Live Insurance News

The Rise of Non-Admitted Carriers in High-Risk States Like California

March 6, 2025March 6, 2025 Nordstrom

Kin Insurance Expands into California, Bringing Solutions to a Challenged Market California homeowners have long faced an uphill battle when it comes to securing affordable and comprehensive home insurance. This struggle has only been amplified by the growing threat of wildfires and other extreme weather events. With traditional insurers retreating from high-risk areas, the gap in coverage has widened. However, Kin Insurance, a direct-to-consumer insurtech player, has stepped in with a promise to tackle these challenges head-on. The California Insurance Crisis For years, large insurance companies have been reducing their…

State Farm will no longer sell home insurance in wildfire-prone California

May 31, 2023May 30, 2023 Julie Campbell

The giant has announced that it is leaving the state’s homeowners’ market due to high risk and construction costs. State Farm has announced that due to spiking wildfire risks and construction costs, it is leaving selling in California’s home insurance market altogether. The insurer is stopping new sales of the coverage in the state, which it says has become too expensive. State Farm issued an official media release to announce its withdrawal from the home insurance market in California. It stopped accepting business and personal applications on May 27. That…

Is a homeowners insurance crisis heading to California?

March 6, 2023March 2, 2023 Marc

Louisiana and Florida area already scrambling to keep their industries alive, but is California next? As premiums have been rapidly climbing in various parts of the industry in California, experts are starting to wonder if it will be the next state facing a homeowners insurance crisis. State legislators are pushing Commissioner Ricardo Lara to take action to support residents. Condominium policy premiums have been climbing particularly fast in the state. A number of state legislators have written to Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in a push to take action to support…

As floodwaters rise in California, flood insurance covers few homeowners

January 26, 2023January 25, 2023 Nordstrom

Flood insurance - Home near rising waters

Rainstorms have been soaking the state, placing property owners at risk of uncovered water damage. Throughout the entire state of California, only about 230,000 homes and other properties are covered by flood insurance policies. This coverage is not included in standard home policies, leaving Californians vulnerable. Therefore, only about 2 percent of California properties have flood insurance coverage against rising waters from storms such as those that have been soaking the state in recent weeks. For most of the properties that are covered, the federal government is the insurer. About…

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issues notices to insurers over wildfires

September 6, 2021September 2, 2021 Marc

California insurance commissioner - Notice Insurance

Insurers have been advised to cease their cancellations and non-renewals in wildfire affected communities. California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued notices to homeowners’ insurance companies regarding the cessation of cancellations and non-renewals in communities suffering wildfire emergencies. Lara’s notices have advised insurers to stop such behaviors or risk violating Californian law. The notices from the California Insurance Commissioner have to do with homeowners and renters’ policies in communities located near the state’s many major wildfires. Those communities will be identified by state Governor Gavin Newsom in emergency declarations. According…

Homeowners insurance non-renewal protection issued to several Californian communities

January 11, 2021January 8, 2021 Nordstrom

Homeowners Insurance Non-Renewal - neighborhood in California

Residents of almost 2.4M homes will benefit from a one-year moratorium against wildfire risk cancellation. Almost 2.4 million policyholders will be protected against homeowners insurance non-renewal for the next year. Millions of property owners faced having their policies cancelled due to increased wildfire risk. The historic wildfires that blaze their way through the state every year have caused homeowners insurance non-renewal trends to skyrocket in California. This has threatened the ability of many residents to find affordable coverage, or any coverage at all. That said, on December 31, California Insurance…

Californians wonder if fire hardening will make it easier to get homeowners’ insurance

December 11, 2020December 10, 2020 H. Cutner

Creating a program to incentivize homeowners to mitigate the risk of wildfires has potential. Californians across the state are trying to do what they can to spare their homes from wildfire risk, and some are looking to fire hardening in the hopes of becoming more acceptable to homeowners’ insurance companies. Insurers are becoming increasingly risk averse in the state when it comes to protecting from wildfire. Californian homeowners have been watching their premiums spiking and many are at a risk of having their coverage cancelled altogether. The wildfires in the…