Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Pacific Northwest Storms Cause 14 Deaths, More Than $500 Million in Losses
Dec 20 2006 // The winter storm that struck the Pacific Northwest last week is responsible for 14 deaths and is receiving the unfortunate recognition of the worst winter storm in 13 years, according to catastrophe risk modeling company...
La. Rating Commission Rejects Key Rule Change for Allstate
Dec 18 2006 // A panel of state insurance regulators on Dec. 15 rejected a proposed rule change that Allstate Insurance Co. cites as critical to deciding the company’s long-term future in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. The...
La. House Approves Insurance Tax Credit for Homeowners
Dec 15 2006 // Louisiana homeowners deserve a rebate for the property insurance fees they pay to bail out the state-run insurance company, members of the state’s House of Representatives decided Dec. 13. The measure, by Rep. Taylor...
N.H. Family Sues Liquor Commission, Homeowner Over Drunk Driving Death
Dec 14 2006 // The family of a New Hampshire man killed in a drunken driving crash two years ago is suing the state Liquor Commission and the woman who owns the home where his friends were drinking that night. Randy Holmes, 24, was a...
Study Shows Using Casual Laborers Costs Homeowners in Long Run
Dec 12 2006 // Homeowners who hire unlicensed contractors believing that will save them money may be penny-wise and pound foolish, according to a survey by Seattle-based Pemco Insurance. In its survey, Pemco found of Washingtonians who...
Homeowners want insurance carriers to offer identity theft coverage
Dec 11 2006 // More than 40 percent of consumers would like their homeowners insurance carrier to offer coverage for identity theft, according to a study released by J.D. Power and Associates. The “2006 Homeowners Insurance...
Conn. pursues loss mitigation, market alternatives for coastal homes
Dec 11 2006 // Home insurers in Connecticut may no longer require permanently installed storm shutters as a condition for writing or renewing policies but must offer consumer choices of loss mitigation controls and deductibles, according...
P/C market takes hold of rapidly developing identity theft solutions
Dec 10 2006 // Identity-related fraud is a virulent crime, with 3.5 times the aggregate losses of all property crimes, such as burglary, larceny and vehicle theft, reported last year. In today’s technology/information-driven...
Citizens Delays Action on 55% Hike for Fla. Homeowners
Dec 8 2006 // Florida’s insurer of last resort decided Thursday to delay a vote on whether to increase its homeowners rates by an average of 55 percent, following requests from lawmakers to defer its action until after a special...
La. Lawmakers See Little Hope for Insurance Reform
Dec 8 2006 // Louisiana lawmakers will debate changes to state insurance laws beginning Dec. 8, but several said there’s little chance of passing major initiatives to address the problems homeowners face in finding and affording...
Allstate to Halt New Property Business in Conn., N.J. and Del.
Dec 8 2006 // Allstate Insurance Co., continuing its reappraisal of its hurricane loss exposure along the East Coast, has decided to stop writing new property insurance policies in all areas of Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware. The...
Conn. Coastal Rules Could Make Matters Worse, Warn Insurers
Dec 7 2006 // Insurers aren’t happy with new restrictions on coastal property underwriting being imposed by Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Susan Cogswell in a reversal of her previous policy and they warn that the rules could...
Conn. Clamps Down on Shutters; Seeks Coastal Policy Alternatives
Dec 5 2006 // Home insurers in Connecticut may no longer require permanently installed storm shutters as a condition for writing or renewing policies but must offer consumer choices of loss mitigation controls and deductibles, according...
Florida Program Exceeds Goal of 12,000 Free Home Inspections
Dec 5 2006 // After completing 12,000 free home inspections by the end of the 2006 hurricane season – a goal that was exceeded by nearly 1,000 inspections – the pilot phase of the My Safe Florida Home program ended last...
Fires Driven by Winds Threaten Homes in California
Dec 4 2006 // A trio of fires driven by strong Santa Ana winds broke out Sunday morning, endangering dozens of homes in canyons and on hillsides, authorities said. Fire officials called for voluntary evacuations in Ventura County, where...
Gov.-elect Crist Optimistic Fla. Will Address Insurance Costs
Dec 4 2006 // Florida’s Gov.-elect Charlie Crist expressed confidence Friday that lawmakers would be productive in a special session to address the state’s homeowners insurance problem. He said he favors some of the goals in...
Fla. Approves New 2.5% Surcharge on Citizens Insurance Homeowners
Nov 28 2006 // Florida homeowners will pay a 2.5 percent surcharge on their insurance premium when they renew policies in a plan approved last week by state regulators, a move to help bail out the state-backed insurance company for...
Blanco and Donelon Urge Insurers to Speed La.’s ‘Road Home’
Nov 27 2006 // Amid complaints the Road Home program is moving too slowly, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon asked insurance companies to speed their cooperation with the state’s hurricane...
Mississippi Seeks Public Comment on Homeowner Grant Program
Nov 21 2006 // Mississippi homeowners who did not qualify under the original multibillion-dollar grant program have another opportunity to apply for assistance to repair, rebuild or relocate under a second phase that has opened for...
Burden of proof to determine insurance coverage in ‘slab’ case
Nov 20 2006 // When asked to determine coverage under an insurance policy, courts frequently recite the principle that the insured has the burden of proving coverage under the policy and the insurer has the burden of proving exclusions...
