11/fair-plan-to-assess-insurers-1-billion-for-l-a-fires-with-consumers-on-hook-for-nearly-half The California FAIR Plan received approval Tuesday from the state's insurance commissioner to assess its member companies $1 billion to help pay its Los...

New York Times – Power Lines Suspected In Eaton Fire

By Ivan Penn, THE NEW YORK TIMES https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/business/eaton-fire-power-lines-edison.html Southern California Edison said video evidence had led it to look more broadly at whether its equipment might have been the cause of...

The Center Square – Newsom weakens financial disclosure requirements for LA officials as relief pours in

By Kenneth Schrupp, THE CENTER SQUARE https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_3d184398-e34a-11ef-8404-af4bae061b9b.html (The Center Square) - California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order for Los Angeles fire "relief" includes provisions creating a 60-day reporting extension for required...

Cal Matters – State Farm asks for more insurance rate increases after LA fires

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/state-farm-insurance-rate-request-la-fires/ State Farm, the largest insurer for California homeowners, this week asked the state to approve “emergency” rate increases for insurance policy holders, saying the recent Los...

Los Angeles Times – State Farm seeks emergency rate increase averaging 22% after L.A. fires

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-02-03/state-farm-californias-largest-homeowners-insurer-asked-monday-for-an-emergency-22-rate-increase State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, asked state officials for an emergency rate hike averaging 22% on Monday, saying the Los Angeles County...

Mercury News – State Farm seeks 22% rate hike for California homeowners to cover Los Angeles wildfire losses

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/02/03/state-farm-seeks-22-rate-hike-for-california-homeowners-to-cover-los-angeles-wildfire-losses/ State Farm, the largest insurance company in California, has for its customers and the broader insurance market in the wake of the disastrous Los Angeles...

The San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm warns of ‘dire’ financial situation in California, asks for ‘emergency’ rate hike

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/state-farm-insurance-financial-20137020.php State Farm General, already facing financial peril before the Los Angeles wildfires, has asked state insurance regulators to approve an immediate price hike...

The Los Angeles Times – State senator retains key role over fire insurance laws despite cannabis corruption probe

By Anabel Sosa, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-01-30/insurance-committee-chair-corruption-probe State Sen. Susan Rubio, a Democrat from Baldwin Park, was reappointed last week as chair of the committee that oversees insurance-related legislation, a powerful...

San Francisco Business Times – Fire insurance is increasingly a problem for San Francisco homebuyers

By Ted Andersen, SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2025/01/23/real-estate-fire-insurance-los-angeles-wildfires.html The bulk of San Francisco homes may not be located in forested areas, but when it comes to fire insurance, that doesn't mean homebuyers...

CNN – New insurance rules mean homeowners throughout California are likely to pay more after fires

By Chris Isidore, CNN https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/17/business/california-fire-cost-insurance-premium-hike/index.html New York (CNN) - A recent rule change could cause insurance premiums to spike for homeowners across California, as the costs of the Los Angeles area...

San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm’s finances were a worry even before L.A. fires. Here’s what we know about its ability to pay claims...

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/state-farm-insurance-fire-20034384.php Months before the Los Angeles wildfires sparked, State Farm’s California arm was already in trouble, it told state regulators. Its policyholder surplus — the cash it has on...

San Diego Union Tribune – Home insurance was already hard to get. Then came L.A.’s fires. Here’s what San Diegans need to know.

By Lori Weisberg & Kristen Taketa, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/01/19/home-insurance-already-was-already-hard-to-get-then-came-the-l-a-fires-heres-what-san-diegans-should-know/ David and Peggy Blue were dumbfounded when they were notified last month that their home insurance would not be renewed because of...

Los Angeles Times – California’s FAIR Plan, the home insurer of last resort, may need a bailout after the L.A. fires

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-01-18/california-fair-plan-the-home-insurer-of-last-resort-may-need-bailout-after-fire-losses The California FAIR Plan Assn., the state’s property insurer of last resort, was born of smoldering ashes — not of a wildfire, but of one...

