Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Coastal Home Owners Face Huge Losses from Rising Seas

Sep 3 2009 // Australians Lesley and Doug McGrath have for decades battled ocean swells that have eaten away at the backyard of their multi-million dollar Sydney home. They bought an old beach shack on Collaroy Beach in 1976 and...

California Wildfires Threaten Thousands of Homes

Aug 31 2009 // A wildfire in the mountains above Los Angeles has surged in every direction, going in a single day from a modest threat to a danger to some 10,000 homes. The blaze nearly tripled in size in triple-digit heat Saturday,...

Florida’s Tower Hill Insurance Downgraded by A.M. Best; Tower Hill Responds

Aug 27 2009 // A.M. Best Co. has downgraded the financial strength ratings (FSR) to D (Poor) from B (Fair) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) to “c” from “bb” of Tower Hill Preferred Insurance Co., Tower Hill Prime...

Hurricane Bill Served Warning to North Carolina Island Homeowners

Aug 25 2009 // Although Hurricane Bill made no direct impact on the North Carolina coast, the seas that the storm churned up has caused worries for some homeowners. The Star-News of Wilmington reported Sunday that residents of Bald Head...

Study: Buyers of Home, Auto Insurance Say They’re Happy with Insurers

Aug 25 2009 // Most consumers of auto and homeowners insurance seem to be happy with their insurers, says a new indsutry study. A new public opinion study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) reported that 91 percent of respondents...

Court: Homeowner’s Policy Won’t Pay Damages for Overdose Death

Aug 24 2009 // A homeowner’s policy will not pay damages to the mother of a teenager who died after overdosing on painkillers he stole from the man with whom he and his mother lived, a panel of justices from the Massachusetts...

ACORD to Reintroduce Homeowners Insurance Application Form, ACORD 80

Aug 19 2009 // The insurance industry standards organization ACORD says it will reintroduce its monoline homeowner application form (ACORD 80) this October. The form was withdrawn from the ACORD Forms Library in October 2008 and replaced...

Watercraft Rentals: It’s Good to Know What’s Covered and What’s Not

Aug 17 2009 // It’s summer, do you know where your homeowners insurance customers are? Perhaps they’re out on a lake somewhere, playing on rented jet skis or blowing with a gentle wind in a borrowed sailboat. Do they know...

USAA to Lower Homeowners Rates for Most Policyholders in Texas

Aug 14 2009 // San Antonio, Texas-based USAA has announced it has filed a plan with the Texas Department of Insurance to reduce its homeowners insurance rates in the state by an average of 6 percent. The reduction will equate to an...

North Carolina Beach Plan Reforms Attract AAA Home Insurer

Aug 14 2009 // North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said today, just one week after the General Assembly passed reforms to the state’s coastal insurance plan, that the insurance company for AAA Carolinas will begin...

Insurance for Homes Near Hawaii Volcano Costly, If It’s Available

Aug 13 2009 // Living in Hawaii on the slope of one of the most active volcanos in the world can be expensive when it comes to homeowners insurance. Wendy Ford is losing her policy this month because her insurer, Liberty Mutual Fire...

Florida Insurance Agents Say State’s Home Mitigation Effort Is Failing

Aug 13 2009 // Florida’s efforts to encourage homeowners to harden their homes to better withstand big storms by giving them insurance premium discounts is not getting the job done, according to a report from insurance agents in...

Taking On Citizens’ Policies Fuels Growth at Florida’s Homeowners Choice

Aug 12 2009 // Florida insurer Homeowners Choice, Inc. reported that its net premiums nearly doubled to $19.6 million and its profit rose seven percent to $3 million in the second quarter, thanks in great part to its taking on policies...

Ohio Personal Lines Premiums Remain Lower than U.S. Average

Aug 5 2009 // The Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) recently reported that premiums for homeowners and auto insurance in that state remain lower than the U.S. average. On its Web site, www.ohioinsurance.org, the OII released the following...

Consumer Reports: 73% Happy with Their Home Insurance Company

Aug 4 2009 // A new Consumer Reports’ survey of homeowner insurance customers found some good news, especially for people with decent credit and claims history. Lots of consumers are finding lower prices. More than half (53...

Most Flooded St. Bernard Parish, New Orleans Homes Rebuilt

Aug 3 2009 // Through its annual curbside survey conducted in July, the University of New Orleans Geography Department has found that 61 percent of the homes in the Hurricane Katrina-flooded neighborhoods of New Orleans and in St....

As Homeowners Unable to Sell Become Landlords, Insurance Needs Change

Aug 3 2009 // As more homeowners are having trouble selling their homes in today’s real estate market, some are thinking about becoming landlords. A growing number of homeowners who need to relocate for a job or other reason are...

New Homeowners Earthquake Rating Plan Available

Aug 3 2009 // Wheaton, Ill.-based American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) has developed a new rating plan for adding earthquake coverage to policies based on standardized forms, manual rules, and rating information provided...

Three Homeowners’ Policy Gaps That Sell

Aug 3 2009 // Skillful introduction and explanation of the following three “common” coverage gaps will likely result in the addition of a new homeowners’ client. Further, each of the three listed gaps is easily closed...

Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish Gets $7.2M to Raise Homes

Jul 30 2009 // Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish now has $7.2 million with which to raise 40 homes out of the danger of floods. The money was awarded to the parish by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Louisiana Recovery...