Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Named Storm Deductible Bill Sent to Governor
Jun 24 2008 // Insurance companies providing coverage in Louisiana should be allowed to adjust their “named storm” deductibles on homeowner policies depending on properties’ distance from the Gulf of Mexico, according...
Santa Cruz Homeowners Aren’t Protecting Homes from Fires
Jun 23 2008 // Owners of nearly 90 percent of the structures destroyed in last month’s wildfire in the Santa Cruz Mountains did not properly clear flammable brush from the property, state fire officials say. California law requires...
Nursing Homes Battle to Retain Mandatory Arbitration Clauses
Jun 23 2008 // U.S. nursing homes are pushing against an effort in Congress to invalidate arbitration clauses in admissions contracts, a change that would make it easier for residents to sue for shoddy care or wrongdoing. A spokeswoman...
Allstate Dropping Appeal of Calif. Auto Rate Cuts
Jun 20 2008 // Insurer Allstate Corp said it has dropped its bid to fight a reduction on auto policy rates imposed earlier this year by California’s insurance regulator. An Allstate spokesman, in an e-mailed statement, said the...
South Carolina Woman Pleads Guilty in Fires that Affected Several Homes
Jun 19 2008 // An Irmo, S.C. woman pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges of setting a series of fires that destroyed four homes and damaged several others. Kimberly Wooten entered the pleas June 16 and will be sentenced July...
China Floods Kill 55; Over 1 Million Flee Homes; More Rain Forecast
Jun 16 2008 // State media reported that 55 people have been killed and seven are missing in flooding across a broad stretch of southern China. A Sunday, June 15, report by the official Xinhua News Agency says more than 1 million people...
Many Homeowners in Flooded Midwest Lack Insurance
Jun 16 2008 // Recent flooding that swamped parts of the Midwest, including Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, caught many property owners unprotected. Only 1 percent of all Indiana homeowners have flood insurance. Wisconsin reports even less...
Best Affirms Berkshire Hathaway’s Homestate ‘A++’ Ratings
Jun 16 2008 // A.M. Best Co. has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘A++’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa+” of the Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies and its six P/C group...
Special Protection
Jun 16 2008 // Consumers need a better understanding of insurance issues specific to their unique situations. Special relationships deserve protection, too. That’s the assessment of the National Association of Insurance...
Special Protection
Jun 16 2008 // Consumers need a better understanding of insurance issues specific to their unique situations. Special relationships deserve protection, too. That’s the assessment of the National Association of Insurance...
Exclusive Survey, Part 1: Strengths and Weaknesses – What Agents Think of Regional and National P/C Insurers
Jun 16 2008 // Where Regional P/C Insurers Beat Out Nationals … and Where Nationals Outperform Regionals Regional carriers rate better in underwriting experience, relationships and stability as well as in customer service and agency...
Private Firms Take Homeowners Policies From Louisiana Citizens
Jun 13 2008 // Private insurers are taking more than 26,000 homeowners policies from Louisiana’s state-backed insurance company in return for millions in taxpayer money, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said. Donelon credited...
Northern California Wildfires Forces Hundreds to Flee Homes
Jun 13 2008 // Firefighters struggled to gain control of a series of wind-driven wildfires burning across Northern California, including a raging forest fire that forced hundreds to flee their homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The...
Indiana Flood Victims Scrape Out Homes, Consider Recovery Plans
Jun 13 2008 // DeWayne Warrick had built a waist-high pile of ruined chairs, couch cushions and other furniture on the curb outside his home. He topped it with a sizable collection of stuffed animals and a pink Dora the Explorer...
Louisiana House OKs Bill on Regional Storm Deductibles
Jun 12 2008 // Insurance companies should be allowed to adjust their so-called “named storm” deductibles on homeowner policies, depending on properties’ distance from the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico, according to a...
North Carolina Fire Grows by 10%, Homes Evacuated
Jun 12 2008 // Winds whipped up an eastern North Carolina wildfire June 10, expanding its footprint by more than 10 percent and forcing the evacuation of 50 homes, officials said. Firefighters scrambled to strengthen or build about 20...
Olympus Insurance Decreases Homeowners Rates in Florida
Jun 12 2008 // Olympus Insurance Co. of Orlando, Fla., lowered its homeowners insurance rates, most notably in inland counties and for newer homes. The lower rates will have greatest effect on 33 inland counties across Northern and...
Possible Tornado Damages Dozens of Mobile Homes in Florida
Jun 10 2008 // Florida officials said a possible tornado that moved through northern Lee County damaged about 50 mobiles homes, but no one was seriously injured. North Fort Myers Fire Chief Terry Pye said at least eight homes were...
Inspectors Find Problems at Tennessee Nursing Homes
Jun 8 2008 // State inspections uncovered an unprecedented number of dangerous living conditions at Tennessee nursing homes during the past year. The crackdown comes after a May report from the Government Accountability Office found...
39 Homeowners Near North Carolina Wildfire Told to Evacuate
Jun 6 2008 // Authorities in eastern North Carolina are telling 39 homeowners to evacuate after a wildfire jumped containment lines. The blaze in the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge has burned up to 10,000 acres, or nearly 16...