Bloomberg – LA Fires Test Bond Market Used to Shaking Off Disasters

By Maxwell Adler, Mark Chediak, and Amanda Albright, BLOOMBERG https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2025/01/16/la-fires-test-bond-market-used-to-shaking-off-disasters (Bloomberg) -- There’s a truism in municipal debt: Bonds rarely move on natural disasters. That long-tested concept had held up until fires destroyed thousands of...

Ohio Capital Journal – California fires show states’ ‘last resort’ insurance plans could be overwhelmed

Homeowners everywhere could get stuck with the bill when disaster strikes, experts fear. By Alex Brown, OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/01/17/california-fires-show-states-last-resort-insurance-plans-could-be-overwhelmed/ In the months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in...

Rolling Stone: Opinion – Insurance Companies Will Try To Exploit The L.A. Fires. We Can’t Let Them

OpEd By Carmen Balber https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/la-fires-insurance-exploitation-1235239102 They say they need deregulation to help deal with disasters like the wildfires. It won’t help homeowners Mother Nature exploded in Los Angeles this month with the most damaging...

Stateline – California fires show states’ ‘last resort’ insurance plans could be overwhelmed

By Alex Brown, STATELINE https://stateline.org/2025/01/16/california-fires-show-states-last-resort-insurance-plans-could-be-overwhelmed/ In the months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in flames, property insurance companies dropped coverage in many neighborhoods of the city, citing the...

Sacramento Bee – Bill meant to help stabilize California insurance market has support. When could it pass?

By Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article298552728.html A bill meant to help stabilize California's troubled insurance market has key early support as wildfires continue to cause devastation in and around Los Angeles.  The...

Wall Street Journal – Insurers’ Rule Change Puts California Homeowners on the Hook for L.A. Fire

By Jean Eaglesham and Sara Randazzo, WALL STREET JOURNAL https://www.wsj.com/finance/insurers-rule-change-puts-california-homeowners-on-the-hook-for-l-a-fire-88336040?st=j48Sbs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink ALTADENA, Calif.—A little-noticed rule change last year by California’s insurance regulator will likely shift a large chunk of the cost of the Los Angeles...

We Will All Be Paying For L.A.’s Wildfires

By Lois Parshley, LEVER & ROLLINGSTONE https://www.levernews.com/we-will-all-be-paying-for-l-a-s-wildfires/?utm_source=newsletter-email&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=newsletter-article Over a year before Los Angeles’ uncontrollable wildfires burned through neighborhoods once considered safe, the office of California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara quietly shared...

Lookout – Santa Cruz County agents say new insurance rules offer hope for homeowners, even as fires rage in Southern California

By Hillary Ojeda, LOOKOUT SANTA CRUZ https://lookout.co/santa-cruz-county-agents-say-new-insurance-rules-offer-hope-for-homeowners-even-as-fires-rage-in-southern-california/ Local insurance agents say they’re hopeful that planned new state regulations will allow them to write more home insurance policies, but say the future...

Politico E&E News – Every California homeowner could pay tab for LA wildfires

By Thomas Frank, E&E NEWS https://www.eenews.net/articles/every-california-homeowner-could-pay-tab-for-la-wildfires/ The Los Angeles wildfires could force California residents to pay billions of dollars to bail out the state’s teetering property insurance program, an analysis by...

ReInsurance Business – USAA leaders discuss rising insurance costs in California

By Jonalyn Cueto, REINSURANCE BUSINESS https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/reinsurance/usaa-leaders-discuss-rising-insurance-costs-in-california-520063.aspx In a recent CNBC interview, USAA’s outgoing CEO Wayne Peacock and incoming CEO Juan Andrade addressed the rising insurance costs and risks in California, amid...

