Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

La. Judge Rules Claims Deadline Extension Laws Constitutional

Aug 25 2006 // A Louisiana state judge on Aug. 23 ruled as constitutional two new state laws giving insurance policyholders more time to sue their insurers or file claims over damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita.District Court Judge...

Heritage General Agency Offers Semi-Exclusive Homeowner Coverage

Aug 24 2006 // Los Angeles based Heritage General Agency has added a new carrier for homeowner coverage in California. Ed Galvez, personal lines specialist, will be the contact person for this coverage. This is a semi-exclusive program...

Fla. Sets Hearings on Home Insurers’ Rate Hikes

Aug 23 2006 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has scheduled public hearings on rate filings submitted by First Home Insurance Company, Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Company, Southern Fidelity Insurance Company, and First...

Rebuilt Homes Higher, More Varied, In Line with Stricter Building Codes

Aug 22 2006 // As homeowners along the Gulf Coast have started rebuilding and repairing since Hurricane Katrina hit nearly a year ago, they’ve been learning a new vocabulary and have been bombarded with recommendations.In many...

Coalition Says Insurer Group’s Disaster Plan is Insufficient

Aug 22 2006 // With the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina one week away, the American Insurance Association (AIA) has unveiled a National Catastrophe Agenda designed to reinforce resilience to catastrophic hurricanes.But not...

A Year Later, Insurers Report 95% of Katrina Claims in La. and Miss. Settled

Aug 22 2006 // One year after Hurricane Katrina, the insurance industry says that nearly 95 percent of homeowners insurance claims have been settled in Louisiana and Mississippi, insurance companies have paid billions in storm damage...

Insurers: Trial Bar Short on Facts in Katrina Charges

Aug 22 2006 // Trial attorneys’ charges that the insurance industry is putting profits over people in the handling of claims from Hurricane Katrina are being dismissed by industry trade groups.The Florida Insurance Council (FIC),...

Finding the ‘Road Home’ in Louisiana

Aug 21 2006 // Louisiana officials expect 123,000 homeowners with damage from hurricanes Katrina and Rita are eligible to receive grants from the state’s $7.5 billion “Road Home” housing aid program, The Associated...

News Currents

Aug 21 2006 // Miss. weighs changes to wind poolMississippi lawmakers are considering revamping the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association to help stabilize the state’s post Hurricane Katrina insurance crisis. The...

Judge Who Decided First Katrina Case Now Faces Hundreds

Aug 18 2006 // One down, hundreds to go.That’s the tally for a federal judge who ruled this week in favor of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. in the first trial to challenge insurers for refusing to cover billions of dollars in...

Dale: Ruling, Notices Remind Miss. Residents to Get Flood Coverage

Aug 18 2006 // A federal judge’s ruling that damage from wind-driven water isn’t covered on standard homeowner policies should motivate more Mississippians to purchase flood insurance, says state Insurance Commissioner George...

La. Governor Meets With Insurers About Hurricane Problems

Aug 18 2006 // Gov. Kathleen Blanco met with representatives of at least a dozen of Louisiana’s largest property insurers on Aug. 17, hoping to ease jitters and keep them in the state after hurricanes Katrina and Rita.Blanco wants...

Floridians Flock to Get Home Hurricane-Preparedness Inspections

Aug 17 2006 // Florida homeowners on Aug. 15 flocked to a new state program that offers free hurricane-preparedness inspections and grants to help cover the cost of improvements.More than 3,500 people applied online within hours after...

Judge for Katrina Insurance Lawsuits Seeks Lawyers’ Advice

Aug 16 2006 // A federal judge presiding over most of the insurance lawsuits spawned by Hurricane Katrina is soliciting advice on the best way to resolve hundreds of cases in a “just, speedy and inexpensive” manner.In a...

Florida’s $250 Million Property Loss Mitigation Program Begins

Aug 15 2006 // Florida has begun My Safe Florida Home program, a $250 million mitigation program to help Floridians strengthen their homes against hurricanes and to reduce property losses.Tom Gallagher, Florida’s chief financial...

Judge Rules in Favor of Insurer in Miss. Wind vs. Water Case

Aug 15 2006 // In a highly anticipated ruling in one of the first wind vs. water insurance claims arising out of Hurricane Katrina, a Mississippi judge has upheld the exclusion for damage caused by water and water-borne materials in an...

USAA Seeks 40% Homeowners Rate Hike in Fla.

Aug 14 2006 // USAA Casualty, which primarily insures military personnel and their families, has asked the state to increase its homeowner and condominium premiums by an average of 40 percent.The company made the request last Friday to...

Another Katrina Suit Filed Against State Farm by Mississippi Insured

Aug 14 2006 // Judy Dutruch has long questioned why her insurance company refused to send an engineer to investigate Hurricane Katrina’s destruction of her Diamondhead home on Aug. 29, 2005, before denying her claim.Batesville...

100,000 Homeowners in La. Register for The Road Home

Aug 14 2006 // Louisiana’s The Road Home program achieved a critical milestone in the program’s initial phase with the registration of more than 100,000 homeowners, the governor’s office reported.This figure well...

Insurers in Louisiana Agree to Extend Hurricane Lawsuit Deadline

Aug 14 2006 // Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon says nearly all of Louisiana’s homeowners insurance companies, including State Farm and Allstate, have complied with his order to extend the prescriptive period for policyholders...