Articles by Don Jergler

32.7M Homes at Risk of Hurricane Damage, Report Shows

More than 32.7 million residential properties are at risk of moderate or severe damage sustained from hurricane-force winds from Texas to Maine, a new report shows. The large number of at-risk homes in CoreLogic’s 2024 Hurricane Risk Report, which comes …

Report: Vehicle Complexity, Labor ‘Reshaping’ Auto Insurance and Collision Repair

New technologies and rising labor costs are putting pressure on auto insurance carriers and auto repairers by making repairs more costly and increasing repair times, trends that a new report asserts are “reshaping” the industries. The bottom-line message: Newer vehicles …

Clearcover Launches Generative AI Tool Aimed at Expediting Claims Processing

Clearcover launched a generative AI tool the company said is designed to further digitize statement collection, significantly streamlining the insurance claims process and customer experience. The AI-driven tool uses large language models (LLMs) to guide a conversational experience immediately following …

Early Estimate of Tropical Storm Hilary’s Damage and Economic Loss: $9 Billion

AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Tropical Storm Hilary in the U.S. is $7 billion to $9 billion. Hilary brought widespread flooding through Southern California, washing out roads and bridges, flooding cars and homes, and …

How Pandemic Effects on Supplies, Shipping Compound Wildfire States’ Insurance Woes

A perfect storm appears to brewing for homeowners and property insurers in the drought-plagued, wildfire-riddled U.S. West – and as odd as it may sound, the trouble may have begun with the pandemic. Property insurance rates and availability for homeowners …

California Workers’ Comp Changes Helping System, Division Chief Says

California’s workers’ compensation system has undergone numerous changes since the implementation of the sweeping reforms that started in 2013 with Senate Bill 863. In the last few years medical provider fraud has been addressed by subsequent new laws, a plague …

Hawaii Insurance Commissioner: Homes Destroyed by Kilauea Lava Are Covered

Hawaii’s insurance commissioner has made it clear that homes destroyed or damaged in the recent lava flow into a Hawaii neighborhood are covered for the damage under homeowners insurance policies. Gordon Ito, who has been the state’s insurance commissioner since …

Nationwide Switching to Independent Agency Distribution Model by 2020

Independent agents take note – Nationwide may be on your side. Nationwide on Monday announced its intention to shift to an independent agency distribution model over the next two years. The Columbus, Ohio-based carrier, which provides a range of insurance …

Losses From Southern California Fire Could Reach $2.5B, Expert Says

Losses from the Thomas Fire in Southern California are expected to fall between $1 billion and $2.5 billion, a catastrophe modeling firm said on Tuesday. The Thomas Fire, which raged across Southern California’s Ventura and Santa Barbara counties throughout most …

California Workers’ Compensation Insurers Propose Rate Cut

The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau on Tuesday submitted a July 1 Pure Premium Rate Filing to the California Department of Insurance proposing advisory pure premium rates that average $2.02 per $100 of payroll. The move follows a vote by …