Los Angeles Times – How the devastating Los Angeles fires could deepen California’s home insurance crisis

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-01-09/la-fires-property-home-insurance-crisis-fair-plan-lara-state-farm-allstate-palisades-eaton-altadena-wildfires When raging wildfires tore through Pacific Palisades and other local communities this week, they not only left a path of destruction reminiscent of a...

Mercury News – What the Los Angeles fires might mean for the Bay Area home insurance market

By Ethan Varian, Molly Gibbs, Jovi Dai, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/01/09/los-angeles-fires-home-insurance-bay-area/ The devastating wildfires burning through Los Angeles County this week are stoking concerns that California's already could be thrown into deeper...

The Center Square – Blazes could break California’s last-resort insurer; plans may not cover all damage

By Kenneth Schrupp, THE CENTER SQUARE https://www.thecentersquare.com/california/article_3f92d976-ce0a-11ef-9efc-bb80f6754a0d.html (The Center Square) - California’s fire insurer of last resort has long been on the brink of insolvency. Not only could FAIR customers –...

Los Angeles Daily News – Southern California wildfires add to growing worries about homeowner insurance

By Jeff Collins & Pat Maio, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2025/01/08/southern-california-wildfires-add-to-growing-worries-about-homeowner-insurance/ Wildfires spared Tim Scanlon's Altadena home as of Wednesday afternoon, even after devouring a neighbor's landscaping and torching several nearby...

Associated Press – How the wildfires in the Los Angeles area could affect California’s home insurance market

By Tran Nguyen, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-wildfires-los-angeles-insurance-6fbb51bd3060743da0638baf4cf2845d SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The wildfires that destroyed homes in multiple sections of the Los Angeles area will test California’s efforts to stabilize the state’s insurance marketplace...

CNN – California’s insurance is in crisis. The solution will cost homeowners a ton

By Chris Isidore, CNN https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/09/business/california-wildfires-homeowners-insurance/index.html Lynne Levin-Guzman stood in the front yard of her 90-year-old parents’ home in Los Angeles County, California, trying to protect it with a garden hose —...

Common Dreams – Amid LA Inferno, Home Insurers Under Fire for Policy Cancellations

By Brett Wilkins, COMMON DREAMS https://www.commondreams.org/news/california-wildfire-insurance As deadly wildfire incinerated more than 1,000 homes and other structures in Los Angeles County this week, insurance companies are sparking outrage for having recently...

Insurance News Net – Elias: New insurance law will work – for the companies

By Thomas Elias, INSURANCE NEWS NET https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/elias-new-insurance-law-will-work-for-the-companies The newspaper headline asked the proper question, but the story that followed missed the point. It read, "California's plan to stabilize its home insurance market...

UPI – New California regulations aim to ease insurance crisis in wildfire-prone areas

By Sheri Walsh, UPI https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/01/02/california-home-insurance-rules/6001735792977 New emergency insurance regulations in California will require home insurance providers write more policies, including in high-risk wildfire-prone areas, to ease the state's insurance crisis. The new state rules,...

Washington Examiner – California to require home insurance coverage be offered to high-risk areas

By Jack Birle, WASHINGTON EXAMINER https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy-and-environment/3273059/california-require-home-insurance-coverage-high-risk-areas-wildfires/ California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara introduced a new regulation Monday aimed at expanding coverage to areas at high risk of wildfires after insurers have limited options for those areas in...

The Washington Post – California will force insurers to cover fire-prone areas. But rates will rise.

By Aaron Gregg, WASHINGTON POST https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/12/31/california-home-insurance-wildfire-policies Insurance companies that pulled back from fire-prone areas of California in recent years will have to start covering those regions again if they want to...

Insurance Journal – California Commissioner Issues Regulation to Allow Reinsurance in Ratemaking

By INSURANCE JOURNAL https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/12/30/806461.htm California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday announced what he is calling the final step in his efforts to help the state's ailing homeowners insurance market...

