Tag: California Department of Insurance

Allstate Changes Down Payment After Insurance Settlement

Logan B.
allstate downpayment reinstated

Allstate, the insurance giant based in Northbrook, Illinois, has made a significant change to its down payment policy for new auto insurance policies. The move comes after a settlement with the California Department of Insurance regarding the insurer’s rate increase application. The Former Down Payment Restriction In July 2022, Allstate began requiring consumers to pay a 50% down payment on new auto policies. This policy represented a substantial upfront cost for consumers, given that the average annual cost for car insurance in California ranges from $1,500 to $1,999, according to…

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California fire insurance FAIR Plan now has 350,000 policyholders

H. Cutner
Fire insurance - Home Coverage - California insurance

The coverage of last resort is now writing more policies, but not all plan members are satisfied. California’s FAIR Plan, its fire insurance coverage of last resort, is now writing a growing number of policies as homeowners turn to the coverage out of a lack of alternatives. The more policies the FAIR Plan writes, the less satisfied homeowners report being with it. Homeowners have been registering complaints regarding the poor services they are receiving from their fire insurance companies, about the rising costs associated with coverage, and about the threats…

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These are the top auto insurance complaints, says California Deputy Commissioner

Julie Campbell
Auto insurance - Complaints loading

The DOI’s Tony Cignarale recently discussed the leading issues filed about coverage or insurers. The California Department of Insurance (DOI) Deputy Commissioner Tony Cignarale recently spoke about the most common auto insurance complaints handled by his department. The discussion also announced a special session in which repair shops could file complaints. The special session for auto insurance complaints was held at a Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) open board meeting. It was held in Palm Springs, California ahead of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC). Cignarale is the Consumer Services…

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California legislators fail to repair home insurance market before end of session

Nordstrom
Home insurance - Failure and frustration

Though several deals arrived at the last moment, none of them included the sought-after proposal. Even as a slew of deals appeared at the last moment ahead of the close of California’s legislative session, none were the home insurance market fix many were waiting for to help keep insurers in the state despite the rapidly climbing wildfire risks. The key deadline came and went without a bill that would help to stave off a crisis in the state. As a new home insurance bill didn’t appear in the last session,…

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GEICO suddenly stops selling California auto insurance policies by phone or in-person

Logan B.
Auto insurance - Online - California

The insurer has shut offices, laid of hundreds of people and isn’t selling in any way other than online. GEICO has stopped selling California auto insurance policies by phone or in person, while regulators have said that they are monitoring the situation. All 38 of the insurer’s agent offices in California have now been closed and workers laid off. California drivers with GEICO auto insurance policies are still covered and it is still possible to sign up for new coverage online. That said, the in-person offices are all closed, and…

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