Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

FEMA to Ask Sandy Homeowners If They Want to Reopen Claims

May 8 2015 // Homeowners insured through the National Flood Insurance Program who think they were shortchanged for Superstorm Sandy damage are getting another chance for reimbursement.The Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin...

Louisville Ordinance Prevents Kentucky Homeowners from Repairing Flooded Homes

May 7 2015 // Gerald and Nancy Barton are in a fix. After an April 3 storm flooded their Louisville, Ky., home, they had to tear out the floorboards and the bottom half of the wallboards. But they can’t get the permits they need...

Allstate Says Profit Up 13% in Q1; Will Raise Auto Rates

May 6 2015 // Allstate Corp., the largest U.S. publicly traded seller of auto and home insurance, said first-quarter profit rose 13 percent as margins improved at the property- liability business and catastrophe losses fell.Net income...

Industry Representatives Examine Potential Claims Issues Following Riots

May 6 2015 // Some 140 vehicle fires, more than a dozen structural fires and nearly 200 arrests were reported in wake of the Baltimore riots that shook the city last week. And more than 200 businesses were damaged during the riots,...

Mississippi AG Sues Over State Farm Katrina Claims

May 4 2015 // Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has sued State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. for allegedly shifting hundreds of millions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina wind claims to the state by mislabeling them flood claims.The...

Penn. Nixes Fracking Exclusions in Earthquake Endorsements

May 4 2015 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued a notice telling insurance companies that earthquake endorsements to homeowners insurance policies in Pennsylvania cannot exclude coverage for earthquakes that may be caused by...

N.J. Consumers to Get 1-Page Homeowners Policy Summary

May 4 2015 // The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance announced that starting in June, New Jersey consumers buying or renewing homeowners, condominium, mobile home, renters or dwelling fire insurance policies will receive a...

Hurricane Sandy Judges Demand Clearing of Settlement Roadblocks

Apr 28 2015 // Federal officials and flood insurance companies were chastised by a panel of New York judges for imposing delays on settlements with hundreds of Hurricane Sandy victims who alleged their claims were wrongfully denied or...

Tornado Damages Dozens of Homes in Ocala

Apr 23 2015 // Authorities say a tornado touched down in an area of north Florida where dozens of homes were damaged by wind and failing trees. The Ocala Star Banner reported that no one was injured but at least a half dozen homes...

Landlords in Michigan Town Must Ensure Renters Keep Homes Crime-Free

Apr 22 2015 // A new ordinance in Saginaw will require renters to pledge to keep their homes free of crime and puts landlords on the hook for making sure tenants obey the rules.The ordinance, dubbed the “crime-free lease...

Texas Home Insurers Seek Lawsuit Protection Despite Healthy Profits

Apr 22 2015 // Texas home insurers saw a third straight year of healthy profits in 2014 due to higher rates and fewer severe storms across the state.But The Dallas Morning News reports a rising tide of lawsuits filed by homeowners in...

2 N.J. Towns Get Federal Grants for Buyouts of Flood-Prone Homes

Apr 22 2015 // Two New Jersey towns will share $7.5 million in federal grants to fund the acquisition and demolition of homes in flood-prone areas. Woodbridge will receive more than $3.8 million to buy and demolish 98 homes and Manville...

Cause of Fires at 3 Empty Homes in North Carolina Neighborhood Unknown

Apr 22 2015 // Firefighters in North Carolina this week took on blazes at three empty homes in the same neighborhood in Fayetteville.Multiple media outlets reported that the first call came in shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday for fires at...

Mississippi AG Hood Sues State Farm, Alleges Katrina Claims Fraud

Apr 21 2015 // Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has sued State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. for allegedly shifting hundreds of millions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina wind claims to the state by mislabeling them flood claims.The...

Officials Say Cooking Fire Started California Blaze That Threatened 300 Homes

Apr 20 2015 // Firefighters are making progress on a fire that had threatened hundreds of homes near a Southern California dam.Officials said an unattended cooking fire sparked the blaze on Saturday, triggering the nighttime evacuation...

N.J. Consumers to Receive 1-Page Summary of Their Homeowners Coverage

Apr 16 2015 // The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance announced that starting in June, New Jersey consumers buying or renewing homeowners, condominium, renters, mobile home, or dwelling fire insurance policies will receive a...

Penn.: Fracking Exclusion Not Allowed in Homeowners Earthquake Endorsements

Apr 15 2015 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued a notice telling insurance companies that earthquake endorsements to homeowners insurance policies in Pennsylvania cannot exclude coverage for earthquakes that may be caused by...

Trunk Joins Lighthouse Property Insurance in the Carolinas

Apr 15 2015 // Lighthouse Property Insurance Corp. has hired George Trunk as senior marketing representative of both North and South Carolina.Trunk comes to Lighthouse with more than 28 years of experience in the insurance industry...

Why Homeowners Should Worry Despite ‘Calm’ Hurricane Forecast

Apr 10 2015 // The Colorado State University hurricane forecast for the Atlantic Ocean came out Thursday and called for seven named storms. That would be the fewest since 1997.The CSU forecast will be followed soon by a host of others,...

Higginbotham Adds Homeowners Association Insurance Practice Group

Apr 8 2015 // A group of five commercial property/casualty insurance professionals led by broker Mark Conner has joined Higginbotham in Houston. The group specializes in homeowners association (HOA) insurance and loss control, serving...