2012 tornado season could be as active as the now notorious 2011

Last year, the U.S. was subject to an unnaturally active tornado season. The season spawned outbreaks of violent windstorms and powerful tornados that cut a path of destruction through much of the mid and mid-eastern states. Last year saw a total of 1,709 tornadoes touched down in the U.S. While this is well short of the 1,817 that formed in 2004, these tornados were far more destructive and widespread. Indeed, 2011 was one of the most disastrous years in recent history, so much such that the insurance industry was hoping…

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Allstate to launch new homeowner’s insurance products throughout the U.S.

In October of last year, Allstate launched a new line of homeowner’s insurance products in Oklahoma called House & Home. The company’s initiative was met with success and now the insurer is gearing up to launch these products in various states through 2014. The products became popular amongst consumers because it provided them with a sleuth of discounts and new deductible and coverage options. The insurer has also introduced a more simplified quoting process that uses external information to fill out applications more quickly. As Allstate introduces these new insurance…

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Maryland court sides with Allstate’s decision to not write new policies for coastal properties

Maryland’s highest court has sided with Allstate this week in a case regarding the insurer’s move to stop writing new homeowners policies in coastal regions. The case emerged in 2007 when the insurer chose to step away from the coastal market due to the potential for natural disasters. The insurer’s move was spurred by a catastrophe model that suggested that losses in these regions as a result to hurricanes or other storms could be gargantuan. The Maryland Court of Appeals chose to uphold the rulings of lower courts, agreeing that…

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Finding the best homeowners’ insurance rates for 2012 coverage

Following a year of record breaking disasters, many homeowners are wondering how they can find lower and more affordable rates for their insurance policies. Even those with experience in shopping around for the best price for a policy are discovering that the process is becoming much more complex. Many insurance companies have now implemented a number of different types of exemptions for various forms of damage from storms and other natural events. Some are also assigning lower values to a home’s replacement cost. According to the Consumer Federation of America’s…

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Nationwide average for homeowners’ insurance premiums increased in all but two states

According to the most recent HomeInsurance.com RateReport, which shows the average premiums across all of the states in the country over a 12 month period (as of September), all but two states experienced an increase in homeowners’ insurance premiums. The two states that saw a decrease in premiums were Washington D.C. and Vermont. All of the other states in the country saw their average homeowners’ premiums increase from 0.1 percent to 5.8 percent more than what policyholders had been paying during the year beforehand. The average premiums that were used…

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