Insurance Hour

The Future of Insurance in California: Why Catastrophe Modeling Matters On September 17, 2024, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) held one of the most consequential public hearings in decades — a rulemaking session on catastrophe modeling and rate-making reform. Among the speakers was Karl Susman , a 30-year insurance broker, expert witness, and host of Insurance Hour . His testimony cap...

Placer County Declares an Insurance Emergency: What It Means for California Homeowners When wildfires burn through California's forests, the devastation is visible — scorched hillsides, destroyed homes, and displaced families. But there's another crisis, quieter yet equally destructive, spreading across the state: the collapse of California's homeowners' insurance market. This time, the alarm isn'...

California's Insurance Crisis: What New Reforms Really Mean for Homeowners For years, California homeowners have faced an unsettling reality: their insurance coverage can vanish with little warning. As wildfires grow larger and more destructive, major insurance carriers have scaled back operations, raised rates, or abandoned the state's most fire-prone regions altogether. But in a new FOX–KTTV seg...

🎙️ Episode Overview Karl Susman interviews R.J. Lehmann , Editor-in-Chief at the International Center for Law and Economics (ICLE) , about California's insurance crisis, the origins and impact of Proposition 103 , and the controversial intervener system that shapes insurance regulation in the state. 🔍 Key Topics & Insights 1. Background & Expertise Lehmann's long career spans journalism, policy,...

The Impact of Wildfires on California's Insurance Market: What Homeowners Need to Know As flames sweep across California's hillsides once again, the question isn't just about what's burning — it's about what's breaking. For years, the state's insurance market has been stretched thin by a relentless cycle of catastrophic wildfires, insurer withdrawals, and mounting homeowner anxiety. Every new fire...

How to Maintain Your Home Insurance After a Wildfire: What Every California Homeowner Needs to Know When wildfires rage across California, the immediate focus is safety — evacuating, protecting loved ones, and securing what matters most. But after the flames die down, many homeowners face a second crisis: keeping or regaining their home insurance coverage. In a recent NBC4 Los Angeles report, feat...

From Shipwrecks to Skyscrapers: The Evolution of Insurance Insurance is one of those things we all depend on but rarely stop to think about. It's there in the background — protecting our cars, homes, businesses, and lives — yet few people ever ask: Where did insurance come from? In a recent episode of Insurance Hour , host Karl Susman took listeners on a fascinating journey through the history and...

Navigating Insurance Challenges: What to Do When No One Will Insure Your Home Imagine finding your dream home — the perfect location, just the right price — only to discover no one will insure it. It's a reality that's becoming increasingly common in California and other high-risk regions across the United States. Between wildfire exposure, aging properties, and market contraction, more homeowners...

Insurance Power Plays: How State Commissioners Shape Your Coverage When most people think about insurance, they picture their agent, their premium, or maybe a claim they've filed. What they rarely consider is the architecture behind the system — the laws, regulations, and leaders who decide what insurance companies can and can't do. In a recent episode of Insurance Hour , host Karl Susman explored...

Captive vs. Independent Agents: Who's Really on Your Side? In today's complex insurance marketplace, most people buy their coverage through an agent — but few truly understand the differences between the types of agents that exist. Is your insurance representative working for you, or for the company? Are they free to shop around for the best deal, or are they limited to one carrier's options? In a...

Insurance 101: How to Buy It, Why It Matters, and Proof That It Pays When it comes to insurance, most people fall into one of two camps: those who see it as a necessary expense, and those who see it as a waste until disaster strikes. Yet the truth, as Karl Susman explains in a recent Insurance Hour episode, lies somewhere in between. Insurance isn't just about protection — it's about understanding...

Mastering the Insurance Claim Process: Practical Tips for Dealing with Adjusters When disaster strikes — whether it's a fender bender, a burst pipe, or a house fire — insurance is supposed to step in and make you whole again. Yet for many policyholders, the claim process feels confusing, slow, and at times, downright frustrating. Why does it seem like some claims go smoothly while others stall? Wh...