Los Angeles Times – State takes final step to fix California’s troubled home insurance market

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-12-30/california-home-insurance-sustainable-insurance-strategy-lara-reinsurance-state-farm-wildfires The state released another regulation Monday aimed at easing California’s home insurance crisis that will allow insurers to charge homeowners higher premiums to...

Associated Press – California will soon require insurers to increase home coverage in wildfire-prone areas

BY  TRÂN NGUYỄN AND STEFANIE DAZIO, ASSOCIATED PRESS https://apnews.com/article/california-increases-home-insurance-wildfires-56486f80c0f5f5e63b90db06d230f1d1# SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Insurance companies that stopped providing home coverage to hundreds of thousands of Californians in recent years as wildfires became more destructive will have...

Mercury News – Home insurance; Liberty Mutual to pull out of state condo, rental insurance markets

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/19/liberty-mutual-california-insurance-condos-renters/ Even as regulators phase in new reforms to stabilize California ’s faltering home insurance market, Liberty Mutual plans to drop all its condo and rental...

Fort Bragg Advocate News – The Observer: Strategic plans and the insurance CEO’s murder

By Jim Shields, FORT BRAGG ADVOCATE-NEWS https://www.advocate-news.com/2024/12/24/the-observer-strategic-plans-and-the-insurance-ceos-murder/ Got a kick out of the December 17th Board of Supervisors agenda. Under the heading for the County Executive Officer’s report, was the following...

Mercury News – California’s Car Insurance Premiums Rise: Which Bay Area Cities Pay More?

By Jovi Dai, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/23/californias-car-insurance-premiums-are-rising-too-which-bay-area-cities-pay-more/ Over the past year, Oakland grocery store manager Ananda Neil has received updates on his auto insurance policy with mounting dread. When his six-month, per-mile...

Politico – Insurance commissioner Lara extends olive branch to consumer groups

By Camille Van Kaenel, POLITICO https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/12/insurance-commissioner-lara-extends-olive-branch-to-consumer-groups-00195147?site=pro&prod=alert&prodname=alertmail&linktype=article&source=email Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara expedited delayed payments to consumer advocates on Tuesday, escalating a power struggle within his own agency as he tries to entice...

LAist – With new homeowner policies, what will the future of CA home insurance look like?

Farmers Insurance announced that it will increase the number of homeowner policies it will write for new California customers from 7,000 to 9,5000. The insurance company is the second...

Politico – Insurance commissioner Lara’s attempts to rein in agency draw criticism

By Camille Von Kaenel, POLITICO https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/12/insurance-commissioner-laras-attempts-to-rein-in-agency-draw-criticism-00194902?site=pro&prod=alert&prodname=alertmail&linktype=headline&source=email SACRAMENTO, California — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is running into opposition from his own agency as he tries to entice insurers back to the...

Mercury News – California’s plan to stabilize its home insurance market is now law. Will it work?

By Ethan Varian, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/16/california-homeowners-insurance-fair-plan-wildfires/ California's plan to stabilize its is now law, meaning homeowners in fire-prone areas and beyond may soon have an easier time finding coverage. But consumer...

Los Angeles Times – California issues landmark rules to improve home insurance market

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-12-13/california-home-insurance-catastrophe-modeling-insurance-commissioner-laraa Landmark regulations intended to encourage insurers to write more policies in risky wildfire neighborhoods through the use of complex computer models were released Friday by...

Los Angeles Times – Farmers Insurance expands home coverage, saying market has improved

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-12-12/farmers-insurance-expands-home-coverage-saying-market-has-improved Farmers Insurance plans to increase the number of homeowners insurance policies it will write and begin offering coverage again for new customers in other types...

San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm to raise California car insurance rates by double digits for second year in a row

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/state-farm-car-insurance-19964552.php Drivers insured by State Farm can expect to see their rates rise by double digits for the second year in a row in 2025. On Friday, the insurer — California’s...

