Insurers Could Drop Fire Coverage in California

Source: Realtor Mag (National Association of Realtors)

California wildfires continue to scorch the Golden State’s southern cities, and now officials in the state fear that some insurers will drop homeowners’ coverage.

Wildfires in Southern California and earlier this fall in northern California have resulted in billions of dollars in claims. In the Sierra Nevada foothills, many homes were dropped after wildfires swept through in recent years, and some northern California homes also have seen their coverage dropped, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones told Reuters.

“We may see more of it,” Jones cautions.

Insurers are required to renew fire victims’ policies once. After that, homeowners could then be forced to go to specialty insurers, known as “surplus line carriers.”

The policies can sometimes cost up to 40 percent more than mainstream insurers.