Latest Homeowners Headlines

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

Texas No Longer No. 1 in High Home Insurance Rates

Dec 18 2013 // An industry group says Texas homeowners no longer are paying the highest insurance rates in the country, a distinction that now goes to Florida residents.The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has released its...

FEMA Grants Helping to Raise Flood-Prone R.I. Homes

Dec 17 2013 // The owners of eight flood-prone properties near Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, R.I., are using federal grant funds to raise their homes and businesses high enough to minimize any future damage. The Westerly Sun...

A.M. Best Special Report: Homeowners Profitability Is an Ongoing Challenge

Dec 16 2013 // Despite the various strategies employed by companies that write the business, homeowners insurance historically has produced volatile underwriting performance, according to A.M. Best.And while strategies to make homeowners...

N.J. Bill Requiring New Homes Be Equipped With Fire Suppression Systems Advances

Dec 13 2013 // In New Jersey, legislation sponsored by state Sen. Donald Norcross (D-Camden/Gloucester) that would increase public safety by requiring that certain new homes are equipped with a fire suppression system was approved...

Plymouth Rock, Bunker Hill Offer Combined Home, Auto Coverage to Massachusetts AARP Members

Dec 13 2013 // The senior citizen organization American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has chosen Boston-based Plymouth Rock Assurance and its affiliated Bunker Hill Insurance to issue auto and home insurance products for AARP...

North-Central Penn. Officials: Higher Flood Insurance Rates Will Bankrupt Homeowners

Dec 13 2013 // Residents and officials in flood-prone north-central Pennsylvania are warning that a new federal law ending subsidized federal flood insurance rates in certain areas will bankrupt homeowners, drive down property values and...

Louisiana Citizens Insurance Depopulation Highest in Five Years

Dec 12 2013 // The total policy count for Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. (Citizens) is dropping below 95,000 personal and commercial policies following the latest round of the Citizens depopulation program, the Louisiana...

Drilling Boom Leaves Some Neighbors with Damages, Depressed House Values

Dec 12 2013 // When Gary Gless bought his sleek, modernist house in Los Angeles in 2002, he thought he had hit a “gold mine.” The world’s largest inner-city park – featuring a lush, 18-hole golf course – was...

Ironshore Personal Lines Unit to Offer Excess Flood Coverage

Dec 4 2013 // Ironshore’s Personal Lines unit is expanding flood insurance coverage for high net worth homeowner clients. The excess flood insurance is an endorsement available on homeowners policies underwritten by Ironshore...

Florida Congressman Proposes Disaster Savings Accounts

Dec 3 2013 // A Florida congressman is calling for the creation of a new federal tax-free savings account that will allow homeowners to set aside up to $5,000 to help strengthen their homes against hurricanes and other natural...

Report Shows Nearly 5 Million Homes Endangered by Wildfires

Dec 2 2013 // More than 4.5 million U.S. households are at high or extreme risk from wildfire, according to new analysis by Verisk Insurance Solutions – Underwriting, a unit of Verisk Analytics.The analysis identified the number...

The Mutual Mistake Doctrine and the Purchase of Insurance

Dec 2 2013 // Every day insurance agents throughout the United States meet with potential insureds to transact the purchase of insurance. Typically, the insurance agent or broker will cover the main features of an insurance policy but...

Florida Attracts Interest from Private Flood Insurance Providers

Dec 2 2013 // With increases in federal flood insurance rates looming, two insurance providers have said they are prepared to sell private flood policies in Florida.Their actions come as state officials are trying to provide guidelines...

Sun Life Signs Car, Home Insurance Referrals Deal with Belairdirect

Nov 27 2013 // Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada and Intact Financial Corp. announced a referral arrangement to provide Sun Life’s customers in Canada with access to belairdirect.com’s home and auto insurance products through...

Penn. Regulators Offer Tips to Avoid Turkey Frying Homeowners Catastrophe

Nov 26 2013 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner are cautioning consumers to be extra careful when considering deep frying a turkey as part of the Thanksgiving celebration.While a tasty...

Count of Storm-Damaged Homes in Illinois Expected to Grow

Nov 22 2013 // State officials now say that at least 900 homes in Illinois were either destroyed or badly damaged by the tornado outbreak on Nov. 17. And that figure is likely to grow.Patti Thompson is a spokeswoman for the Illinois...

Connecticut Opens 2 Additional Sandy Relief Centers for Disaster Assistance

Nov 21 2013 // The state of Connecticut is opening two additional intake centers to help homeowners seeking disaster assistance for losses caused by last year’s Superstorm Sandy. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Tuesday...

Prospects Dim for Bills to Delay Flood Insurance Rate Hikes

Nov 21 2013 // Efforts to delay implementation of changes in the federal flood insurance program have run into roadblocks on both sides of Capitol Hill.The leaders of the House Financial Services Committee say they are standing behind...

New York to Buy Homes in Staten Island Neighborhood Hit by Sandy

Nov 19 2013 // Residents of a flood-prone area battered by Superstorm Sandy are getting a financial lifeline, with New York state officials announcing a plan to buy all 129 homes in a New York City neighborhood sandwiched between a tidal...

Hundreds of Homes Destroyed by Midwest Tornado Outbreak: AIR

Nov 19 2013 // Hundreds of homes were flattened by the outbreak of intense late-season thunderstorms accompanied by high winds, quarter-to-baseball sized hail, and dozens of tornadoes that swept across the Midwest on Nov. 17, according...