Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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,...
Indiana Lawmaker Wants to Lower Rates Homeowners Pay to Insurance Fund
Aug 27 2013 // A state lawmaker concerned about Indiana’s recent move to dip into a fund set aside for repairs to homes damaged by soil shifting above old coal mines wants the state’s insurance commissioner to lower the...
Massachusetts High Court Rules for Horace Mann in Policy Reformation Case
Aug 26 2013 // The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, recently ruled in favor of an insurance carrier in a case involving a mutual misunderstanding by both the homeowners policyholder and an insurance...
Ohioans See Bump in 2012 Average Insurance Rates
Aug 26 2013 // Ohioans saw increases in their homeowners and auto insurance rates last year, though they’re still getting a bargain. Ohio’s Department of Insurance recently released the 2012 average rates for homeowners and...
Florida’s Citizens Makes Case for Homeowners, Sinkhole Rate Increases
Aug 21 2013 // Florida’s state-backed property insurer is seeking a statewide average 6.6 percent increase in homeowners’ rates and a 24.8 percent increase in sinkhole rates while citing reduced losses and an improved...
A Roundup of Maryland’s New Insurance Laws From 2013 Legislative Session
Aug 21 2013 // The Maryland Insurance Administration issued a bulletin this week summarizing new insurance legislation from the Maryland General Assembly’s 2013 session that have been signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley....
Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Addresses Insurance Challenges
Aug 20 2013 // The Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, issued a report Monday that provides recommendations for mitigating harm from future storms. Recommendations include...
How to Manage the Winds of Change for High Net Worth Clients
Aug 16 2013 // As insurance professionals, we’re in the business of anticipating and responding to severe weather. However, heightened activity in recent years points to some startling trends: • Atlantic named storms in the month...
Arkansas Burglars Hit Homes During Funerals
Aug 14 2013 // Authorities in Faulkner County, Ark., say it appears local burglars have been reading the obituaries and breaking into homes while the owners are away a funerals. A woman’s home in Conway was burglarized on Aug. 7...
Florida Regulator McCarty Answers CFO Over Reinsurance Costs
Aug 12 2013 // Florida’s insurance regulator, in response to questions why lower reinsurance costs have not translated into reduced homeowners rates, said insurers have significant leeway in how they incorporate those costs into...
