Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Mississippi Court Rules Home Insurance Policy Covers Hurricane Wind Damage

Oct 9 2009 // In a 9-0 decision, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled that so-called “all-risk” home insurance policies may cover wind damage from hurricanes, even in situations where the loss is later exacerbated by...

Illinois AG Calling for Crackdown on Nursing Homes

Oct 9 2009 // Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is calling for unannounced inspections of nursing homes and revised criminal histories of identified offenders living in the facilities. Madigan’s sent a letter on Oct. 7 to the...

Nationwide Insurance to Drop 60,000 Home Policies in Florida

Oct 8 2009 // Nationwide Insurance Co. of Florida plans to reduce its personal lines property exposure in the state of Florida by nonrenewing 60,000 homeowners policies across the state. Nationwide said that Tower Hill Group, a Florida...

Tell Parents to ‘Mind The Gaps’ When Kids Head to College

Oct 5 2009 // As Students Arrive on Campus, New Exposures Can Arise As legions of students head back to college this fall, parents should be mindful of gaps in insurance that can exist while their children are living away from...

Florida Home Insurers Losing Money; Will State Farm Stay?

Oct 5 2009 // Homeowners insurers doing business in Florida – established as well as new – are losing money and the state regulator says rates may need to go up. Also, the state’s largest private home insurer, State...

745 Georgia Homes Destroyed By Flooding, Says Red Cross

Oct 1 2009 // The American Red Cross has released preliminary disaster assessment information from flooding that swamped parts of Georgia. The organization said an estimated 2,803 Georgia homes have been affected by the flooding. Of...

Insurance Agent Jailed for Falsely Representing Lloyd’s in Kentucky

Sep 23 2009 // A financial service worker in South Carolina was sentenced today to two years in prison for using a scheme to dupe mortgage companies and homeowners in Eastern Kentucky. David C. Thomas, of Greenville, S.C. admitted he...

Newest Florida Carrier, Prepared Insurance, Targets ‘Older’ Homes

Sep 23 2009 // Florida has given the go-ahead to a new homeowners insurance company that plans to focus on what it says is the underserved market of homes built before 2002. Prepared Insurance Co., headquartered in Tampa, intends to use...

Georgia Bill Would Require Background Checks on Workers Sent Into Homes

Sep 22 2009 // A Georgia Republican is pushing a measure that would require employers to perform background checks on staffers who work inside other people’s homes. The measure sponsored by state Rep. Allen Peake of Macon would...

Hurricane Hugo Today Would Cause $20 Billion in Damage in South Carolina

Sep 22 2009 // Hurricane Hugo was the most costly hurricane ever to hit the United States when it made landfall in South Carolina in 1989, causing $4.2 billion in insured damage. Since then, the total insured property along South...

The Coverage Conundrum in Chinese Drywall Claims

Sep 21 2009 // The Latest Mass Tort Unless you live in Florida or Louisiana, or regularly read the Insurance Journal, you may only now be hearing about the latest mass tort craze: Chinese-Manufactured Drywall (often simply referred to as...

Home Insurers Use Lava Maps to Limit Exposure on Hawaii’s Big Island

Sep 18 2009 // The U.S. Geological Survey’s 35-year-old maps of lava danger zones in this southern corner of Hawaii’s Big Island are a tableau of earthy colors and odd shapes originally meant for scientific and planning...

Residential Water, Electrical, Sewer Lines Covered By Hartford Steam Insurance

Sep 17 2009 // Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. (HSB) is offering a new service line coverage, which can pay to repair underground outdoor water, sewer and electrical service lines that fail because of damage that would...

Homeowners Insurance Rates Going Up in Alabama

Sep 14 2009 // Insurance rates are going up for many Alabama homeowners. Officials with three of the four companies that insure the most homes in Alabama say that they are raising rates. The company that sells the most homeowners...

Homeowner’s Insurance Rates to Rise 10% In Arkansas

Sep 14 2009 // Homeowner insurance premiums in Arkansas are expected to rise this year by an average of 10 percent as the industry works to rebound from 2008’s dual blows of foul weather and nasty financial markets. The Arkansas...

Another New Florida Home Insurer, Sawgrass Mutual, Open for Business

Sep 14 2009 // Sawgrass Mutual Insurance Co. is now selling residential property insurance coverage to Florida homeowners through independent agents. The company was launched last month with $10 million in initial capitalization. CEO...

Los Angeles Wildfire Has Destroyed 82 Homes, New Estimate Finds

Sep 11 2009 // Fire officials say a new damage survey shows 82 homes have been destroyed from the blaze burning north of Los Angeles, up four from the previous report. The U.S. Forest Service also increased containment of the fire to 71...

Court: Homeowner’s Policy Won’t Pay Damages for Overdose Death

Sep 7 2009 // A homeowner’s policy will not pay damages to the mother of a teenager who died after overdosing on painkillers he stole from the man with whom he and his mother lived, a panel of justices from the Massachusetts...

State Farm Scrapping Some Florida Homeowners’ Discounts

Sep 7 2009 // State Farm Florida has been given the green light to eliminate some homeowners insurance discounts but the insurer must continue to offer discounts for storm mitigation steps unless it supports that change with more...

Florida Agents Say Home Mitigation Effort Is Riddled with Fraud, Inefficiencies and Errors

Sep 7 2009 // Florida’s efforts to encourage homeowners to harden their homes to better withstand big storms by giving them insurance premium discounts is not getting the job done, according to a report from insurance agents in...