Latest Homeowners Headlines

All the headlines from our Homeowners Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Alabama Has Not Yet Addressed Home Insurance Costs, Availability

Mar 26 2012 // Gov. Robert Bentley has not yet kept a campaign promise he made in 2010 to have the Legislature address the rising cost and declining availability of homeowners’ insurance in Alabama.Almost a year has passed since he...

Vermont Officials Warn Homeowners About Awakening Bears

Mar 26 2012 // As winter turns to spring, Vermont officials are warning local homeowners about awakening bears. The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department says it is receiving reports of black bears emerging from their winter dens and...

North Carolina Officials: Increased Fire Insurance Premiums Due to GPS

Mar 23 2012 // Some North Carolina homeowners are seeing premium increases this year due to a fire rating change. And North Carolina officials say those increases in insurance premiums stem from the use of technology by insurers and not...

No Push Back on Allstate Rates by Texas Insurance Regulators

Mar 22 2012 // Homeowner insurance rate hikes filed in Texas by Allstate Insurance in December 2011 have passed muster with Texas insurance regulators.The company made a rate adjustment of 5.7 percent statewide for Allstate Texas Lloyds...

Michigan Fire Chief: 207 Homes Damaged by Tornado

Mar 21 2012 // Officials now say 207 homes were damaged in last week’s tornado in Dexter, Mich., and about 20 will need to be demolished.Dexter Area Fire Chief Loren Yates provided the figures on March 19. Officials initially said...

Conn. Regulators Advise Homeowners: ‘Be Prepared for Springtime Risks’

Mar 21 2012 // The Connecticut Insurance Department is advising homeowners to prepare their property against potential springtime weather risks, such as excessive rainfall and flooding.The state’s insurance commissioner Thomas...

Del. Regulators Advise Homeowners to Create Detailed Home Inventory

Mar 20 2012 // Delaware insurance regulators say failing to create a detailed home inventory can put homeowners at risk for inadequate home insurance coverage, should severe weather strike.The regulators pointed to a recent survey from...

2012 Hot Markets: New Hope in Housing Market

Mar 19 2012 // This article is part of our Hot Insurance Markets for 2012 special feature.2012 is delivering a sense of growing optimism for the housing industry – a welcomed relief to a market that has been troubled in recent years....

Ohio Court: Builders Must Construct Homes in ‘Workmanlike Manner’

Mar 16 2012 // Ohio’s high court has held that home builders have a duty imposed by law to construct a home “in a workmanlike manner using ordinary care,” despite the wording of any warranty document.The Supreme Court...

Oklahoma AG Files $18.6M Settlement with Mortgage Banks

Mar 15 2012 // The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office has set a Sept. 13 deadline for residents to apply for compensation under the state’s $18.6 million settlement with five mortgage lenders, the Associated Press...

Illinois Officials Dispute FEMA Denial of Tornado Aid

Mar 14 2012 // Looking at the destruction in his southern Illinois town, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Gregg couldn’t understand why federal officials turned down a plea to financially help local homeowners. Nearly a hundred homes are now...

Rhode Island Urges Homeowners to Purchase Flood Insurance

Mar 14 2012 // Rhode Island emergency officials are urging property owners to purchase flood insurance to protect against the kind of flooding that did massive damage in the state two years ago. Floodplain coordinator Michelle Burnett of...

ABI Warns UK Homeowners of Subsidence Risks from Drought

Mar 14 2012 // The Association of British Insurers (ABI) is urging homeowners not to worry unnecessarily, but to be aware of the ongoing drought conditions currently afflicting the UK. The extremely dry weather, with little or no...

Home Value Protection Product Heads to Georgia

Mar 13 2012 // An insurance policy for homeowners looking to protect themselves from declining home prices is rolling out in Georgia this week.Georgia becomes the third state where this product, called Home Value Protection, is...

Union General Offers Homeowners Coverage

Mar 13 2012 // Union General Insurance Services is now offering coverage for homeowners associations to California agents. The product is designed to cover common area exposures for these risks and is backed by a carrier rated A+. Limits...

Florida’s Citizens CEO Wallace to Join Homeowners Choice

Mar 12 2012 // The man who is leaving his post as chief executive officer of Florida’s state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is joining one of the state’s private homeowners insurers.Homeowners Choice Inc. announced...

Penn. Encourages Consumers to Buy Flood Insurance as Spring Approaches

Mar 12 2012 // Pennsylvania insurance regulators are encouraging homeowners to consider buying flood insurance before the start of spring, citing the higher risk of severe flooding during warmer months.Pennsylvania is one of the most...

Fannie Mae Changing ‘Forced-Place’ Home Insurance Rules

Mar 7 2012 // The practice of banks forcing expensive homeowners insurance on borrowers could come to an end after Fannie Mae told lenders it would seek to oversee such policies itself.For many homeowners who are required to buy...

Whistleblower Says BofA Defrauded Home Loan Remodification Program

Mar 7 2012 // Bank of America NA prevented homeowners from receiving mortgage-loan modifications under a federal program in order to avoid millions of dollars in losses while benefiting from financial incentives for participating in the...

N.Y. Financial Services Staff Visit Neighborhoods Hit by Foreclosures

Mar 7 2012 // Mortgage foreclosure prevention specialists from New York State Department of Financial Services will visit a New York City neighborhood that has been hard-hit by a spate of home foreclosures.The prevention specialists and...