Insurance

In recent months, the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and the Federal Insurance Office have each released detailed data on insurance premiums, non-renewals and other key metrics. The advocacy groups Public Citizen and The Revolving Door Project brought that data to life with interactive maps.

Wyoming is the latest state to let electric companies off the hook if they create a wildfire mitigation plan. But homeowners can still sue if utilities fail to follow those plans.

An obscure federal agency recently released what it calls the “most comprehensive data on homeowners insurance in history.” And the picture it paints for the Mountain West is a concerning one.

More than 30 states have Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plans, which are state-run programs backed by private insurers that offer coverage for high-risk properties.

Increasingly destructive wildfires are a major issue in our region, but whether they lead people to move away is not well understood. New research offers some insights.

As heatwaves and wildfires scorch parts of the West, a new survey shows most Americans have recent experiences with extreme weather. It also reveals they now support policy changes to address the risk. But the more forceful the policy, the less the support.

In the context of climate change’s spiraling impacts on insurance markets, an effort is underway to collect voluminous data from insurers to analyze risks, availability and affordability. Insurance market volatility has been an increasing issue in the West, spurred by wildfires and other climate-related disasters.

Home insurance is becoming a more uncertain market, in large part due to climate-fueled disasters like wildfires. Some states in the West are taking steps to address the situation, like Oregon where a 2023 law requires insurers to account for home-hardening measures in their underwriting models. In California, they’re trying to take it a step further.

Catastrophic wildfires and other disasters fueled by climate change are raising serious doubts about the future of insurance. But a former California insurance commissioner has some ideas about what could be done.

Allstate and State Farm recently announced that they would no longer be selling homeowners insurance in California, with State Farm pointing to "rapidly growing catastrophe exposure."