Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Penn. Hails House Committee Passage of Private Flood Insurance Bill
Mar 17 2016 // Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller hailed a recent vote by the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee approving the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act (H.R. 2901). Miller...
Water Starting to Recede from Homes in North Louisiana
Mar 15 2016 // Emergency officials in Louisiana and Mississippi were watching the rise of the Pearl River that divides the two states on March 14 amid widespread flooding that has damaged thousands of homes. In north Louisiana, the water...
HomeServices of America Acquires Minnesota’s PCG Agencies
Mar 14 2016 // HomeServices of America Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, has acquired Minnesota-based PCG Agencies Inc., a large independent personal insurance agency. Terms were not disclosed. Headquartered in St. Paul, PCG offers a...
Travelers to Offer Homeowners Insurance Discount for Smart Home Devices
Mar 10 2016 // The Travelers Companies, Inc. will now provide a discount on homeowners insurance for eligible customers with qualifying smart home devices. Smart smoke detectors and security systems that alert homeowners through their...
North Texas Slammed by Storms: Homes Damaged, School Bus Stranded
Mar 9 2016 // A severe thunderstorm, possibly a tornado, damaged at least seven homes scattered over a rural area of North Texas. The storm roared through the area between Weatherford and Mineral Wells about 6:15 p.m. Monday at a time...
Washington Judge Orders Lender to Pay Homeowner $213K for Distress
Mar 8 2016 // A nationwide mortgage lender is appealing a $213,000 emotional distress judgment awarded to a Bellevue, Wash. mom who was fighting to keep her home. Leticia Lucero sued Cenlar after the company failed to notify lenders her...
California Commissioner, Allstate Agree to Homeowner Rate Reduction
Mar 7 2016 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones reached an agreement last month with Allstate Insurance Co. and Allstate Indemnity Insurance to reduce the carrier’s homeowner insurance rates statewide by an average of...
Piecing Together Homeowners Coverage
Mar 7 2016 // The homeowners insurance line, not often thought of as a bastion of change, is actually quietly evolving beyond the traditional “one-size-fits-all” business. Some of the puzzle pieces that make up homeowners...
Homeowners Insurance Claims Increase in Texas in 2015
Mar 7 2016 // Texas weather catastrophes caused a huge jump in homeowners insurance claims last year, the Insurance Council of Texas reported. Though claims increased by 120,000 over 2014, the number of policyholder complaints increased...
HSBC to Pay Massachusetts $4M Over Force-Placed Claims
Mar 7 2016 // Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said national mortgage lender and servicer HSBC has agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations involving force-placed insurance practices. The settlement resolves...
EF2 Tornado Strikes Alabama, Damages at Least 12 Homes
Mar 4 2016 // Forecasters say a tornado that severely damaged homes and trees in a Birmingham, Ala., suburb has been determined as an EF2, with winds of between 120 and 125 mph. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Holmes told...
Oklahoma Wildfire That Burned Homes, Outbuildings Almost Contained
Feb 23 2016 // Oklahoma Forestry Services says firefighters have almost contained a large wildfire east of Okmulgee. Officials say the Pharoah-Nuyaka fire has burned about 34 square miles and is about 60 percent contained. But residents...
Homeowners Ask Judge to Rule Against New Jersey in Protective Dune Case
Feb 23 2016 // Nine oceanfront homeowners in Bay Head, New Jersey, are asking a judge to declare that the state has no legal right to seize parts of privately owned beaches for a protective dune project. In court papers filed Feb. 19,...
Mississippi City to Sell Abandoned Properties to Homeowners for $10 to $250
Feb 23 2016 // Homeowners in Jackson, Miss., will be allowed to purchase blighted properties in their neighborhoods for $10 to $250, under an order passed by a City Council committee. The panel on Feb. 16 approved the Neighbors First Lot...
Oklahoma Ponders ‘California Model’ for Earthquake Insurance
Feb 22 2016 // Oklahoma lawmakers are in the early stages of considering legislation to create a state-level “earthquake reinsurance program” that its author claims will be modeled on the California Earthquake Authority. S.B....
Massachusetts Bill Aims to Open Up Rate Filings for Discussion
Feb 22 2016 // The Massachusetts Senate earlier this month passed a legislative amendment that would open up home insurers’ rate filings for public discussion. The amendment was proposed by Massachusetts State Senator Mike Barrett,...
HSBC to Pay Mass. Homeowners $2.7M Over Force-Placed Insurance Practices
Feb 19 2016 // Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said national mortgage lender and servicer HSBC has agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations involving force-placed insurance practices. The settlement resolves...
California Commissioner, Allstate Agree to Homeowner Rate Reduction
Feb 17 2016 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has reached an agreement with Allstate Insurance Co. and Allstate Indemnity Insurance to reduce the carrier’s homeowner insurance rates statewide by an average of 12.6...
Massachusetts Bill Aims to Open Up Home Rate Filings for Discussion
Feb 16 2016 // The Massachusetts Senate recently passed a legislative amendment that would open up home insurers’ rate filings for public discussion. The amendment was proposed by Massachusetts State Senator Mike Barrett,...
Narragansett Bay Hires McLaughlin as Connecticut Territory Manager
Feb 16 2016 // Narragansett Bay Insurance Company (NBIC) has hired Brendan McLaughlin as the company’s assistant vice president – Connecticut territory manager. In this position, McLaughlin will be responsible for developing...
