Latest Homeowners Headlines
All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Liberty Mutual Q1 Profit Falls 31% to $318M Amid Investment Losses
May 3 2013 // Boston-based Liberty Mutual reported Thursday its net income fell 30.7 percent to $318 million for its 2013 first quarter, compared to $459 million income reported during the prior year first quarter. The company’s...
Homeowners not the Only Line of Coverage Affected by Texas Weather
May 2 2013 // It’s well known that Texas has some of the highest homeowners premiums in the nation — in large part due to the state’s vulnerability to violent weather. It may be less known that Texas has some of the...
Court of Appeal Upholds California Commissioner’s Authority in Mercury Suit
May 2 2013 // The California Court of Appeal upheld a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling on Thursday by dismissing Mercury Insurance Co.’s lawsuit challenging Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones’ authority to decrease the...
Mass. FAIR Plan Seeks Rate Hike; Expert Witnesses to Testify on Insurer’s Behalf
Apr 28 2013 // The Massachusetts FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan, the state’s home insurer of last resort, has proposed this month an average statewide rate hike of 6.8 percent. The FAIR Plan, whose official name...
Most Americans Say Flood Insurance is Important But Don’t Buy It: Survey
Apr 25 2013 // More than four in five Americans (81 percent) know that a standard homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage, but even so the vast majority of homeowners do not purchase flood insurance. A 2012...
N.J. Gov. Christie: Federal Grants for Homeowners May Still Take Months
Apr 24 2013 // New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says that he expects federally funded grants for New Jersey business owners hit by Superstorm Sandy may arrive soon. But he says homeowners may have to wait until July to see their grants...
Penn. Commissioner: Spring Cleaning Good Time for Preventative Home Maintenance
Apr 24 2013 // Homeowners starting their spring cleaning projects should also give a thought to insurance too, Pennsylvania regulators advised. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department recommends taking the time for minor fixes now, to save...
Wildfires Prompt Colorado Insurance Changes
Apr 24 2013 // Colorado lawmakers are close to agreement on a slate of insurance changes inspired by homeowners’ complaints after last year’s wildfires. The state Senate gave final approval this week to a bill aimed at making...
N.Y. Reaches Settlement With QBE Over ‘Force-Placed’ Insurance Business
Apr 18 2013 // New York officials announced this morning that a New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) investigation produced an additional settlement with a major “force-placed” or “lender-placed”...
Audit Says Louisiana May Owe Feds for Misspent Storm Aid
Apr 18 2013 // Louisiana may owe the federal government more than $115 million for disaster relief aid that was misspent or awarded to ineligible recipients after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a state audit said. The legislative auditor...
New Jersey Official: State to Buy Flood-Prone Homes in ’13
Apr 17 2013 // New Jersey officials plan to unveil a plan in the next two to three weeks for buying out roughly 1,000 flood-prone homes from owners who want to sell them, a state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said...
Iowa Lawmakers Say State Could Pay for Flooded Homes
Apr 17 2013 // Some lawmakers say a bill recently passed by the Legislature could leave taxpayers vulnerable if future flooding damages homes surrounding a lake in eastern Iowa. The measure exempts Lake Delhi along the Maquoketa River...
Q&A: A Look at Flood Maps and What They Mean in New Jersey
Apr 15 2013 // Earlier in April, the federal government announced that it would not give grants to repair homes badly damaged by Superstorm Sandy unless the owners agreed to make sure they are in compliance with new advisory flood...
Feds Give Sandy Victims Up to 1 Year Break on Mortgage Payments
Apr 15 2013 // Federal mortgage payment relief has been extended up to one year for more than 200,000 homeowners whose houses were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the...
Interest in Personal Gun Liability Insurance Protection Increasing
Apr 11 2013 // Interest in personal liability insurance for firearms owners has expanded with the media focus on gun-centric events and the public discussion of liability issues. While coverage is available through gun owner associations...
Commentary: Will HUD’s Disparate Impact Rule Have Say in Ratemaking?
Apr 10 2013 // Despite the McCarran-Ferguson Act, which reserved the regulation of the “business of insurance” to the states, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has given itself the ability to upset and...
Bills Target Nevada’s Construction Defect Law
Apr 9 2013 // Construction defect laws intended to protect consumers have morphed into a trial lawyer’s dream and a nightmare for Nevada’s building trades, putting many out of business and sending the cost of insurance...
New Rules Announced for Homeowners Using Sandy Disaster Aid to Rebuild
Apr 8 2013 // Homeowners and businesses using federal disaster aid to rebuild from Superstorm Sandy will have to take additional flood protection measures, top federal officials announced last week. The new standard, announced on April...
Personal Touch
Apr 8 2013 // Agents appear to be winning the race in home insurance — at least when it comes to claims. Home insurance claimants who file through agents show greater satisfaction levels — 50 points higher — than those who file...
Nearly 40% of Texans Admit Being Scared by Texas Weather: Survey
Apr 2 2013 // Thirty-seven percent of Texans say Lone Star State spring storms scare them, and more than a third say they feel the weather is getting worse year after year, according to a new survey by Allstate Insurance Co. The number...
