Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
J.D. Power: Personal Lines Agents Missing out on Opportunities in Renters Segment
Sep 30 2013 // Insurance agents who only focus on homeowners insurance customers are missing a golden opportunity to build long-term relationships with renter customers as their insurance needs grow due to life or circumstance...
Flood Insurance Premiums Rising Along New Jersey Coast
Sep 30 2013 // Hundreds of New Jersey flood insurance policyholders will soon be facing higher premiums spurred by sweeping changes to the federal law that will take effect Tuesday. The increases stem from legislation passed in June 2012...
Insurers’ Private Firefighters Give Wealthy Homeowners Extra Protection
Sep 30 2013 // Bill Potter wasn’t eager to abandon his high-end house last month during evacuations forced by a massive Idaho wildfire, but he felt reassured when his insurance company sent a team to protect his home near the...
Flood Insurance ‘Sticker Shock’ Hits Floridians with New, Secondary Homes
Sep 26 2013 // When Colin and Joyce Elston bought their Florida dream home in May, they were confident they could afford the three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch with a pool and a backyard overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Now they are...
MetLife: Lack of Car, Home Insurance Sales ‘Ridiculous’
Sep 26 2013 // MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, is pushing agents to sell more car and residential coverage after the head of the company’s main retail business said they’ve been missing an opportunity to...
N.J. Bill Seeks to Strengthen Homeowners’ Cases Against Insurers in Civil Court
Sep 24 2013 // New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (D-Mercer/Hunterdon) last week proposed a bill aimed at strengthening homeowners’ cases against their insurers in civil lawsuits. Assemblyman Gusciora said the bill (A-4382) would...
N.J. Group to Rally Against Rising National Flood Insurance Premiums
Sep 23 2013 // Toms River, N..J., homeowner George Kasimos wants to make sure that lawmakers in Washington, D.C., hear the growing concerns of his shore community and other communities across the country. Kasimos started a grassroots...
Bloggers Beware: Defamation Claims Brought by Public Figure Plaintiffs
Sep 23 2013 // It takes thick skin to be in the public eye. As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once observed, “harsh criticism, short of unlawful action, is a price our people have traditionally been willing to pay for...
Heartbreak For Some In Colorado With No Flood Policy
Sep 20 2013 // Jessica Klauzer-Zimmerman and her children have been sleeping on friends’ couches since floodwaters sloshed into her Boulder townhouse – which wasn’t covered by flood insurance.”We were told we...
Opinion: Insurance Industry Changes to Follow Wicked Colorado Weather
Sep 20 2013 // As the sun peaked out of the normally bright blue Colorado sky, homeowners and businesses began to assess the damage done by the 100-year flood, as weather experts have labeled the devastating rain that pummeled the...
N.Y. Proposes Sweeping Rules to Reform ‘Force-Placed’ Insurance Business
Sep 19 2013 // New York State officials today proposed a comprehensive set of rules to reform the “force-placed” — also known as “lender-placed” or “creditor-placed” — insurance industry in...
Insured Losses from July 10 Ohio Storms at Least $72 million
Sep 18 2013 // Ohio’s widespread severe thunderstorms on July 10 that included flooding and three tornadoes caused between $71.5 and $84.8 million in insured losses, according to insurance industry estimates. Excessive rain during...
Flooded N.J. Homeowners in Limbo Awaiting Buyout Offers
Sep 16 2013 // An appraiser sent by the state recently assessed the value of Bob and Pat Smith’s house, nearly a year after floodwaters from Superstorm Sandy reached midway up the living room walls. Like the 75 other homeowners...
Security First to Lower Florida Homeowners Insurance Rates
Sep 16 2013 // Security First Insurance, one of Florida’s largest private property insurance companies, has told state regulators that it is going to lower rates by an average of 9.3 percent statewide. The lower rates will take...
Florida Approves 6.3% Increase In Citizens Homeowners Rates
Sep 11 2013 // Florida homeowners who secure coverage through the state-backed property insurer will see their rates increase by a statewide average 6.3 percent based on a ruling by state regulators. Homeowners with multiperil policies...
Risk Ratings Weighed for Homes in Fire-Prone Areas in Colorado
Sep 6 2013 // A state task force is mulling a plan that would assign more than 550,000 Colorado homes in wildfire-prone areas a risk rating that would be provided to insurance companies. The task force also discussed plans for a fee on...
American Family Insurance to Acquire Homesite Group for $616M
Sep 6 2013 // Madison, Wis.-based American Family Insurance announced that it reached agreement to acquire direct homeowners insurer Homesite Group Inc. for an anticipated $616 million. Homesite Group is a Boston-based direct writer of...
Connecticut Officials to Hold Informational Forum on Sandy Relief
Sep 4 2013 // Connecticut’s Department of Housing plans to inform homeowners affected by Superstorm Sandy about how they can apply for federal relief funds. Homeowners can now apply for federal relief funds online at the website...
Arkansas Homeowners Settle Suit Charging Fracking Wastewater Caused Quakes
Aug 29 2013 // Five Arkansas residents who sued two oil companies claiming wastewater disposal wells from fracking caused earthquakes that damaged their homes settled with the companies for an undisclosed sum on Aug. 28, according to...
Louisiana Community ‘a Ghost Town’ a Year After Isaac
Aug 28 2013 // Isaac barely had hurricane-strength winds when it blew ashore southwest of New Orleans a year ago, but its effects are still apparent in coastal areas where it flooded thousands of homes. After landfall on Aug 28, 2012,...