Mercury News – California’s home insurance crisis: Which Bay Area neighborhoods have lost the most coverage

By Jovi Dai, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/08/bay-area-neighborhoods-lost-insurance-coverage/ With its rows of tidy two-story, tile-roofed, stucco-clad homes and neatly trimmed shrubs, Carolina Villaseca's Brentwood neighborhood hardly looks like a tinderbox one spark away...

CalMatters – Will insurance fix cost consumers more?

By Levi Sumagaysay, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.bluelena.io/index.php?action=social&chash=ea9268cb43f55d1d12380fb6ea5bf572.1936&s=094c30deddea3da9ec06955877a782e6 California’s Insurance Department will soon implement new regulations to address the home insurance crisis that the state’s residents have been facing for the past couple of...

Los Angeles Daily News – Home insurance reform urgently needed in California, watchdog says

By Jeff Collins, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS https://www.dailynews.com/2024/11/22/insurance-reform-urgently-needed-watchdog-says/ A report by the state's Little Hoover Commission calls for action to stem the exodus of home insurance companies from California. California’s home insurance...

CBS 8 – California insurance fix will cost ratepayers more, per Consumer Watchdog

By David Gotfredson, CBS8 https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/california/california-insurance-fix-cost-ratepayers-more/509-373c92d2-97c1-480a-8694-d1b65ee3796a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4_MstIml04 SAN DIEGO — California's Department of Insurance has a plan to address the state's ongoing homeowners' insurance crisis, with the goal of enticing insurance companies to...

Insurance Business – California insurance rate-setting under fire in judge’s decision

By Kenneth Araullo, INSURANCE BUSINESS https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/legal-insights/california-insurance-ratesetting-under-fire-in-judges-decision-514349.aspx The Chief Administrative Law Judge (CALJ) of the California Department of Insurance has ruled that the agency’s handling of certain procedures under Proposition 103 does not...

Sacramento Bee – Congressman Calls On Lara To Step Down As Insurance Commissioner

By Andrew Sheeler, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article295607014.html California Congressman John Garamendi has called on State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to either do his job or leave. Garamendi, who served eight years as...

Politico – Insurance commissioner Lara intervenes in rate dispute

By Camille Von Kaenel, POLITICO https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/11/insurance-commissioner-lara-intervenes-in-rate-dispute-00189998?site=pro&prod=alert&prodname=alertmail&linktype=article&source=email SACRAMENTO, California — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is planning to settle a fight that could reshape how his agency reviews insurance rate hikes and that has...

Politico – Will Lara’s New Plan Work?

By  CAMILLE VON KAENEL, POLITICO https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-climate/2024/11/14/lets-do-the-bi-op-again-00189758?nname=california-climate&nid=00000189-315c-d8dd-a1ed-797dc9f10000&nrid=0000014f-890a-d780-a9ef-9d7a82c30000&nlid=2745178 IT’S HAPPENING: It’s looking like Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is going to make his self-imposed deadline of Jan. 1 to wrap up his new rules meant to bring property...

The San Francisco Chronicle – ‘He should leave’: Garamendi says Lara fails to take on insurance firms amid crisis

By Jordan Parker, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/he-leave-lawmaker-says-lara-fails-take-19917697.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=share-by-email&utm_medium=email U.S. Rep. John Garamendi said in an interview with a Bay Area TV station that state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara should step down if he’s unwilling...

PropertyCasualty 360 – Consumer group: State Farm bungled California reinsurance

BY Michael S. Fischer, PROPERTY CASUALTY 360 https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2024/10/31/consumer-group-state-farm-bungled-california-reinsurance/?slreturn=20241031150559 A Los Angeles-based advocacy group alleges that California's State Farm General unnecessarily bought hundreds of millions of dollars of excess reinsurance from its parent...

The Los Angeles Times – State Farm accused of funneling excess profits to parent as it seeks rate hike

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-10-28/state-farm-general-mutual-reinsurance-rate-hike State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, is being accused of boosting the profits of its parent company at the expense of state policyholders —...

