Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Oklahoma City Homeowners Blame City for Flood Damage

Jun 22 2011 // Homeowners in a northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood that had severe flooding in June 2010 say the city is to blame for the flooding. The city denies the claim. At least 17 households filed flood damage claims with the...

Crews in Flint Battled 11 Fires at Vacant Homes

Jun 22 2011 // Three firefighters suffered heat exhaustion while battling a string of 11 fires at vacant homes on Flint’s east side on Tuesday that may have been intentionally set, authorities said. The first fire started about...

Tennessee Officials Worried Over Increasing Number of Abandoned Homes

Jun 22 2011 // Officials in Washington County, Tennessee are trying to decide the best way to deal with the growing number of abandoned homes. Of particular concern to officials is that property owners could stop caring for the upkeep of...

Wildfires Burn 3 Dozen Homes Across Texas

Jun 21 2011 // Firefighters in Texas are attempting to contain more wildfires after several blazes broke out across the state and destroyed more than three dozen homes. Hundreds of people were told to evacuate June 19 after fires swept...

Alabama Governor Tackles Tornado Recovery, Home Insurance Options

Jun 20 2011 // Anyone with a suggestion or complaint about Alabama’s recovery from the deadly tornadoes in April should know that the buck stops with the governor. Gov. Robert Bentley said he’s not looking to the Federal...

People

Jun 20 2011 // Austin, Texas-based Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT) announced that Charles R. (Chip) Ott Jr. will assume leadership of TMLT as president and CEO in late July. He will replace current President and CEO Bob R. Fields,...

Homeowners Insurance Assessments Haunt Florida’s Citizens, Officials

Jun 17 2011 // Two weeks into a new hurricane season, Florida officials are continuing to express their concerns over possible policyholder assessments by Citizens Property Insurance despite the relative financial strength of the...

Florida Homeowners to Share $55 Million in Chinese Drywall Settlement

Jun 14 2011 // Hundreds of Florida homeowners suffering with tainted Chinese drywall will share $55 million in a deal that also accuses a global drywall maker of lying about the product’s safety, according to court documents. The...

Fireman’s Fund Offers 10% Discount to Homeowners With Estate Managers

Jun 14 2011 // Novato, Calif.-based Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. announced it is offering a 10 percent discount to homeowners with formally trained estate managers who live onsite to make homes and estates safer and more secure....

North Carolina Delays Rate Hearing on Dwelling Fire, Extended Coverage Policies

Jun 9 2011 // A public rate hearing on a proposed increase in North Carolina’s dwelling fire and extended coverage policies has been delayed until July 25. North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced the change...

Homeowners Seek $90M for Massachusetts Tornado Damage

Jun 9 2011 // Homeowners in western Massachusetts have filed $90 million in insurance claims for damage caused by deadly tornadoes that ravaged Springfield and several smaller communities last week, state officials said Tuesday. The...

Florida’s HomeWise Insurance Completes Merger with First Home

Jun 8 2011 // HomeWise Insurance Co. and First Home Insurance Co. have completed their previously-announced merger. The two Florida domiciled companies, with $25 million of surplus, are combined under the HomeWise Insurance Co....

Will New Legislation Help Florida’s Property Insurance Market?

Jun 7 2011 // Florida hasn’t been hit by a hurricane since the disastrous years of 2004 and 2005, but the state’s property insurance companies say they are still losing money despite collecting billions in premiums. That has...

Home Insurer Dropping 73,000 Policies in Alabama

Jun 6 2011 // Alabama’s second largest insurer of homes, Alfa Insurance, announced plans Friday to not renew policies on one out of every six homes it insures in Alabama. The company said it will send notices involving about...

Louisiana Closer to Recouping ‘Road Home’ Money

Jun 6 2011 // State Supreme Court: Contested Policies Must Be Evaluated Separately Louisiana may be able to recoup much of the money it handed out after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 to help storm victims repair their homes,...

Tornado-Hit States Rank High in Uninsured

Jun 6 2011 // Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most...

Mississippi Caps Premiums Tied to Fire Risk

Jun 6 2011 // Mississippi regulators have moved to limit homeowners’ insurance premium hikes that result from changes in an insurer’s fire grading system. Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has instructed...

States Hit Hardest by Recent Tornadoes Among Least Insured

Jun 6 2011 // Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most...

Virginia Regulators Urge Homeowners to Check Coverage

Jun 3 2011 // Virginia regulators are urging homeowners to review their insurance policies with the start of hurricane season this week. The State Corporation Commission, which regulates insurers, said that some companies automatically...

USAA Reducing Calif. Homeowners Insurance Rates 15%

Jun 1 2011 // USAA is reducing insurance rates for most of its California policyholders an average of 14.9 percent, the California Department of Insurance announced, noting it had approved the rate filing. “This is good news for...