homeowners insurance News

Judge to Ask Hawaii Supreme Court About Barriers to $4B Wildfire Settlement

The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court questions …

Western States Top Wildfire Risk Scores in New Analysis

California, Oregon, Colorado, Washington and Arizona are the states most at risk for wildfires, earning an “F” rating, according to a new analysis by Guidewire detailing wildfire risk in the U.S. at local, state, and national levels. Guidewire’s HazardHub data …

Los Angeles to Pay $38M For Failing to Make Affordable Housing Accessible

The city of Los Angeles will pay $38.2 million to settle a 2017 lawsuit after “falsely” stating on federal documents that its multifamily affordable housing units built with federal funds were accessible for people with disabilities. The complaint was filed …

Southern California Edison Seeks to Recover $1.6B of Wildfire-Related Losses

Southern California Edison, a unit of utility Edison International said on Thursday it was seeking approval for a settlement agreement to recover nearly 60% of losses related to wildfires and mudslides in 2017 and 2018. Under the agreement with the …

Man Accused of Starting California Wildfire by Throwing Firework out Car Window

A 26-year-old man has been accused of igniting a destructive California wildfire in early July by throwing a firework from a car window during hot, dry and windy weather. Spencer Grant Anderson, of Oroville, was charged this week after weeks …

Robots Are Starting (Good) Fires in California

Cody Chiverton has spent the past decade lighting fires. As a former firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service, he participated in dozens of prescribed burns across the American West, in which fire-prevention teams would carry drip torches to ignite dry …

Americans Shop Around for Insurance More Than Ever as Costs Soar

Americans are seeking to change their insurance coverage more frequently than in the past, after a surge in premiums that’s squeezed household budgets, a new industry report shows. For car insurance, so-called policy shopping rates — essentially the share of …

Wildfire Risk Harms California Home Values, San Francisco Fed Study Finds

California’s wildfires are weighing on home prices more than in the past, and insurance availability does little to help in areas considered to be at higher risk, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco study. “Our results suggest …

Hundreds Able to Return Home After Fleeing Wildfire Along California-Nevada Line

Hundreds of people were allowed to return home this week after being forced to flee a wildfire west of Reno that also shut down Interstate 80 along the California-Nevada line. About 170 firefighters continued to work to secure the perimeter …

Californians Facing Higher Rent Because of Rising Insurance Rates

Like single-family homeowners in California, landlords are facing higher insurance premiums, too. And they’re passing along some of those costs to their tenants. Many insurance companies have stopped writing policies in the state because of increased wildfire risks, but that’s …