Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

La. Commissioner Orders Horace Mann to Halt Cancellations, Nonrenewals

Sep 29 2006 // Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donleon has directed Horace Mann Insurance Companies of Springfield, Ill., to immediately cease the wrongful cancellation of homeowners policies in 23 parishes and reinstate any...

Residents Worry as SoCal Fire Moves Toward Mountain Homes

Sep 28 2006 // Officials urged residents from Southern California mountain communities to evacuate to safer ground as flames from a 3-week-old forest fire made a dangerous push toward their homes.Firefighters aided by engines, bulldozers...

Hawaii Web Site To Educate Homeowners on Hurricane Retrofits

Sep 26 2006 // Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Insurance Division has created a new website: www.hurricaneretrofits.hawaii.gov, which details the State’s Loss Mitigation Grant Program for Hawaii...

News Currents

Sep 25 2006 // Mass. AG Reilly opposes FAIR Plan rate hikeMassachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has decided to appeal Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler’s order allowing the state’s insurer of last resort – the...

The Fiess decision: Mold is out and more

Sep 25 2006 // In early 2005, the Federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals “certified” a very controversial state law question to the Texas Supreme Court. Certifying a question simply means that the Federal Appellate Court asks...

Judge: Landowners cannot sue Forest Service over lost homes

Sep 25 2006 // Bitterroot Valley, Mont., residents who alleged their homes were destroyed when firefighters lit a backburn to slow encroaching flames cannot sue the U.S. Forest Service over their losses, a federal judge ruled.U.S....

Mass. AG Reilly opposes FAIR Plan rate hike

Sep 25 2006 // Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has decided to appeal Insurance Commissioner Julianne Bowler’s order allowing the state’s insurer of last resort — the FAIR Plan — to raise home insurance...

Creating more capacity on the Texas coastline

Sep 25 2006 // Writing property insurance in Texas can be a difficult proposition, especially in a time when the frequency and severity of catastrophic coastal storms is increasing. To address this problem, the Texas Joint Committee on...

The Fiess decision: Mold is out and more

Sep 25 2006 // In early 2005, the Federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals “certified” a very controversial state law question to the Texas Supreme Court. Certifying a question simply means that the Federal Appellate Court asks...

Advisory Group Expands Valuation Service for Agents, Insurers

Sep 22 2006 // Wheaton, Ill.-based The American Association of Insurance Services (AAIS) announced this week that it is expanding the availability of property valuation services provided by e2Value, Inc. to insurers that use the...

Nursing Home Owners Charged with Negligent Homicide, Cruelty in La.

Sep 22 2006 // It took only four hours for a Louisiana grand jury to charge the owners of St. Rita’s Nursing home – where 35 people died in post-Hurricane Katrina flooding – on charges of negligent homicide and cruelty...

Conn. Agents: Coastal Markets Tough But Insureds Getting Coverage

Sep 22 2006 // About three-quarters of the 21 agents writing Connecticut coastal business say homeowners insurance markets are either “worse” (43 percent) or “much worse” (33 percent) compared to one year...

Hawaii Hurricane-Prepared Homeowners to Get Grant

Sep 20 2006 // Hawaii homeowners who have taken steps to strengthen their homes against hurricanes and windstorms could be reimbursed up to $2,100 under a new state program.Qualified homeowners will be eligible to get about a third of...

Hail Damages Vehicles, Homes in Southern New Mexico

Sep 18 2006 // Hundreds of southern New Mexico residents have filed automobile damage claims after powerful storms dumped large hail and heavy rain in the area.Allstate offices in Las Cruces said 200 claims already have been filed, and...

Fla.’s Citizens Insurance Seeks 2% Policyholder Surcharge

Sep 18 2006 // All Florida homeowners with insurance will likely pay a little over 2 percent extra on their premium when they renew to help bail out the state-backed insurance company for people who can’t get coverage from private...

State Farm Dropping Some Coastal Policies in Texas

Sep 18 2006 // State Farm has announced that it will not renew coverage for 6,000 personal and commercial policyholders along the Texas coast starting next year.The state’s largest insurer said Sept. 14 that it will not renew...

La. Gov. Looking at Whether to Plug State Dollars Into Citizens

Sep 14 2006 // Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Sept. 12 that she’ll consider a partial state bailout for Louisiana’s insurer of last resort, which borrowed $1 billion to pay off claims after hurricanes Katrina and...

Judge: Landowners Cannot Sue Forest Service Over Lost Homes

Sep 14 2006 // Bitterroot Valley, Mont., residents who allege their homes were destroyed by a backburn that got away from firefighters cannot sue the U.S. Forest Service over their losses, a federal judge has ruled.U.S. District Judge...

Fla. Considers Standards for Home Insurers’ Mitigation Discounts

Sep 12 2006 // Florida home insurance companies may have to spell out standardized premium discounts homeowners would get for certain home improvements under a recommendation discussed Thursday by a state panel.The Property and Casualty...

Miss. Weighs Tax Break for Modular Homes to Speed Rebuilding

Sep 11 2006 // A group of Mississippi lawmakers last week quizzed some makers of modular homes about the quality and construction of their products.But after hours of discussion, legislators left the Capitol without making...