homeowners insurance News

AccuWeather Increases Total Damage and Economic Loss Estimate From Helene to Between $225B-$250B

AccuWeather has increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Helene in the U.S. to between $225 billion and $250 billion. The update accounts for new verified information, including the loss of life, the immediate and …

Modeler KCC Puts Privately Insured Losses at $6.4B From Helene

Privately insured losses from Hurricane Helene will be about $6.4 billion from wind, storm surge and inland flooding in nine states, according to Karen Clark & Co., a well-regarded storm modeling and analytics firm. The figure includes residential, commercial and …

Biden to Deploy 1,000 Troops to Aid North Carolina After Helene

President Joe Biden said he directed the Pentagon to send up to 1,000 active duty troops to help with recovery operations in North Carolina ahead of a trip to one of the states hardest hit by Hurricane Helene to survey …

Hurricane Helene Halts Poultry Plants, Damages Cotton Crops

Hurricane Helene has halted chicken processing plants and caused severe damage to some flocks, while also downing pecan trees and flattening cotton crops, as floodwaters swamped the southern U.S. Every commodity was impacted, with cotton, pecans, poultry and timber the …

More Than 250,000 U.S. Properties Reported to Have Repeated NFIP Claims

More than a quarter million U.S. properties have repeated claims for federal flood insurance, costing the National Flood Insurance Program billions of dollars in claims, according to new federal data compiled by the National Resources Defense Council. Four states account …

Survey: People Open to Higher Premiums to Subsidize Higher-Risk Individuals—Sometimes

A surprising percentage of people are open to paying higher insurance premiums to subsidize higher-risk individuals, but only when they believe a risk is outside of a policyholder’s control. A survey of U.S. adults, conducted by think tank RAND, sought …

Cooler Weather Helping Fight Large Southern California Wildfire

Cooler weather is aiding the fight against a large Southern California wildfire, one of three large fires in the region. The Bridge Fire exploded in size on Tuesday, forcing evacuations in the communities of Wrightwood and Pinion Hills. Authorities also …

How Big Was the Cat? Investigator Warns About Claims of Clogged Toilets

Did you hear the one about cat poop clogging a toilet, resulting in thousands of gallons of sewage water in the home and a big insurance claim? Lin Werkheiser, an insurance fraud investigator, has heard that one and many more …

Hurricane Debby Florida Losses Top $121M; 60% of Claims Closed

A month after Hurricane Debby made landfall in northern Florida, the number of property insurance claims has reached almost 20,000, and total estimated insured losses are more than $121.5 million, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reported this week. The …

Judge Agrees to Ask State Supreme Court About Barriers to $4B Hawaii Wildfire Settlement

The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court questions …