Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Florida Home Insurer Royal Palm Asks for 22% Increase
Aug 4 2010 // Royal Palm Insurance Co. is having a hearing before the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation to discuss its proposed rate hike for its dwelling/fire line of insurance. Royal Palm’s proposed, statewide average, rate...
Research Warns Spill Damage to Gulf Homes Could Reach $28 Billion
Aug 3 2010 // The British Petroleum, DeepWater Horizon oil spill may result in a loss in home value in Gulf coast communities of $648 million over one year, according to a new report from CoreLogic, a provider of information, analytics...
The Economy and the Homeowners Market
Aug 2 2010 // How the Economy Turned Optional Coverages into Mandatory Enhancements Offering comprehensive homeowners coverage in today’s insurance market is not only good business, but a necessity. Insuring the property for full...
Florida Citizens’ Rate Increases Way Below Actuaries’ Indications
Jul 28 2010 // If insurance actuaries had their way, rates for homeowners insured through Florida’s public insurer Citizens Property Insurance would be going up 55.9 percent on average. But state law caps how much Citizens can...
Ohio Auto, Homeowners Insurance Rates Increase Slightly in 2009
Jul 20 2010 // Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced that the average rates for the state’s top 10 private passenger auto insurers increased 2.8 percent in 2009. The average rates for the state’s top...
The Hartford Agrees to Roll Back Homeowner Rate Hikes in Texas
Jul 19 2010 // Under agreements between the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel (OPIC), the Texas Department of Insurance, and two subsidiaries of the Hartford Financial Services Group, Texas consumers with homeowner insurance from...
American Integrity to Begin Writing Dwelling Fire Policies in Florida
Jul 19 2010 // Tampa, Florida-based American Integrity Insurance Co. said it will begin writing dwelling fire (DP-1) policies for Florida homeowners. American Integrity CEO and President Bob Ritchie, said the company expanded its product...
Make Your Agency Look Big – Even If It’s Not
Jul 19 2010 // Small Agencies Are Bigger Than They Think The problem with being a small insurance agency in the land of marketing giants is that it’s hard to be taken seriously. Why should a consumer or business buy from a little...
Arguments For and Against Reinsurance Tax Bill Continue
Jul 16 2010 // Yesterday’s hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee has inspired both sides in the debate over Rep. Richard Neal’s (D-MA) plan, HR3424, to tax foreign-based insurers and reinsurers. [See IJ web site...
Allstate’s Castle Key Insurers Seek 18-33% Rate Hikes in Florida
Jul 13 2010 // Allstate Insurance subsidiaries in Florida are seeking rate increases from 18 percent to 33 percent. Castle Key Insurance Co. has filed with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) to increase homeowners rates by...
Baltimore Requires Automatic Sprinklers in New Homes
Jul 5 2010 // Baltimore has become the largest American city to require automatic sprinklers in new single family homes and duplexes, after a law change signed in June. The law change goes into effect July 1. Mayor Stephanie...
North Carolina Increases Home Insurance Discounts for Stormproofing
Jul 5 2010 // North Carolina coastal homeowners will soon be entitled to bigger breaks on their insurance premiums for taking steps to protect their homes against storms. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has ordered a schedule of...
Hartford Agrees to Reduce Texas Homeowners Rates, Pay Refunds
Jul 2 2010 // Under agreements between the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel (OPIC), the Texas Department of Insurance, and two subsidiaries of the Hartford Financial Services Group, Texas consumers that purchase homeowner...
Homeowners Offered Few Insurance Choices in Hurricane States
Jun 28 2010 // In most hurricane-prone states, homeowners have few choices of insurance coverage, with just eight property and casualty insurers in each state controlling up to 77.2 percent of the market share, according to Weiss...
North Carolina Increases Home Insurance Discounts for Stormproofing
Jun 24 2010 // North Carolina coastal homeowners will soon be entitled to bigger breaks on their insurance premiums for taking steps to protect their homes against storms. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has ordered a schedule of...
Death Toll Rises to 132 in Southern China Floods; 860,000 Flee Homes
Jun 21 2010 // Massive flooding in southern China has killed 132 people and forced 860,000 to flee their homes, and more storms were forecast, the government said Sunday. Another 86 people are missing and more than 10 million people have...
Squatters Taking Over Abandoned Homes in Florida
Jun 18 2010 // Imagine going to a house or condo you own and finding a stranger living there who claims the property no longer belongs to you. It’s happening across Florida and other parts of the country through what authorities...
May 7- 8 Northern Ohio Storms Losses Top $31M
Jun 16 2010 // A series of storms on May 7 and 8 centered across the top half of the state caused at least $31.4 million in damages, according to preliminary insured loss estimates released by the Ohio Insurance Institute...
Farmers & Mechanics Offers Service Line Homeowners Coverage
Jun 14 2010 // Farmers & Mechanics Insurance in West Virginia is now offering a new Service Line coverage, which pays to repair underground outdoor water, sewer and electrical service lines that fail because of perils that would not...
The Competitive Advantage: Opportunity Knocks
Jun 11 2010 // When I first started as an underwriter a few decades ago, I was truly amazed at the coverage knowledge so many of the older underwriters had. The most remarkable underwriters knew their stuff. They were great resources for...
