21+ hour, 51+ min ago (416+ words) Homeowners in Santa Cruz, California, are stunned after learning that their insurance rates may be skyrocketing. Five years after the devastating CZU fires, homeowners have struggled to insure their homes, according to Lookout Santa Cruz. Numerous families had their homes burned down in the blazes, and their insurers dropped them after paying out their claims. Many enrolled in the FAIR Plan, which is California's last-resort fire insurance policy funded by a pool of private insurers. However, the plan is less comprehensive and more expensive than typical commercial insurance policies. Now, the FAIR Plan has proposed new premiums, with an average increase of 35.8%. One couple, Tony and Mary Madden, told Lookout that their old policy with Farmers was $2,000 per month. After getting dropped, they switched to the FAIR Plan with additional insurance and paid $14,900 monthly. "I was sick to my stomach,…...

11+ hour, 28+ min ago (397+ words) Shari Rankin says her neighbor had a dead tree and that he knew about it and also that her husband had told him about it. It fell, crushed her fence, and damaged her trampoline. Rankin says her neighbor gave them his insurance information -- Allstate -- and that she filed a claim. "And then I got a denial email saying that they weren't responsible, that he was not responsible," she said. It's not clear why. And she really didn't want to use her own insurance and have that claim on her record. "What do you do? Except call Jason Stoogenke?" she said. Stoogenke emailed Allstate, saying Rankin told him they had denied the claim. The company responded, didn't address any of that, and wrote, "We are in touch with both parties to resolve this claim according to our customer's policy." But Rankin…...