Insurance Hour

Safeguarding Communities: How Insurance Could Help Promote Firearm Safety in California In an era where both gun violence and insurance availability dominate the headlines, a new legislative proposal in California is bringing these two critical issues together. Senator Catherine Blakespear has introduced AB 3067 , a bill that aims to encourage safer gun storage through insurance—not by restricting...

How Apple Vision Pro Could Transform the Future of Insurance When Apple released the Vision Pro , its groundbreaking mixed-reality headset, most people thought of entertainment, design, and gaming. But as insurance expert Robert Susman pointed out in a recent industry discussion, the device could have an even more profound impact on something few have considered — the insurance world . "Technology...

Insuring the Future: How Social Inflation, Classic Cars, and Consumer Behavior Are Reshaping Insurance Insurance isn't static. It evolves with society—its values, behaviors, and even its frustrations. In a recent episode of Insurance Hour , host Karl Susman explored several issues that demonstrate just how human behavior and social trends directly influence what we all pay for insurance. From "soc...

Stormproof Your Life: How to Navigate Insurance Claims in Extreme Weather Extreme weather is no longer rare. Across the U.S.—from California's atmospheric rivers to Florida's devastating hailstorms—storms are hitting harder, faster, and more frequently. And every one of them leaves behind the same question for homeowners and renters alike: "Am I covered?" Insurance expert Karl Susman , host of Ins...

Storm Damage in California: What's Covered, What's Not, and How to Handle Claims the Right Way After weeks of relentless rain and powerful winds, California homeowners are once again facing widespread storm damage. From flooded basements and downed trees to mudslides and roof leaks, many residents are asking the same urgent question: "Will my insurance cover this?" In a February 2024 FOX KTVU inte...

Hail Damage and Your Car: What to Do, What's Covered, and How to Avoid Costly Mistakes Hail storms can strike without warning, leaving behind a trail of dents, cracked windshields, and frustrated drivers. In early February 2024, Central Florida experienced one such storm, and local residents woke up to find their vehicles pockmarked with golf ball-sized hail. While the damage might look cosmetic,...

How to File a Storm Damage Claim in California: Expert Tips from Karl Susman California's recent series of powerful winter storms has left homeowners and drivers across the state dealing with flooded properties, fallen trees, and mudslides. As the rain keeps coming, many residents are now asking the same urgent question: "How do I file a claim — and what's actually covered?" In a February 2024 NBC...

Insurance Insights: Navigating Coverage Questions in an Uncertain Market Insurance used to be simple: you paid a premium, filed a claim if disaster struck, and trusted your carrier to deliver on its promise. But in today's volatile market—marked by wildfires, floods, inflation, and mass non-renewals—understanding what's covered (and what's not) has become increasingly complicated. In a recent segm...

When Water Damage Strikes: What Homeowners Can Learn from One Couple's Costly Insurance Battle A burst pipe. A flooded home. Months of waiting for reimbursement. For one California couple, what began as a home improvement project turned into a $120,000 financial nightmare — and a cautionary tale about how complicated insurance claims can become when disaster strikes. In a February 2024 ABC 10 Team...

New Year, New Rules: How 2024 Insurance Reforms Are Changing the Game for California Homeowners California homeowners have spent the past few years navigating one of the most turbulent insurance markets in the nation. Between record-setting wildfires, insurer withdrawals, and rising premiums, many consumers have felt trapped between financial strain and limited options. But 2024 brings a glimmer o...

Saving Money on Auto Insurance: Navigating Rising Costs and Smart Strategies for Today's Drivers Across the United States—and especially in California—drivers are asking the same question: Why is my auto insurance premium so high? If you've opened your renewal notice lately, chances are you've felt the sting of rising rates. You're not alone. Auto insurance costs have been climbing steadily over t...

Navigating the Insurance and HR Maze: How Understanding Coverage Can Help You "Get That Job" The job market has evolved dramatically in the last decade — not only in how people work, but also in what they expect from their employers. Today, benefits like health insurance, disability coverage, and long-term financial protection aren't perks; they're essentials. In the program GET THAT JOB , host Si...

California Homeowners Face Sharp Rate Hikes as State Farm Raises Premiums The new year has brought more bad news for California homeowners already reeling from a volatile insurance market. State Farm , the state's largest home insurer and the carrier for roughly one in five homes, has been granted regulatory approval for an average 20% rate increase — effective March 15, 2024. But for many Califor...

