homeowners insurance News

Record 2 Million Acres Burned in California Wildfires

Wildfires have burned a record 2 million acres in California this year, and the danger for more destruction is so high the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday it was closing all eight national forests in the southern half of the …

California Burns, Winds Kick up And Power Outages Follow

New wildfires ravaged California during a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people trapped by flames and ended with the state’s largest utility turning off power to 172,000 customers to try to prevent …

Is It Covered? The Unimpeachable Case of What ‘Are’ Is

One claim dispute I was involved with I refer to in seminars as “The Unimpeachable Case of What ‘Are’ Is.” It illustrates how a single word, even the tense of a verb, in a policy form can make all the …

California Wants Insurers to Reimburse Costs for Those Displaced by Wildfires

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a notice to all California property/casualty insurance companies urging them to cover additional living expenses for policyholders who remain under mandatory evacuation or whose homes are otherwise inaccessible or uninhabitable due to the wildfires. …

California Wildfire Bills Expire as Legislature Recesses, But One Bill Expected to Return

Several major wildfire bills were left on the table when the California Legislature ended its session earlier this week, but one bill is expected to make a comeback in some form. Assembly Bill 2167, authored by Assemblyman Tom Daly, D-Anaheim, …

California Residents with Hoses Target Fires as Crews Urge Them to Stop

California residents have organized to put out flames themselves in a large swath of land burning south of San Francisco, defending their homes despite orders to evacuate and pleas by officials to get out of danger. They are going in …

California Commissioner Issues Emergency Notice to Expedite Wildfire Claims

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday issued an emergency notice to all property/casualty insurance companies doing business in California, requesting they expedite claims handling for California wildfire survivors in order to help them begin the recovery and rebuilding process …

Conn. Offers Coverage Guidance Due to Power Outages After Tropical Storm Isaias

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Insurance Commissioner Andrew N. Mais are reminding policyholders to review their homeowners insurance policies to understand their coverage for property damage due to loss of power as the …

Colorado Banning Open Fires as State Battles 4 Wildfires

Gov. Jared Polis issued a 30-day ban on open fires such as campfires, fireworks and other open sources of ignition on Tuesday as the state battles four separate wildfires. The ban does not include home barbecues, public grills, camp stoves …

Oregon Wildfire in Mop-up Phase, 36 Structures Destroyed and 660 Threatened

A wildfire burning in the scenic Columbia River Gorge that has destroyed dozens of structures is 65% contained, according to authorities. Some evacuation orders were downgraded as of Monday because of the containment progress. The fire has burned nearly 1,000 …