Live Insurance News

California fire insurance FAIR Plan now has 350,000 policyholders

January 30, 2024January 29, 2024 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…

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

January 25, 2024January 24, 2024 Julie Campbell

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…

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

September 21, 2023September 21, 2023 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,…

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

August 12, 2022August 11, 2022 Logan B.

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…

Auto Club Insurance files for $202 million California car insurance rate increase

August 3, 2022August 2, 2022 G. Turner

Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s office has received the request to let the company hike premiums. Auto Club Insurance has filed for an overall California car insurance rate hike of 6.9 percent. This will impact 1.44 million policyholders and the total of 2.68 million vehicles they have insured through that provider. The rate increase will mean an average annual hike in premiums of $75 per vehicle ($140 per policy). There have already been several insurers that have filed in California to be able to increase their car insurance rates for new and…

Consumer Watchdog says California Commissioner should stop Mercury’s insurance rate discrimination

July 22, 2022July 21, 2022 Logan B.

The group sent a signature-filled petition to Commissioner Lara regarding job-related premiums calculations. Consumer Watchdog has issued a letter containing a petition to California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, calling for him to reject insurer Mercury’s insurance rate discrimination practices. The group wants the commissioner to stop the proposed rate hike based on job- and education-related calculations. Mercury has proposed a $131 million hike to its total auto premiums, and Consumer Watchdog has called for Commissioner Lara to reject it as well as the insurance rate discrimination it says the insurer…

California Commissioner Lara places green investment onus on insurance companies

April 20, 2022April 19, 2022 G. Turner

A new report detailed how insurers have funded fossil fuel companies and the impact it has had. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently released a report and webpage in which he detailed the investments insurance companies have made into fossil fuel. The report and webpage are components of the commissioner’s broader efforts by the Commissioner. Commissioner Lara has used this report on investments into fossil fuels by insurance companies as a part of his broader strategy to protect Californian consumers from the impact of climate change. The state is making…