Energy Reports

KGO-SF (ABC) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Proposes More Insurance Rate Hikes

State Farm will raise insurance premiums by 17% for California homeowners. If this latest request is granted, the company could push that figure as high as 30% by next year.

KXTV-SAC (ABC) – Sacramento, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Approved

Consumer Watchdog says policyholders shouldn't be left holding the bag for what it calls bad business choices.

KRON-SF (MyTV) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Approved For Emergency Policy Rate Increase

This decision will hurt policyholders. State Farm didn't do enough to explain why the rate hike was needed.

KPIX-SF (CBS) – San Francisco, CA:State Farm Emergency Rate Hike Approved

Today's decision that would make consumers pay now, but allow state farm to wait months before having to show its math, is a great disappointment for consumers.

Spectrum News 1 (San Fernando Valley) – Los Angeles, CA: Insurance Agencies Want To Impose Surcharges on Homeowners Because Of LA Wildfires

Insurers are looking to charge homeowners across california for some of the costs of the devastating a county fires.

KTVU-SF (FOX) – San Francisco, CA: Home Insurance Crisis

We need a mandate, just like we have an auto insurance for good drivers that if you do the right thing for your home, you will be covered.

KCAL-LA – Los Angeles, CA: Insurance Commissioner’s Trip In Question

Most Californians, especially those currently trying to recover from tragedies, would hope the insurance commissioner would be here helping them recover from tragedies, not off in Bermuda.

KTVU-SF (FOX) – San Francisco, CA: April 8 Hearing On State Farm Rate Hike

We've been fighting with state farm for months over this request, which it's basically a bailout for the financial mismanagement that that it and its parent company have engaged in.

KFMB CW – San Diego, CA: Tentative Approval For State Farm Rate Hike

This is about a pattern and practice of financial mismanagement by State Farm

KMPH-FRES (FOX) – Fresno, CA: State Farm To Justify Rate Hike

Consumer Watchdog, applauds lara for calling on a public hearing and for requesting that state farm justifies its requests to ask consumers for more money.

KNTV-SF (NBC) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Insurance Rate Hike

Consumer Watchdog doesn't think the insurance giant has done enough to prove its financial hardship.

KGO-SF (ABC) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Gets Initial Okay

Carmen Balber says this is about a pattern and practice of financial mismanagement by state farm that they that depleted their bank account, and now they want California consumers to step in and bolster it again.

KGO-SF (ABC) – San Francisco, CA: Leaked Undercover Video Of State Farm Exec

It's shocking, clearly the executive didn't realize he was being taped.

KCBA (FOX) – Monterey, CA: Video Prompts Investigation Into State Farm

After two years of watching State Farm and other insurance companies gradually withdraw from neighborhoods all over the state, telling people, we're not going to renew your policy and claiming that the reason was that they needed relief from regulation of their rates, now we see that what really was behind it was a move by the State Farm to pressure the insurance commissioner into giving them massive rate increases.

KCBA (FOX) – Monterey, CA: State Farm Could Face Civil and Criminal Repercussions

Harvey Rosenfield says the next step here should be that the attorney general of California investigate state farm for what it says it's doing here, because that's a violation of the antitrust laws.

KTVU-SF (FOX) – San Francisco, CA: Calls For Investigation Into State Farm Insurance

Consumer watchdog, found the video concerning enough to write an open letter to the california insurance commissioner asking for an investigation.

KNTV-SF (NBC) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Emergency Rate Hike

Litigation Director, Will Pletcher, says we're concerned that we're not seeing the financial information that we need to see to fully evaluate the request.

KGO-SF (ABC) – San Francisco, CA: CA Considers State Farm Rate Increase Request

Consumer Watchdog says homeowners insured by state farm could pay an additional $600 a year for their policies.

KMPH-FRES (FOX) – Fresno, CA: More Fees For Home Insurers

Consumer Watchdog is also considering filing a lawsuit in response to the announcement, believing consumers are now on the hook for this additional funding for the fair plan.

KNTV-SF (NBC) – San Francisco, CA: Rate Hike From State Farm Shot Down By CA Regulator

Consumer Watchdog supports the commissioner's decision, but wants the meeting with State Farm to be a public hearing, not a private one.

KNVN-CR (NBC) – Chico/Redding, CA: State Farm’s Rate Hike Denied

Jamie Court says it's really like they're exploiting a moment to try to get more money from people who can't afford it because a lot of them just lost their homes. it's shocking.

KGTV-SD (ABC) – San Diego, CA: State Farm’s Rate Hike Rejected

State Farm needs to provide more information but CW wants it to be done in a formal hearing.

KCBS-LA (CBS) – Los Angeles, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Questions

Consumer Watchdog brought up why isn't its parent company stepping in; why is it on the backs of California taxpayers?

KOVR-SAC (CBS) – Sacramento, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Request Denied

Consumer Watchdog says they are glad the commissioner is asking for more information on this before moving forward with the request, but it does not limit the possibility of a rate hike down the line.

Spectrum News 1 (San Fernando Valley) – Los Angeles, CA: A Year After Devastating Mudslides

Consumer Watchdog's Carmen Balber says mudslides and flooding are often separate policies not covered under your standard homeowners' insurance, but it's a real burden for consumers to have to buy 5 different insurance policies, and that is what we recommend you do in order to protect against these risks.