The American Prospect – How Hurricanes Are a Profit Center for Insurers

By Robert Kuttner, THE AMERICAN PROSPECT https://prospect.org/economy/2024-10-15-hurricanes-profit-center-insurers To compensate for exaggerated expectations of claims, they jack up rates and hollow out coverage, giving themselves more profit than before. You might think that...

Los Angeles Times – Allstate receives approval for 34% increase in homeowners insurance rates

By Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-08-29/allstate-34-1-percent-rate-increase-homeowners-insurance Allstate has received approval to raise its California homeowners insurance premiums by an average of 34% starting in November — the largest rate increase this...

ABC10 – Sustainable Insurance Strategy: The plan to save California’s home insurance market

By Alex Bell, ABC10 https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sustainable-insurance-strategy-the-plan-california-home-insurance/103-58526888-297f-4634-8cd2-7dec5f686b72 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is promoting the biggest overhaul to the state’s insurance market in 35 years, calling it the Sustainable Insurance Strategy.  Its goals...

ABC 10 – What is California doing to solve the homeowners insurance crisis?

By Becca Habegger, ABC10 https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california-solving-homeowners-insurance-crisis/103-93220208-5403-44c6-9135-1276ecd74fb7 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As insurance companies have paused or limited business in California in recent years, hundreds of thousands of homeowners have found themselves dropped from their...

Spectrum News 1 – California officials propose insurance changes as homeowners and fire victims struggle with non-renewals

BY CATALINA VILLEGAS, SPECTRUM NEWS 1 https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/southern-california/public-safety/2024/10/05/homeowners-insurance-issues-for-fire-victims From the ashes, they rebuilt, but just as they thought the saga was ending, a new front: “Now we’re fighting the next battle with the...

Politico – Sactown Squabbles

By DUSTIN GARDINER and LARA KORTE, POLITICO https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2024/10/07/lisa-middleton-isnt-talking-about-making-history-00182662 A newly resurfaced video has reignited a feud between two of Sacramento’s feistiest political actors. Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, is lambasting longtime Democratic consultant Steve Maviglio over...

Insurance Business – Consumer Watchdog condemns amendments to California insurance hike rules

By Kenneth Araullo, INSURANCE BUSINESS https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/property/consumer-watchdog-condemns-amendments-to-california-insurance-hike-rules-508253.aspx Consumer Watchdog criticized the recent amendments to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s proposed regulations, stating that they still do not address coverage issues for policyholders who...

Enterprise-Record – Lara, Newsom Bent On Enriching Insurance Companies

By Thomas Elias, ENTERPRISE-RECORD https://www.chicoer.com/2024/09/25/lara-newsom-bent-on-enriching-insurance-companies-california-focus/ From the way they’re acting, it’s clear Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara believe they have no choice other than caving in to...

Digital Insurance – California homeowners dropped by insurers tell Assembly their plight

By Michael Shashoua, DIGITAL INSURANCE https://www.dig-in.com/news/californians-dropped-by-insurers-testify-to-state-officials Two Californians who lost insurance coverage because of wildfire risk shared their stories with the California Assembly Insurance Committee in its hearing on rate reform on September 17, as well...

San Francisco Chronicle – As California’s home insurance crisis worsens, homeowners shouldn’t count on new legislation to help

By Molly Burke and Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/home-insurance-california-bill-19743241.php This year may go down as the most impactful for insurance regulations in California in more than three decades. But...

San Francisco Chronicle – California will create nation’s first public model to predict insurance wildfire losses

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/home-insurance-wildfire-model-19768876.php California regulators and academic researchers have launched a partnership to develop what they say would be the nation’s first public model for predicting wildfire losses. Private...

