Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Wildfires Rekindle Need for Private Fire Protection Efforts

Aug 4 2008 // As wildfires seemingly increase in frequency and severity of insured losses year after year, insurers are devising fire prevention methods to protect their client’s properties — including hiring private...

Fireman’s Fund Offers First Green Homeowners Policy in California

Aug 3 2008 // Calfornia’s Department of Insurance has approved the first green homeowners insurance policy in California, offered by Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. “I am very pleased today to announce that Californians...

Florida-based Homeowners Choice Announces Initial Public Offering

Aug 1 2008 // Homeowners Choice Inc., based in Clearwater, Florida, announced that it has completed an initial public offering of 1,666,668 units, each consisting of one common share and one warrant, at a price of $7.00 per unit. Two...

The Hartford Unveils National Coastal Home Insurance Plan

Jul 31 2008 // The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. has proposed a far-reaching new plan – one that includes mandatory flood insurance, IRA-like catastrophe accounts, subsidized premiums for homeowners and a federal...

Calif. Earthquake Authority Prepared to Handle Claims; Expects Minor Damage

Jul 30 2008 // Only 12 percent of California homeowners currently own earthquake insurance policies, potentially leaving millions of Californians financially unprotected in the event of a catastrophic quake. Of the 12 percent of...

North Carolina Reaches Deal in Mobile Homeowners Insurance Rate Case

Jul 28 2008 // North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Jim Long reached an agreement with insurance companies that want to charge more for mobile homeowner’s insurance. This is the first mobile homeowners rate case in 26 years, Long...

New Hampshire Insurance Dept: Track Tornado Tree Damage

Jul 28 2008 // New Hampshire residents facing downed trees on their houses or in their yards from Thursday’s tornado could face some hefty bills. A typical homeowner’s insurance policy in New Hampshire covers only $1,000 for...

Severe Storm Kills 1, Damages Homes in Central New Hampshire

Jul 25 2008 // New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch declared a state of emergency in Belknap, Carroll, Merrimack, Strafford and Rockingham counties due to damage from severe weather and thunderstorms. The violent storms killed one person in the...

Tokio Marine to Acquire Philadelphia Insurance for $4.7 Billion

Jul 23 2008 // Japan’s Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. reported that it has agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Philadelphia Consolidated, a U.S. property/casualty insurance company offering specialty commercial property and...

Mold Found in FEMA Mobile Homes in Indiana, Iowa

Jul 23 2008 // The discovery of mold in federally provided mobile homes sheltering Indiana and Iowa flood victims has prompted new anger and frustrations for those who have lost their houses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency...

Washington Offers Assistance to Homeowners Hit by Wildfires

Jul 18 2008 // As wildfires erupt across Eastern Washington, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler urges homeowners needing help with their insurance claims to call the Insurance Consumer Hotline (800-562-6900). “Most...

Wisconsin High Court: Homeowners Insurance Doesn’t Cover Negligence

Jul 18 2008 // A couple’s homeowner’s policy does not cover alleged negligence by the wife for not preventing her husband from sexually abusing a child, a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court said July 17. The unnamed child and...

Mich. Group Debates State Advocate’s Charge That Auto Rates Too HIgh

Jul 17 2008 // A charge leveled on July 16 by Michigan’s insurance advocate that auto rates are too high fails to mention that the state’s auto insurance benefits are the best in the nation, one insurance trade group...

State Farm Files Average 47.1% Increase in Florida Homeowners Coverage

Jul 17 2008 // State Farm Florida Insurance Co., a Florida-only property insurance company, filed an average 47.1 percent homeowners insurance rate increase with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on July 16. Ed Domansky,...

Michigan Storms in June Killed 8 People, Blacked Out 730,000 Homes

Jul 16 2008 // President Bush has declared a major disaster area in Michigan, making recovery aid available in areas hit by severe storms and flooding. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says Monday’s declaration covers eleven...

AAA To Cut Homeowners Insurance $50 Million in Northern California

Jul 16 2008 // California State Automobile Association Inter-Insurance Bureau (CSAA-IIB, or AAA of Northern California) customers in Nothern California will see a 10.6 percent rate cut, a total savings of $50 million, including more than...

Majority of California Wildfires Contained, 100 Homes Destroyed

Jul 14 2008 // More than 1,400 fires that burned as part of California’s lightining series have been contained due to the endless efforts of firefighters from California, as well as from throughout the nation and Canada, according...

California Orders Allstate to Cut Home Insurance Rates 28.5%

Jul 10 2008 // Allstate Corp. will have to lower its rates on California homeowner policies by 28.5 percent making an estimated $255 million in annual savings for consumers, the state’s Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner...

Costs, Confusion Keep Flood Insurance Numbers Low in Iowa

Jul 9 2008 // A combination of costs and confusion keeps many Iowans from buying federal flood insurance. Only about 1 percent of Iowans owned flood insurance when last month’s record flooding struck. More than 4,000 homes in...

Pennsylvania Bans Lenders from Requiring Excess Home Insurance

Jul 8 2008 // Pennsylvania homeowners may be entitled to a reduction in their homeowners’ insurance premiums, thanks to The Mortgage Property Insurance Coverage Act that Gov. Rendell signed into law on July 4. The law, which was...