California's FAIR Plan Crisis: When the Insurer of Last Resort Becomes a Last-Minute Headache In California, homeowners struggling to find fire insurance have long relied on the California FAIR Plan , the state's "insurer of last resort." It was designed as a safety net for those who couldn't get coverage from private insurers — typically because they live in high-risk areas like the wildland-urba...

Florida's Condo Insurance Crisis: Understanding the 500% Premium Spike For thousands of Florida residents, home insurance is no longer a safeguard—it's a financial burden threatening their way of life. Nowhere is this more evident than in coastal condominium communities like Daytona Beach Shores , where property insurance premiums have skyrocketed by as much as 500% in a single year . A recent FOX...

Why California Car Insurance Rates Are Rising — And What Drivers Can Do About It If you've noticed your car insurance bill climbing lately, you're not alone. Across California, millions of drivers are being hit with higher premiums — sometimes by hundreds of dollars per year. For many households, the increases come on top of other rising costs like fuel, groceries, and rent, making driving more ex...

California's High-Risk Home Insurance Crisis: Why the State Is Stepping In In California, the growing intensity and frequency of wildfires have pushed the state's homeowners insurance market to the brink. Entire regions—especially those nestled in canyons, hillsides, and wooded communities—are now considered "high-risk" zones. For homeowners in these areas, finding affordable and reliable insuranc...

Navigating California's Home Insurance Maze: Why the FAIR Plan Is Becoming the "First and Only" Option Buying a home in California has never been easy — soaring prices, competitive markets, and tight lending conditions make the process daunting enough. But for many homeowners today, a new obstacle has emerged that even the best budgeting can't overcome: finding insurance. In January 2024, NBC4's I...

When the Fire Isn't Near — But the Insurance Still Disappears Why SoCal Homeowners Are Losing Coverage Amid Rising Fire Risks As Southern California braces for another dangerous fire season, thousands of homeowners are facing a different kind of emergency — one that doesn't involve flames, but finance. According to a recent CBS KCBS report, insurers are dropping policyholders across the region, ev...

California's Insurance Reform Stalls in Sacramento: What It Means for Homeowners, Agents, and the Industry California's long-running insurance crisis took a dramatic turn in Sacramento this summer — and not the one many expected. After weeks of tense debate, lawmakers failed to pass any major insurance reform bills before the legislative deadline , leaving both consumer advocates and the insurance...

The Rising Cost of Risk: Why More Floridians Are Ditching Home Insurance — and Why It's a Dangerous Gamble Florida is once again at the center of a property insurance crisis. But this time, the story isn't just about insurers leaving the state — it's about homeowners leaving insurance altogether. In a recent FOX 35 Orlando segment, reporter Amy Caulfield revealed that a growing number of Floridian...

California's FAIR Plan and the Rise of AI in Home Insurance: What Homeowners Need to Know California's homeowners insurance market has been in turmoil for years — and the pressure is only increasing. As wildfires grow more destructive and insurers retreat from high-risk regions, many property owners have turned to the California FAIR Plan , the state's "insurer of last resort." But with growing en...

Uncertainty Surrounds California's Fire Insurance Drought: Inside the Fight Over Proposition 103 and Predictive Pricing California's insurance market has been under stress for years, but in 2024, it reached a breaking point. Homeowners in high-risk regions have seen non-renewals, rate hikes, and long wait times for policies — a crisis that's left regulators, insurers, and consumers caught in a sto...

Why Auto Insurance Rates Are Rising: The Hidden Economics Behind California's Cost Crunch Californians are facing another kind of sticker shock — this time, not at the car lot, but in their insurance bills. Across the state and the nation, auto insurance premiums are climbing sharply , with some drivers seeing increases of 20%, 30%, or even 40%. Industry experts, including Los Angeles–based insura...

When the Map Gets It Wrong: The Hidden Cost of FEMA's Flood Zone Mistakes For many Californians, flood insurance is something you associate with coastal homes, mountain runoff, or rivers that overflow during a storm. But for some South Los Angeles homeowners, the cost of flood protection has arrived — even though the water hasn't. In a recent KCAL 9 News investigation, residents of a quiet South L...