Orange County Register – Homeowners join consumer advocates in assailing California insurance reforms

By Jeff Collins, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER https://www.ocregister.com/2024/09/17/homeowners-join-consumer-advocates-in-assailing-california-insurance-reforms/ Minutes before a top insurance regulator outlined reforms to stem an exodus of insurance companies from California, homeowners and consumer advocates assailed those plans...

Los Angeles Times – Insurance commissioner defends homeowners plan blasted by consumer group

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-09-17/insurance-commissioner-testifies-in-l-a-amid-homeowners-protest Bruce Breslau has lived in his Chatsworth condo since 2009 and figures that last year he and his partner paid $1,200 in fees to help...

San Francisco Chronicle – State Farm’s ‘unprecedented’ rate request in California gives new insight into plans to avoid insolvency

By Megan Fan Munce, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/state-farm-home-insurance-19753446.php State Farm General, California’s largest home insurer, says it does not plan to lower executives’ pay or seek relief from its parent company even...

Digital Insurance – How wildfires became a burning issue for insurance professionals 

By Courtney Hoff Dockerty, DIGITAL INSURANCE https://www.dig-in.com/list/how-wildfires-became-a-burning-issue-for-insurance-professionals Climate change has increased the frequency and severity of wildfires, especially in the western part of the United States, with more than 2.6 million homes...

Washington Post – As wildfire risks intensify, California insurance rates keep rising

By Brianna Sacks, WASHINGTON POST https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/08/29/california-insurance-wildfires-allstate California insurance officials have approved Allstate’s request to raise insurance rates for homeowners by an average of about 34 percent. It’sthe largest premium hike of any...

KTLA 5 – Allstate approved for 34.1% rate hike in California, affecting over 350,000 policyholders

By Iman Palm, KTLA 5 https://ktla.com/news/california/allstate-approved-for-34-1-rate-hike-in-california-affecting-over-350000-policyholders Allstate, one of California’s largest insurers, is set to raise rates by an average of 34.1% after receiving approval from the California Department of Insurance. The rate hike would...

ABC 7 News – Allstate homeowners insurance rate to increase an average of 34%, state’s largest spike in 3 years

By Marc Cota-Robles, ABC 7 NEWS https://abc7.com/post/allstate-homeowners-insurance-rate-increase-average-34-states-largest-spike-3-years/15248375 LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- California's Department of Insurance has approved Allstate's request for the largest rate increase in the state -- more than any major insurer in...

Los Angeles Times – Allstate receives approval for 34% increase in homeowners insurance rates

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-08-29/allstate-34-1-percent-rate-increase-homeowners-insurance Allstate has received approval to raise its California homeowners insurance premiums by an average of 34% starting in November - the largest rate increase...

The Mercury News – Bay Area Allstate customers to see home insurance premiums spike

By Kate Talerico, MERCURY NEWS https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/08/29/bay-area-allstate-customers-to-see-home-insurance-premiums-spike/ State regulators gave approval for Allstate to for California customers by an average of 34%, the largest increase of a major insurer in the last...

The Hill – California weighs sweeping reforms in insurance regulations, amid mounting wildfire risk

By Sharon Udasin, THE HILL https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4844968-california-wildfires-insurance-reform-proposal The raging wildfires that have become a mainstay in certain California communities are not only devastating family dwellings — they are also impeding Californians from...

ABC 7 News- Brace for impact, California drivers! Car insurance rates set to skyrocket. Here’s why

By Rob Hayes, ABC 7 NEWS https://abc7news.com/post/brace-impact-california-drivers-car-insurance-rates-are-skyrocketing-heres-what-need-know/15194492 LOS ANGELES -- Auto insurance has been skyrocketing across the country, and California drivers need to brace for an even bigger jump by the...

Insurance Journal – The Future is Uninsurable? Hardly

By Jerry Theodorou, INSURANCE JOURNAL https://www.insurancejournal.com/blogs/right-street/2024/08/12/788094.htm In recent months the dynamic markings for voices asserting the insurance industry is not up to challenges posed by climate change have gone from mezzo-piano...

