SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will enforce the new insurance pricing regulation he wrote recognizing and rewarding wildfire safety and mitigation efforts made by homeowners and businesses. Commissioner Lara’s regulation is the first in the nation requiring insurance companies to provide discounts to consumers under the Safer from Wildfires framework created by the California […]
California Department of Insurance
Posted inCalifornia
New report and web page shine light on insurance companies’ fossil fuel investments as well as green investments
LOS ANGELES – Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today issued a new report and web page detailing insurance companies’ investments in fossil fuels as part of his comprehensive effort to protect consumers from the impacts of climate change. The report is the most exhaustive study of fossil fuel investments by insurance companies ever done by any U.S. state. For […]
Posted inCalifornia
New insurance laws for 2022 will protect Californians’ health and safety
SACRAMENTO, Calif. January 4, 2021 – California consumers and hard-working families will have additional insurance protections under new laws now in effect in 2022. These include laws that provide new health coverage options for older adults being cared for by their adult children, expand requirements for medically necessary basic health care services including women’s reproductive […]
Posted inCalifornia
Commissioner Lara protects insurance coverage for 325,000 Northern California wildfire survivors
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, while serving as state senator, authored Senate Bill 824 (2018). This important consumer protection law requires a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies cancelling or non-renewing residential insurance policies in certain areas within or adjacent to a fire perimeter after a declared state of emergency is issued by the Governor. […]
Posted inCalifornia
Wildfire survivors now covered by new insurance protections
As wildfires once again threaten Californians, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is alerting consumers to new insurance protections in effect for the summer wildfire season that increase payouts and evacuation benefits for wildfire survivors. These reforms are the result of input received from past wildfire survivors that Commissioner Lara championed in the State Legislature. “I listened […]
Posted inCalifornia
Court upholds Insurance Commissioner Lara’s order to expand FAIR Plan “last resort” coverage to better protect homeowners
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued the following statement after a California trial court upheld his authority to order the California FAIR Plan to offer broader coverage options to consumers who are increasingly losing their homeowners’ insurance due to the risk of wildfires: “With insurance companies increasingly dropping their customers due to wildfire risk, homeowners […]
Posted inCalifornia
Insurance Commissioner Lara protects nearly 347,000, LA County policyholders affected by Bobcat Fire from policy non-renewal for one year
LOS ANGELES, Calif. Dec. 3, 2020— Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara added nearly 347,000 Los Angeles County policyholders affected by the area’s largest 2020 wildfire to the mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing or cancelling residential property insurance policies—bringing the total to nearly 2.4 million policyholders statewide due to this year’s wildfires. The Commissioner’s action […]
Posted inCalifornia
2020 brings greater protections for insurance consumers as new laws go into effect
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Jan. 2, 2019— Californians will benefit from stronger insurance protections as six new state laws designed with consumers in mind took effect January 1, 2020. Several other consumer protection laws will take effect later in the year. “We won many victories for California consumers last year, and secured more protections for homeowners, […]
Posted inCalifornia
Wildfire insurance crisis leads commissioner to call for first-ever statewide non-renewal moratorium
OAKLAND, Calif. December 5, 2019 – Today Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders–helping at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas in Northern and Southern California. The commissioner’s action is the result of Senate Bill 824—authored last year by Lara while serving as state senator—in order to give […]
Posted inCalifornia
Growing need for FAIR Plan leads Insurance Commissioner,to order increased coverage options
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Nov. 14, 2019— As wildfire risk drives more non-renewals of homeowner insurance across the state, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is taking action to help homeowners find adequate coverage to protect their homes by ordering the FAIR Plan to offer a comprehensive policy in addition to its current dwelling fire-only coverage by June 1, […]
Posted inRegional
New Data Shows Insurance Is Becoming Harder to Find as a Result of Wildfires
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Aug. 20, 2019 — New data collected by the Department of Insurance shows insurance is becoming harder to find for those in high wildfire-risk areas as a result of recent wildfires. The data reveals there was a six percent increase in insurer-initiated homeowner policy non-renewals in Cal-Fire State Responsibility Areas from 2017 to […]
Posted inRegional
Commissioner Lara Announces Insurance Strike Team During Meetings with County Leaders
BUTTE/PLACER/NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. Aug. 8, 2019 — On Wednesday, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara visited communities experiencing an upsurge in insurance non-renewals and other issues in the wake of the 2017 and 2018 fires, which caused nearly 150 deaths and $25 billion in property losses. Commissioner Lara announced the formation of a Department of Insurance Strike […]
Posted inCalifornia
Lara calls on Trump administration to stop undermining health care protections for transgender consumers
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Aug. 5, 2019 — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, together with 17 state insurance commissioners, announced he is submitting a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, urging the Trump administration to protect rules addressing unfair treatment of transgender consumers. The commissioner notes the proposed changes by the Trump […]
Posted inCalifornia
Court upholds Dept. of Insurance $27.5 million fine against Mercury Insurance for overcharging
SACRAMENTO, Calif. May 8, 2019— The California Court of Appeal upheld a $27.5 million fine the Department of Insurance issued against Mercury Insurance Company for charging illegal fees that should have been disclosed as premiums, a violation of Proposition 103. The fine is the largest in the Department’s history against a property and casualty insurer. […]
Posted inCalifornia
Commissioner issues regulations prohibiting gender discrimination in automobile insurance rates
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Jan. 3, 2018 – California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has issued new regulations that prohibit the use of gender in private passenger automobile insurance rating in California. The Gender Non-Discrimination in Automobile Insurance Rating Regulation became effective on January 1, 2019. “My priority as Insurance Commissioner is to protect all California consumers, and […]
Posted inRegional
Detectives escort adjusters and survivors into Paradise
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. Dec. 20, 2018 – Due to multiple hazards and blocked roadways, many Camp Fire survivors were unable to return to the restricted burn area to assess their losses. To assist in getting homeowners and insurance company adjusters access to the damaged and destroyed properties as soon as possible, detectives with the California […]
Posted inRegional
Commissioner asks insurers to waive inventory requirement for wildfire survivors
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Dec. 13, 2018 – Helping survivors of the devastating Camp and Woolsey wildfires begin the recovery and rebuilding process as soon as possible led Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones to request residential insurers to pay at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of personal property or contents coverage in the event of […]
Posted inCalifornia
Insurance Commissioner reports over $9 billion insured losses from deadly 2018 wildfires
SACRAMENTO, Dec. 12, 2018 – With nearly 20,000 homes and structures damaged or destroyed by the Camp, Woolsey and Hill fires, residents in counties across northern and southern California are getting access to burned home sites to confirm the terrible reality of their losses and begin the long road to insurance recovery. Insurance Commissioner Dave […]
Posted inRegional
Insurance Commissioner issues emergency declaration to help fire survivors across the state
SACRAMENTO, Calif. Dec. 14, 2018 – In the wake of the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today declared an emergency situation, which allows insurance companies to use out-of-state adjusters to help handle the large volume of claims resulting from the Camp and Woolsey Fires. With more than 7,600 […]
Posted inCalifornia
California residents forced to evacuate could tap insurance for cost reimbursement
BUTTE/LOS ANGELES/VENTURA, Calif. Nov. 11, 2018 – Thousands of residents from Butte, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties ordered to evacuate due to wildfires may have homeowner or renter insurance coverage to help with evacuation and relocation costs, even if their homes are not damaged or destroyed, and in many cases no deductible is required. “With […]