Latest California Headlines

All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.

2017’s Natural Hazards and the Destruction They Brought: CoreLogic

Jan 25 2018 // CoreLogic’s annual Natural Hazard Risk Summary and Analysis shows that 2017 was a year of relatively average activity for most U.S. natural hazards with the exception of wildfires in California and flooding from...

Northern California Agency Owner Answers Christmas Wishes of Single Mothers in Need

Jan 25 2018 // Hundreds of rolls of donated wrapping paper and volunteers ready for the Sparkle Foundation’s annual wrap-a-thon held on Dec. 9, 2017. More than 150 volunteers turned out to wrap Christmas gifts for 28 families in...

Paragon Names Petersen of Atlas Regional President in California

Jan 24 2018 // Paragon Insurance Holdings LLC has named Andrew Petersen regional president and executive vice president of reinsurance operations. Petersen will report to Ron Ganiats, Paragon’s CEO. He will be launching...

With $25 Million in New Funding, Home Insurtech Hippo to Expand

Jan 24 2018 // Insurtech Hippo has nailed down $25 million in new Series B funding, a cash infusion the provider of super-quick homeowners insurance will use to fuel a hiring and geographical expansion. Comcast Ventures and Fifth Wall...

PCI Responds to California Commissioner’s Statements on Federal Tax Reform

Jan 23 2018 // The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America is taking issue with a statement from California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones calling for rate reviews following the federal tax legislation passed by...

Losses From Southern California Fire Could Reach $2.5B, Expert Says

Jan 23 2018 // Losses from the Thomas Fire in Southern California are expected to fall between $1 billion and $2.5 billion, a catastrophe modeling firm said on Tuesday. The Thomas Fire, which raged across Southern California’s...

Security Firm to Pay $90K to Settle Religious Discrimination Suit in California

Jan 23 2018 // Universal Protection Services, LP, dba Universal Protection Services, a nationwide private security services company, will pay $90,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed in...

EPIC Adds Westphal in California Healthcare Practice

Jan 23 2018 // EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has added Philip Westphal to its commercial property/casualty team in Sacramento, Calif., as a risk advisor/broker in the healthcare practice. Westphal will report to Tom McCready,...

Registration for California Seismic Retrofit Grants Opens

Jan 23 2018 // Registration opens today for eligible homeowners to receive grants of up to $3,000 for seismic retrofits of their older homes. Homeowners have until Feb. 23 to apply for a grant from California’s Earthquake Brace +...

Travelers Manages Q4 Profit Despite Wildfires, Tax Hit

Jan 23 2018 // Property/casualty insurance giant Travelers Companies Inc. reported net income of $551 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2017, a 42 percent drop compared to $943 million in the prior year quarter. The drop was...

California Commissioner Wants Insurers to Pass Tax Savings to Policyholders

Jan 23 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones wants insurers in his state to pass along savings from taxes expected to be generated by the new tax bill passed in Congress recently. “The recent revision to the Federal...

Leavitt Central Coast Insurance Services Acquires Pulford in California

Jan 22 2018 // Pulford Insurance Agency has been acquired by Leavitt Central Coast Insurance Services. The merger will not affect customer policies, and the same personnel will continue to serve clients, now at the LCCIS location in...

California City Sues over California Dam Crisis

Jan 22 2018 // A small California city at the base of the tallest U.S. dam filed a lawsuit last week against the state over an emergency that forced authorities to order 188,000 people to flee last year, arguing the crisis was caused by...

XL Group: Loss Estimates of $45M Related to Southern California Wildfires

Jan 22 2018 // XL Group Ltd. in mid-January announced preliminary estimates of natural catastrophe net losses of roughly $45 million related to the recent wildfires in Southern California and $20 million related to other events. The...

California Commissioner Issues Report on Fire Insurance Availability Issues

Jan 22 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones in mid-January released a report on the growing problem of homeowners fire insurance availability and affordability in many areas throughout the state. The report recommends...

California Wholesaler Conference Questions: Rising Premiums, Disruption, Disasters?

Jan 22 2018 // Surplus lines in California had a great year with more premium and more items, such as policies and endorsements sold. However, surplus lines brokers had to work harder for all that premium. That’s according to Ben...

People

Jan 22 2018 // Salt Lake City, Utah-based Leavitt Group Insurance Advisors has named Mike Scott a senior risk advisor and director of program business. Scott will focus on middle markets, large accounts, and hard-to-place specialty...

California Earthquake Authority Chief Talks About 1 Million Policies

Jan 18 2018 // Glenn Pomeroy, CEO of the California Earthquake Authority, is as enthusiastic of an earthquake policy salesman as you’ll find anywhere. Pomeroy has headed the state’s privately funded, publicly managed seller...

Lockton Adds Ring as Vice President in Northern California

Jan 18 2018 // Lockton has added David Ring in its Sacramento, Calif. office as a vice president. Ring will be responsible for client consulting and business development for employee benefits and commercial insurance. Ring has...

Insurers Increasing Payments to California Wildfire Victims Sans Itemization

Jan 18 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Thursday released the results of the formal notice he issued last month to all residential property insurers requesting they provide up to 100 percent of contents coverage...