Insurance Business – State regulator to fast-track reviews of home insurance rate hikes

By Grant Funtila, INSURANCE BUSINESS https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/state-regulator-to-fasttrack-reviews-of-home-insurance-rate-hikes-500995.aspx Following delays in legislative efforts to address the review process for home insurance rate hikes, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has taken action to expedite the...

San Diego Union-Tribune – California consumer group can intervene in insurance rate cases, after state’s unusual invitation to challenges

A usually routine annual certification had been delayed by regulators, in what Consumer Watchdog charged was retaliation. By Jeff McDonald, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/08/07/consumer-group-can-intervene-in-insurance-rate-cases-after-states-unusual-invitation-to-challenges/ Consumer Watchdog, the Los Angeles group that has...

Sacramento Bee – Consumer Watchdog Notches A Win

By Stephen Hobbs, SACRAMENTO BEE https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article290769544.html Consumer Watchdog, the outspoken advocacy organization that often challenges insurance companies trying to raise prices for automobile and home coverage, came away with a win...

Politico – Insurance commissioner allows Consumer Watchdog to continue intervening in wildfire rate cases

By, Camille Von Kaenel, POLITICO https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/08/insurance-commissioner-allows-advocacy-group-to-continue-intervening-but-not-without-criticism-00172709?source=email SACRAMENTO, California — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved advocacy group Consumer Watchdog’s status to intervene in rate reviews after an unprecedented back-and-forth with insurance companies critical...

Insurance Newsnet – Allstate in midst of requesting 34% insurance rate hike

By Susan Wood, INSURANCE NEWSNET https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/allstate-in-midst-of-requesting-34-insurance-rate-hike#:~:text=Allstate%20has%20asked%20the%20state,advocacy%20group%2C%20petitioned%20to%20intervene. Allstate has asked the state to approve an average 34.1% homeowners insurance rate hike for this year, the Department of Insurance confirmed Thursday. The rate hike request,...

Insurance Business – State Farm slammed over multi-billion ‘policyholder bailout’

Citizen organization calls for public hearing By Terry Gangcuangco, INSURANCE BUSINESS Consumer Watchdog has called on California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to convene a public hearing regarding State Farm’s proposed 30% hike in...

Los Angeles Times – L.A. consumer group calls FAIR Plan insurance reforms an industry ‘bailout’

By Laurence Darmiento, LOS ANGELES TIMES https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-07-30/fair-plan-reform-homeowners-insurance-ricardo-lara-consumer-watchdog A new law that could force homeowners across California to cover billions of dollars of insurer losses caused by a catastrophic wildfire is generating pushback...

CalMatters – Park Fire explodes up list of biggest California wildfires

By Lynn La, CALMATTERS https://calmatters.org/newsletter/park-fire-california-wildfires Park Fire — the largest wildfire in California this year, and one of the largest fires in the state’s history — continues to rage, burning more than 360,000 acres....

The San Francisco Chronicle – New agreement limits what policyholders would pay to bail out California’s ‘insurer of last resort’

By Megan Fan Munce, THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/insurance-fair-plan-wildfire-19597701.php With California fire season already off to a dire start, new reforms seek to spell out just how much the state's insurance policyholders...

Courthouse News Service – California insurance commissioner unveils changes to state’s ‘insurer of last resort’

By Alan Riquelmy, COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE https://www.courthousenews.com/california-insurance-commissioner-unveils-changes-to-states-insurer-of-last-resort/ SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — California Governor Gavin Newsom praised newly announced changes to the state’s FAIR insurance plan, saying the updates revealed Friday to...

Politico – California insurance regulator makes changes to its property insurer of last resort

By Camille von Kaenel, POLITICO https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2024/07/insurance-commissioner-lara-00171434 SACRAMENTO, California — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced changes on Friday to the coverage limits and financial liability of the state’s property insurer of last...

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