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11+ hour, 9+ min ago (134+ words) The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will host its own insurance summit in April, calling it a chance to hear from industry professionals and regulators, Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky announced this week. The agenda for the April 14-15 summit in Tallahassee has not been set, but it will be "built around the need for forward-thinking solutions in a rapidly evolving industry," the OIR said in the announcement. "Crucially, the summit will feature the participation of insurance regulators from around the country, offering a national perspective on market pressures, solvency, and consumer protection gaps," the office noted. The conference will be in the Augustus Turnbull center at Florida State University. The office said more information and an agenda will be posted soon. Related: Florida Chamber Insurance Summit Urges Lawmakers to Stay the Course...

14+ hour, 31+ min ago (548+ words) Digital Insurance contacted insurance professionals to comment on property and casualty (P&C) trends for 2026." Experts suggest the industry is continuing to focus on innovation and implementing predictive analytics. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity. Jim Clark, CEO, at HDI Global U.S. Isaac McLean, chief underwriting officer, kWh Analytics Rick McCathron, president and CEO of Hippo Convective storms are becoming more frequent and destructive due to climate change, causing tens of billions in losses annually. As these complex risks intensify, insurers must rethink traditional coverage models and find faster, more transparent ways to help homeowners recover. Since the advent of the internet, there has been one industry prediction that has been louder and more persistent than any other: the demise of the independent agent. Yet, independent agents are doing more business than ever. In fact, they now place 62% of all P…...

16+ hour, 5+ min ago (404+ words) More than 8,000 homeowners in the Mountain West are among the 44,532 nationwide to sign a new petition by the nonprofit Consumer Reports, asking for more protections and transparency from insurance companies. The petition calls on the CEOs of the biggest insurers to adopt the nine protections in Consumer Reports' new "Homeowners Insurance Bill of Rights." According to a report from earlier this year by the Consumer Federation of America, average insurance premiums rose 24% nationally between 2021 and 2024. Many factors are contributing to the trend, including extreme weather, inflation and rising construction costs. Consumer Reports argues that insurers are "taking advantage of this crisis to weaken consumer protections and undermine insurance regulation." "Consumers are often left powerless to large insurance companies when facing increased premiums or when trying to make a claim after the total decimation of their home post disaster," said Alexandra…...

16+ hour, 11+ min ago (149+ words) More than three years after a tree fell on their Middletown home, Jim Leonard and Susie Breigenzer still have a leaky roof. The couple asked State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. to replace their entire roof, but the company offered to replace 22 shingles instead. An insurance industry watchdog told WCPO 9 News that insurance companies are becoming more aggressive when it comes to limiting claims on property and casualty coverage. Do you know what your policy would cover? On Cincinnati Edition, we discuss changes in the insurance industry and the implications for homeowners. We invited State Farm to be part of this discussion. A spokesman said it would be inappropriate for the company to comment on individual claims and sent this statement: "We have been working with our customer and their attorney since their loss and believe we have provided every benefit…...

16+ hour, 26+ min ago (649+ words) Demotech, a ratings agency that Florida consumer advocates are criticizing, rates new home insurers in the state based on their current characteristics, according to an executive at the agency. Demotech's ratings of new insurers now covering homes previously insured by Citizens, Florida's insurer of last resort, are inflated, according to the advocacy groups Unlocking America's Future, the Insurance Fairness Project and Florida Watch." This year, 17 new insurers began writing policies in the state, but the advocates say 17 insurers rated by Demotech since 2017 have failed, and cited a Wall Street Journal analysis that said insurers rated by Demotech were 30 times more likely to become insolvent. When rating insurers, Demotech looks at their business plans and evaluates whether their actions are consistent with what they promised to do in those plans, according to Bob Warren, ratings manager at Demotech. "Everybody wants the…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (796+ words) " Washington homeowners file first lawsuit linking climate deception to rising insurance premiums " Class action seeks to hold major oil companies liable for climate-driven insurance costs " Case claims decades of misinformation fueled a crisis now hitting consumers" wallets Two Washington state homeowners who have watched their insurance premiums surge in recent years have filed a groundbreaking federal lawsuit aimed at holding major oil companies responsible for climate-driven increases in home insurance costs. The case'Kennedy v. Exxon et al., filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington'argues that decades of deception by fossil fuel companies about the dangers of burning oil and gas have accelerated climate change. That, in turn, the suit says, has helped create a home-insurance crisis marked by skyrocketing rates and shrinking availability in high-risk areas. Washington homeowners have seen rates rise 51% in six years....

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (63+ words) As he prepares for his last year in office, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is going all out to make it easier for insurance companies to fulfill their wishes, doing their bidding as he usually has during seven years as the state's insurance boss. He's now under investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission [] More in Opinion Columnists...

1+ day, 7+ hour ago (591+ words) Why insurers are charging more, homeowners are paying more and what it means for affordability The cost of home insurance in the United States rose by ~89% between 2014 and 2025, as rapidly climbing home prices, more frequent extreme weather events and inflation impacted insurers and homeowners. ICE analysts share key insights from their recent 10-year study into the forces propelling rising insurance costs across the nation." Over the past decade, home insurance costs have risen rapidly in many parts of the United States. This has been driven by numerous factors, including an increase in the costs associated with extreme weather events, the COVID-era spike in nationwide housing values, and high inflation in 2021-22." Before 2017, the five-year rolling average costs associated with billion-dollar disaster events was consistently less than $100 billion in the U.S. Since 2017, however, those costs have consistently exceeded $120 billion. Premiums are also tied…...

1+ day, 10+ hour ago (288+ words) A new report from Verisk has found that property insurance claims volume during the third quarter 2025 was the lowest it has been in the past five years but claims severity during the period was one of the highest in recent history. According to Verisk's Q4 2025 Quarterly Property Report, claims were down nearly 30% in North America compared with third quarter 2024, thanks to reduced catastrophe activity. However, catastrophe and non-cat claims each saw much lower numbers this year compared to the last. The insurance industry recorded just over one million claim assignments in Q3. As of teh end of Q3, the industry has handled about 3.5 million claims from North America, which is the second-lowest in five years. The last quarter of the year tends to account for 20%-25% of annual claim volume. "2025 is on track to be the lowest volume year in recent history, yet cost…...

1+ day, 13+ hour ago (405+ words) More than 8,000 homeowners in the Mountain West are among the 44,532 nationwide to sign a new petition by the nonprofit Consumer Reports, asking for more protections and transparency from insurance companies. The petition calls on the CEOs of the biggest insurers to adopt the nine protections in Consumer Reports" new "Homeowners Insurance Bill of Rights." According to a report from earlier this year by the Consumer Federation of America, average insurance premiums rose 24% nationally between 2021 and 2024. Many factors are contributing to the trend, including extreme weather, inflation and rising construction costs. Consumer Reports argues that insurers are "taking advantage of this crisis to weaken consumer protections and undermine insurance regulation." "Consumers are often left powerless to large insurance companies when facing increased premiums or when trying to make a claim after the total decimation of their home post disaster," said Alexandra…...