Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

State Farm Storm Surge Settlement Could Scare Insurers from Mississippi Market

Jan 26 2007 // A landmark legal settlement with State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. promises to jump-start the rebuilding process for thousands of Mississippi homeowners devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but critics warn the deal could...

Fla. Insurance Bill On Gov. Crist’s Desk Comes with Risks

Jan 24 2007 // The Florida Legislature on Monday overwhelmingly passed a bill members hope will lower Floridians’ skyrocketing property insurance rates and sent the measure to Gov. Charlie Crist, who has demanded meaningful relief...

Miss. Commissioner Sets Hearing for Consumer Bill of Rights

Jan 23 2007 // Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance George Dale twill hold a public hearing for the his proposed regulation regarding a homeowner insurance policyholder bill of rights. The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. on Friday,...

La. Insurance Regulators, Already Weakened, Face Extinction

Jan 23 2007 // Of all the obscure parts of state government, the Louisiana Insurance Rating Commission is among the most ignored and misunderstood. And the panel may now be in its death throes. The commissioners ostensibly have power to...

Fla. Mortgage Lenders Unlikely to Back Homes Without Wind Coverage

Jan 22 2007 // Florida homeowners might want to go without wind coverage, and may decide on a higher deductible in return for lower rates, but mortgage companies could keep these options from producing what the Florida Legislature wants:...

Blanco Administration Admits Error in La. Insurance Rebate Letters

Jan 22 2007 // The Blanco administration mailed 1.8 million letters to Louisiana homeowners with incorrect information about credits for post-Katrina surcharges on their property insurance policies, a Blanco aide said. Taxpayers reported...

La.’s Citizens Gets OK to Raise Rates

Jan 19 2007 // Louisiana’s state-run insurer won approval for big rate increases on Jan. 17, meaning double- and triple-digit hikes in insurance costs for homeowners and businesses along the coast. The increases for Citizens...

Fla. House and Senate Expected to Meet Through Weekend to Merge Bills

Jan 19 2007 // Laboring to comply with Gov. Charlie Crist’s call for lowering Florida insurance costs by at least 25 percent during a quick, seven-day special session, both the House and Senate have passed bills promising to do...

Fla. Day 2: Senate Passes 25% Rate Cut; Citizens Would Enter Commercial

Jan 18 2007 // Two days into a special legislative session, after debating 20 amendments, the Florida Senate voted to pass Senate Bill 4-A, a measure which promises an average 25 percent premium cut to homeowners and lets Citizens...

Ill. Developer Plans to Build 11 Homes on Segal’s Estate

Jan 17 2007 // A developer’s preliminary plans for jailed insurance executive Michael Segal’s estate include building 11 new residences and turning the coach house into two homes. Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Orren Pickell...

Key Federal Katrina Ruling Favoring Homeowners Surprises Industry

Jan 12 2007 // In a Hurricane Katrina claims decision that surprised the insurance industry, a federal judge ruled that State Farm did not provide sufficient evidence to prove what damage to a Mississippi family’s house was caused...

Arrowhead Offers Homeowners (HO3) Market in Arizona, Washington

Jan 11 2007 // Arrowhead General Insurance Agency, San Diego, is offering a homeowners (HO3) market in Arizona and Washington. Coverage is being provided by an admitted “A” rated carrier. Policy limits include maximum...

Sales of Federal Flood Insurance Policies Rose 13% in 2006

Jan 8 2007 // Sales of federal flood insurance rose sharply across the country last year after homeowners witnessed the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and realized that typical insurance policies didn’t cover many...

Travelers Scales Back Decision on Renewing Commercial Polices in N.O.

Jan 8 2007 // St. Paul Travelers is scaling back plans to stop renewing most of its commercial policies in the New Orleans area this year, a decision that is “very good news” for businesses here after the 2005 hurricanes,...

La. judge: Insurers liable for water

Jan 8 2007 // Even though a homeowner’s insurance policy said floods were not covered, leaving that statement out of the application left the company liable for damages to a house destroyed by Hurricane Rita’s winds and...

La. judge: Insurers liable for water

Jan 7 2007 // Even though a homeowner’s insurance policy said floods were not covered, leaving that statement out of the application left the company liable for damages to a house destroyed by Hurricane Rita’s winds and...

Tulsa Zoo to Exhibit Disaster-Resistant Homes for Future

Jan 5 2007 // The Tulsa Zoo will soon showcase an exhibit featuring a prototype for environmentally friendly and disaster-proof homes of the future. State Farm Insurance and American Electric Power-Public Service Company of Oklahoma...

House Reps. Introduce National Catastrophe Insurance Proposal

Jan 5 2007 // U.S. Representatives Ginny Brown-Waite (FL) and Vern Buchanan (FL) today introduced the Homeowners’ Insurance Protection Act of 2007, a comprehensive catastrophic insurance bill that would establish a federal...

State Farm Drops Auto, Homeowners Rates Nearly $500 Million in Calif.

Jan 4 2007 // State Farm and California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced that the company’s nearly 3 million auto and 1.4 million homeowners, renters and condo owners in California will see about $500 million in...

After Katrina, Congress Still Keeps Extending Flood Insurance

Dec 28 2006 // The federal flood insurance program may be going broke after incurring $20 billion in debt from recent storms like Hurricane Katrina. But that hasn’t stopped politicians from trying to extend the taxpayer-subsidized...