KTVU-SF (FOX) – San Francisco, CA: Understanding Your Home Insurance Policies

Two things people should do is make sure that your insurance policy is up to date and that the cost of rebuilding or replacing is fully covered within the policy. Secondly, take a video of your every piece of part of your home, of the contents of the home, the interior and exterior so you can document it if you've had a loss.

KXTV-SAC (ABC) – Sacramento, CA: Paying Out Wildfire Insurance Claims

Homeowners are stuck on the Fair plan because the home insurance industry abandoned their neighborhoods. That is why it should be on the insurance industry to pay those bills, not California consumers across the state.

KABC-LA (ABC) – Los Angeles, CA: CA Insurance Billion Dollar Bailout

Consumer Watchdog won't let insurers shift the burden without a legal fight and plans on taking action to stop insurance companies from passing costs on to consumers.

KTLA-LA (CW) – Los Angeles, CA: CA “Fair” Plan Short $1B In Wildfire Payouts

Consumer Watchdog says affected customers should not have to pay and it will fight what it calls a bailout.

KXTV-SAC (ABC) – Sacramento, CA: CA Fair Plan Hit Insurers $1B For LA Fires

Consumer Watchdog is concerned this could set a dangerous precedent by letting insurers off the hook for their fair plan liabilities and will encourage them to dump even more Californians on the fair plan.

KMPH-FRES (FOX) – Fresno, CA: CA Needs Additional $1 Billion For Wildfire Claims

Consumer Watchdog warns that this will likely drive up insurance costs for all other homeowners across the state, as insurers pass on that cost.

KTLA-LA (CW) – Los Angeles, CA: Public Safety Power Shutoffs

Consumer Watchdog says what's needed are statewide standards so that individual utilities aren't making up policy as they go along we should have a statewide governmental assessed.

KNTV-SF (NBC) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Requests Increase After L.A. Wildfires

State Farm says its surplus has gone down in California, and that's true, but the question is why the company's surplus went down. In fact, the company has profited on the homeowner's line of insurance in California, and at the same time has been sending billions of dollars out of state to its parent company.

KPIX-SF (CBS) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Rate Hike Request

State Farm is trying to take advantage of this tragedy to say they need an immediate emergency rate increase of 22%, which could be three quarters of a billion dollars.

Spectrum News 1 (San Fernando Valley) – Los Angeles, CA: Home Insurance Rates Rising After Fires

Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court, says the timing is inappropriate, especially so soon after the wildfires.

KTTV-LA (FOX) – Los Angeles, CA: State Farm Wants a 22% Hike On Homeowners Insurance

It's outrageous for the company now to come to the department asking for an emergency rate hike and it's nothing less than blackmail. State Farm needs to tap its parent company's $134 billion reserve.

KTVU-SF (FOX) – San Francisco, CA: Cost of Wildfires

For those who are in the fire areas, the most important thing at this stage is just to document everything because it will be a long road going forward getting full compensation from insurance companies. Documenting every conversation you have with FEMA, with the city, with the insurance company is really crucial.

KFMB-SD (CBS) – San Diego, CA: State Farm Requesting 22% Rate Increase

State Farm's latest urgent request to the state for a 22% rate hike comes six months after another request for a 30% rate increase, a request that is still pending.

KXTV-SAC (ABC) – Sacramento, CA: State Farm Seeks Emergency 22% Rate Hike

Consumer Watchdog says State Farm has yet to provide adequate proof that it needs the emergency rate increase. In fact, they argue the numbers simply don't add up.

KCAL-LA – Los Angeles, CA: Insurance Rate Hike Request

Carmen Balber says if State Farm in California is in financial distress they should be looking for the parent company to bail them out, not California homeowners.

KGO-SF (ABC) – San Francisco, CA: State Farm Requests ‘Emergency’ Rate Hike

Consumer Watchdog, argues records show state farm has plenty in the bank, reporting the company made $1.4 billion in homeowners insurance from 2020 to 2022.

KBCW 44 Cable 12 – San Francisco, CA: Wildfire Loss & Lawsuits

Consumer Watchdog says it's no different than the tobacco companies. Tobacco companies hid the dangers of tobacco and they were ultimately held liable for billions of dollars in health care costs. It's the same theory.

KTVU-SF (FOX) – San Francisco, CA: Southern California Wildfires Highlight Home Insurance Industry

If insurers have to make up the difference for this and future fires, Consumer Watchdog says the insurance commissioner wrote a memo saying it's okay to pass on that to all of the other policyholders.

KFMB-SD (CBS) – San Diego, CA: Fair Plan Claims Increasing From LA Wildfires

Consumer Watchdog has been critical of the new regulations. If people are on the fair plan it's because the private insurance industry put them there by not renewing or canceling policies.

KGO-SF (ABC) – San Francisco, CA: The Fate Of The California Fair Plan

If the California fair plan goes bankrupt, what does that mean for the average consumer, and how likely is that to happen? Jamie Court says you can bet that if the Fair Plan goes bankrupt, and it's a good bet it will, the insurance companies will come after us to pay the debts that they owe.

KPIX-SF (CBS) – San Francisco, CA: Californians Could Face Insurance Surcharges If Los Angeles Fire Claims Deplete FAIR Plan

Consumer Watchdog has been critical of the new regulations. From the beginning it was an attempt by companies to get all ratepayers to foot the bill for disaster losses.

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