Mulch Fire Risk Poses Growing Threat to California Homes In California, where the risk of wildfires is both imminent and escalating, a common landscaping choice—mulch—is emerging as an overlooked fire hazard that many homeowners inadvertently invite into their yards. This seemingly innocuous product, made from organic materials like wood chips and bark, can easily ignite and create a dangerous “fuel source” right next to residences. The Rising Tide of Wildfires California’s unique climate—a combination of hot, dry summers and seasonal Santa Ana winds—has created the perfect storm for wildfires. Drought…
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California Governor Newsom backs property insurance reform measure
The goal is to ensure that homeowners and business owners will find necessary coverage California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara recently announced that a new draft measure would make it a requirement for property insurance companies using new catastrophe modeling to write more policies in areas at a higher risk of events such as wildfires. Larger insurers must insure properties at a specific minimum level The draft regulation would require that all companies using new catastrophe modeling to write more property insurance policies in distressed areas. That said, larger insurers would…
Read MoreState Farm Reverses California Policy Non-Renewals – With a Catch
State Farm, the largest insurance carrier in California, has announced a significant reversal of its earlier decision to not renew over 70,000 policies in the state, including 30,000 home insurance policies. This change comes after the company initially cited increasing wildfire risks as the primary reason for its decision back in March. However, the company’s renewed commitment comes with a notable caveat that is bound to impact policyholders significantly. State Farm Reversal and The Catch According to a statement from Sevag Sarkissian, State Farm’s California spokesperson, while the company will…
Read MoreInsurance Exodus: 2 More Companies to Exit California’s Homeowners Insurance Market
Growing Trend Withdraw from California’s Market In a significant development within the insurance industry, Tokio Marine America Insurance Co. and Trans Pacific Insurance Co. have both declared their intentions to exit the homeowners and personal umbrella insurance markets in California. This decision places these companies alongside an expanding list of insurers that are choosing to either withdraw or scale back their operations in the state. Policyholders Affected: Tokio Marine’s Departure Impacts Thousands in California According to recent filings with the California Department of Insurance, both entities—subsidiaries of the Japan-based Tokio…
Read More3 Zip Codes Get The Worst of State Farm Non-renew Campaign in California
In an announcement that may reshuffle the deck for homeowners’ insurance across California, industry giant State Farm revealed a strategic shift in their coverage plans, affecting thousands of property and commercial apartment policies in the state. With implications extending to the very nature of wildfire and earthquake risk management, this move by State Farm is poised to remove billions in risk from the company’s books. Earthquake Aftermath Concerns Amplify Fire Risks in California While earthquake policies in California are indeed underwritten through the state-run California Earthquake Authority, State Farm’s heightened…
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