Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Missouri Senator Pushes for Changes to Homeowners Insurance

Mar 5 2012 // After the powerful tornado tore through his southwest Missouri hometown in May 2011, Joplin resident Chuck Surface said he and his wife had to not only rebuild, but spent several weeks trying to figure out how much all the...

Storm Damages Homes in Indiana Town

Mar 1 2012 // A possible tornado swept across the Ohio River town of Newburgh on Wednesday, damaging several homes in the community’s historic riverside district as a powerful line of thunderstorms cut across the Midwest,...

North Carolina Farm Bureau to Raise Homeowners’ Rates, Drop Policies

Feb 27 2012 // North Carolina’s third largest homeowners insurer is looking to reduce its exposure in the state by increasing rates and rolling back its policyholder numbers, citing steep increases in reinsurance costs.The North...

Struggling Floridians Line Up for Mortgage-Mending

Feb 23 2012 // Nearly 1,200 people lined up at a downtown Miami conference center on Wednesday, holding onto mortgage documents and income statements in the hope of saving the homes they are struggling to pay for.Seated at rows of long...

The Hartford’s AARP Program Looking for Agents

Feb 22 2012 // The Hartford says it will be increasing the availability of its auto insurance program for members of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) by expanding its base of producers.Originally, members of the AARP...

Florida Lawmakers Still Balk at Raising Homeowners’ Premiums for Cat Fund

Feb 21 2012 // State lawmakers have gambled with their constituents’ money for years when it comes to dealing with Florida’s property insurance issues.But now, many top industry analysts suggest, the odds may be turning...

Keeping up With the Greens: What to Know About Hobby Farm Insurance

Feb 20 2012 // The Green family owns a small farm. It’s not their primary source of income, but it is a lifestyle choice, and their hobby farm is just that – a hobby. The Green family grows fruits and vegetables as their...

Maryland Court Sides With Allstate in Coastal Homeowners Case

Feb 20 2012 // The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, recently ruled in favor of Allstate. The court upheld a previous lower court’s ruling that the insurer was within its rights to stop writing new...

P/C Industry Disputes Consumer Group’s Claims It’s Avoiding Risk

Feb 17 2012 // Traditionally risk-takers, property/casualty insurance companies have become more like risk-avoiders when it comes to weather-related claims, leaving consumers and taxpayers to pay much higher costs, according to a new...

5 Big Banks, States Agree on $25 Billion Home Mortgage Deal

Feb 9 2012 // Five big U.S. banks accused of abusive mortgage practices have agreed to a $25 billion government settlement that may help roughly one million borrowers but is no magic bullet for the ailing housing market.Thursday’s...

Allstate Readies Homeowners Product for More States

Feb 7 2012 // Look for Allstate to roll out a new homeowners product in phases to additional states through 2014.The insurer launched its new homeowners product, House & Home, in Oklahoma in October 2011. It offered new discounts...

Mass. AG Calls Proposed Homeowners Premium Hike ‘Illegally Excessive’

Feb 6 2012 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is opposing a recently proposed home insurance rate request for 150,000 consumers, calling it illegally excessive. She made her remarks during her testimony before the...

Declarations

Feb 6 2012 // No More Funds-Holding“I have received numerous constituent complaints regarding a mortgage company holding onto funds for weeks while homeowners face emergency repairs that must be made quickly.” —Oklahoma...

Mississippi May Mandate Homeowner Insurance Discounts for Mitigation

Feb 5 2012 // Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he is working with legislators on a bill that would require insurers to offer discounts to homeowners who have strengthened homes against wind damage.State officials told...

Allstate Doubles Q4 Profit

Feb 2 2012 // Allstate Corp. reported that its profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter thanks to lower catastrophe losses and improved homeowners business.The big insurance company posted a fourth quarter net profit of $724...

Maryland High Court Sides With Allstate in Coastal Homeowners Case

Jan 31 2012 // The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, ruled in favor of Allstate last week. It upheld a previous lower court’s ruling that the insurer was within its rights to stop writing new homeowners...

New Jersey Residents Say Flood Buyout Programs Fall Short

Jan 30 2012 // State and federal programs offer homeowners in North Jersey’s flood-ravaged areas a buyout. But the combination of red tape and limited funding is keeping many from that promise and a fresh start in a new and drier...

Lawmaker: Oklahoma Bill Would Help Homeowners with Insurance Claims

Jan 26 2012 // A bill filed in Oklahoma aims to help homeowners with insurance claim payments issued through mortgage companies.Legislation filed by Oklahoma state Rep. Charles Ortega would give mortgage companies no more than 10 days to...

Illinois Nursing Homes to Get $110M in Federal Aid

Jan 26 2012 // Illinois is getting $110 million from the federal government to improve safety and staffing at nursing homes, Gov. Pat Quinn said.The money is supposed to address poor supervision of sometimes-dangerous psychiatric...

Missouri Regulators Recover a Record $21M from Insurers in 2011

Jan 26 2012 // Missouri insurance regulators say they returned a record amount in claims recoveries to consumers in 2011.An additional $21 million was recovered from insurance companies by the Missouri Department of Insurance on behalf...