California Insurance Commissioner Lara warns consumers of flood insurance fraud

Flood Insurance Fraud

As San Diego County started its clean-up efforts, residents are warned of dubious companies preying on victims. Flood insurance claims are up in San Diego, where hundreds of properties and vehicles were damaged and destroyed by recent flooding, but California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has placed his department on alert for fraud and other illegal activities targeting the victims of the flooding. The Department is already receiving reports that consumers claim public adjusters have been contacting them. Immediately after the recent floods, some home and business owners say they were…

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Is the lack of flood insurance coverage the next coverage crisis for California?

Flood insurance - Home on life preserver - California crisis

Thousands of homes may be at risk of flooding, but few are covered against this type of catastrophe. Though we tend to think of wildfires as the main risk to property owners in California, climate change and a majority of homes without flood insurance could create an entirely new crisis in coming years. Many predictions indicate that sea level is expected to rise in many areas of the country, including California. Places like the Bay Area are considered to be at particular risk of this future development. Thousands of families…

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FEMA flood insurance rate update released by ZIP code and county

Flood Insurance Rates - Property

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has unveiled its price increase updates. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Risk Rating 2.0 flood insurance calculation method caused an uproar among advocates and critics who said that homeowners were destined to send prices skyrocketing for thousands of property owners. Homeowners in low-elevation coastal locations would be particularly affected, said critics. FEMA has now released data that reveals where prices will be increasing and decreasing, based on county and ZIP codes. The Miami Herald conducted an analysis of the new data and determined that…

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Low flood insurance coverage worrying as climate crisis advances

Flood insurance - Flooded Road Sign

As losses from flooding skyrocket from one year to the next, uninsured rates are setting up for disaster. Low levels of flood insurance are occurring at a time during which the risk and cost of damage are taking off due to more frequent and more severe events caused by climate change. From 2011 through 2020, insured flooding losses doubled to $80B worldwide compared to the decade before. That said, flood insurance penetration is still sitting at a worrying 18 percent, according to the recent economic insights report focused on flooding…

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Flood insurance uncommon among Kentucky homeowners under water

Flood insurance - home in water

With dozens of people dead and rain still in the forecast, the area hasn’t been known for this type of flooding. Regions of Kentucky have suffered profoundly as a result of extensive and ongoing flooding, a situation that has only been made worse because there is very little flood insurance coverage throughout the affected areas. Hundreds of homes flooded, primarily badly, and residents were left waiting to assess the damage. While flood insurance is often purchased in parts of the country at a higher risk of damage from these natural…

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