Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Questions Arise as More Mass. Residents List Their Homes on Lodging Sites

Nov 24 2015 // Marcus Ohanesian and Katie O’Connor’s apartment in Worcester, Massachusetts, is in a “family-friendly neighborhood central to the middle of Worcester” and a short walk to excellent restaurants and...

Mass. AG Healey: Insurer Improperly Charged Thousands of Homeowners

Nov 24 2015 // The largest force-placed insurance company in Massachusetts has agreed to provide refunds to homeowners to settle allegations that it improperly charged for force-placed insurance policies, Massachusetts Attorney General...

Bettendorf, Iowa, Seeks Funds for Buyout of Homes in Flood Zones

Nov 19 2015 // Bettendorf, Iowa, officials are seeking federal funding that would allow the city to buy and demolish homes in flood zones.The Quad-City Times reports Bettendorf City Planner John Soenksen presented the plan to apply for...

Tornadoes in North Texas Damage Homes, Businesses

Nov 18 2015 // Multiple tornadoes hit North Texas late on Nov. 16 and early on Nov. 17, causing property damage.The National Weather Service says at least five tornadoes touched down in the Pampa, Texas, area Monday night. Forecasters in...

E&O Insights: Personal Lines Generates More Errors & Omissions Exposure than You Think

Nov 16 2015 // Most agents’ errors and omissions (E&O) carriers report that commercial lines generates the majority of E&O claims. However, a significant number of E&O claims arise from the sale and service of...

Wildfires, and Now El Niño, May Boost Californians’ Appetites for Surplus Lines

Nov 16 2015 // There’s little question that the drought and the recent wildfire season that it unleashed pushed more California homeowners into the surplus lines market.Now with what appears to be a strong El Niño on the horizon...

Hundreds of Texas Homes Damaged by Heavy Rains in October

Nov 16 2015 // Authorities say heavy October rains damaged hundreds of homes extending from the Austin area down into South Texas.Travis County emergency officials said more than 330 properties were damaged in flooding at the end of...

Hundreds of Texas Homes Damaged by Heavy Rains in October

Nov 8 2015 // Authorities say heavy October rains damaged hundreds of homes extending from the Austin area down into South Texas.Travis County emergency officials said in a statement that more than 330 properties were damaged in...

Wildfires, and Now El Niño May Boost Californian’s Appetites for Surplus Lines

Nov 3 2015 // There’s little question that the drought and the recent wildfire season that it unleashed pushed more California homeowners into the surplus lines market.Now with the onset of what appears to be a strong El Niño...

A Landslide of Bad Ideas

Nov 2 2015 // Landslides are a problem for which the United States has yet to come up with an answer. A recent essay by Penn State University law professor Christopher C. French – titled “Insuring Landslides: America’s...

Connecticut Warns Homeowners Insurers

Nov 2 2015 // The Connecticut Insurance Department sent a notice to insurance companies writing homeowners insurance in the state on Oct. 6, notifying them that they are not allowed to cancel or non-renew homeowners policies based on...

Outlook for Homeowners Insurance Market Improves: Report

Nov 2 2015 // The outlook for the U.S. homeowners market has improved over last year thanks in part to rate increases and lower reinsurance costs, according to reinsurance intermediary Aon Benfield.A new report by Aon Benfield Analytics...

Homeowner Files Lawsuit Against Four Seasons Resort in Hawaii

Oct 30 2015 // A homeowner at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii is suing the resort and its developers, alleging he and others have been subjected to an unfair raise in prices and overcrowded facilities.The suit filed by...

Halloween and Legal Liability for Ghosts, Ghouls, Goblins, and Other “Guests”

Oct 30 2015 // “Halloween pranks.” Google this phrase and more than 5 million results link to a myriad of ways to “mess with peoples mind” on Halloween. Some recommended pranks require a higher education to...

New British Insurance Premium Tax Hike Could Further Squeeze Insurer Margins

Oct 30 2015 // A tax hike on British motor and home insurance policies effective from Sunday is set to hit consumers and could trigger a fresh round of margin-squeezing price competition among general insurers.The jump in the insurance...

South Carolina Homeowners Face Expensive Repairs to Unsafe Dams

Oct 30 2015 // People who live around dozens of lakes in South Carolina are under emergency orders to repair or replace dams that ruptured or were deemed unsafe by inspectors after the historic rains this month, and they face staggering...

Shortchanged Sandy Victims Get More Flood Insurance Cash After Claims Review

Oct 29 2015 // Many people who complained a federal insurance program shortchanged them after Superstorm Sandy swamped their homes are getting some validation three years later in the form of cash.A Federal Emergency Management Agency...

Outlook for Homeowners Insurance Market Improves: Aon

Oct 27 2015 // The outlook for the U.S. homeowners insurance market has improved over last year thanks in part to rate increases and lower reinsurance costs, according to reinsurance intermediary Aon Benfield.A new report by Aon Benfield...

The Hartford Earnings Fall in Q3

Oct 27 2015 // The Hartford reported core earnings of $364 million for the three months ended Sept. 30, a 24 percent or $113 million decrease from core earnings of $477 million in third quarter 2014. The insurer said the decrease was...

Celebrities’ Mexican Holiday Homes Pummeled by Hurricane Patricia

Oct 27 2015 // Mexico may have dodged a bullet from the fury of Hurricane Patricia, but jet setters like Bill Gates, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cindy Crawford will have to find a new playground for now after the storm ravaged some of the...