Navigating California's Insurance Crisis: Hard Choices and Survival Strategies California's insurance market continues to stand at a crossroads — where rising risk, outdated regulation, and climate change collide. For homeowners and businesses alike, finding affordable, reliable coverage is no longer a given; it's a challenge that requires strategy, persistence, and adaptability. In this Insurance...

California's FAIR Plan Faces a Financial Stress Test: What Homeowners Need to Know California's home insurance system is once again under strain — and this time, the warning signs are flashing from its last line of defense: the California FAIR Plan . Once intended as a temporary safety net for homeowners unable to find private coverage, the FAIR Plan has ballooned into a primary insurer for hundre...

Navigating California's Insurance Crisis: Proposition 103 and the Road Ahead California's insurance market is at a breaking point. Premiums are rising, carriers are withdrawing, and homeowners are increasingly being forced onto the California FAIR Plan — the insurer of last resort that was never designed to be a first line of defense. For many Californians, it feels like the system meant to protec...

Rethinking Insurance Inspections: Karl Susman's Call for Transparency, Technology, and Consumer Trust The insurance industry stands at a technological crossroads. New tools—satellite imaging, drones, AI-powered risk modeling, and digital self-inspections—have the potential to revolutionize how insurers evaluate properties. Yet, instead of ushering in a golden era of efficiency and transparency, ma...

Behind the Scenes with a Claims Adjuster: What Really Happens After You File an Auto Insurance Claim When a car accident happens, the moments that follow are often chaotic. Between dealing with damage, injuries, and stress, few people stop to think about what happens next — once they make that call to their insurance company. In a recent episode of Insurance Hour , host Karl Susman pulled back the...

Your Top Insurance Questions Answered: Fire Safety, Non-Renewals, and CAT Models Insights from Karl Susman and Insurance Hour California's homeowners are facing one of the most volatile insurance markets in decades. Premiums are rising, insurers are pausing new business, and terms like non-renewal , CAT models , and FAIR Plan have become part of everyday conversations. But what do they really mean...

California's Insurance Crossroads: Inside the Crisis and the Road to Reform Insights from the Insurance Information Institute's Janet Ruiz California, long known for its innovation and resilience, now finds itself in the midst of an insurance crisis that threatens both homeowners and the broader economy. Premiums are rising, major insurers have scaled back new business, and the state's regulatory...

Karl's Final Thoughts: Why Car-Sharing Insurance Legislation Matters — Understanding AB 2743 and the Power of Consumer Choice Insurance isn't glamorous. It's not the kind of topic that sparks viral conversations at coffee shops or fills social media feeds with excitement. But for millions of Californians, it quietly determines whether families recover after accidents, whether businesses survive ec...

Boosting Car-Sharing in California: A Deep Dive into Assembly Bill 2743 with Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco California stands at a crossroads where innovation, regulation, and economic opportunity meet. The rise of peer-to-peer car sharing — a model where individuals rent out their personal vehicles through platforms like Turo and Getaround — has opened new doors for residents seeking flexibility,...

Bipartisan Breakthrough: How Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco's Bill Advances Through the California Senate When it comes to public policy, few things move quickly — especially in California. But every once in a while, a bill emerges that cuts through political gridlock, unites opposing interests, and makes its way through Sacramento with surprising speed. That's exactly what's happening with Assembl...

What Is Car Sharing Insurance? How Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco's Bill Protects California's Growing Mobility Market California is home to innovation — from the tech hubs of Silicon Valley to the rideshare revolutions of Uber and Lyft. Now, a new frontier is reshaping the way people think about car ownership and transportation: peer-to-peer car sharing . Through apps like Turo and Getaround , eve...

Unveiling AB 2743: How Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco's Bill Protects California's Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Future California's relationship with innovation has always been a complicated one. The state that birthed Silicon Valley and the gig economy is also home to some of the nation's toughest regulations — often creating tension between new ideas and old frameworks. One of the most recent example...

Balancing Acts: Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco on Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing, Public Service, and Protecting California's Small Businesses In the ever-changing landscape of California legislation, new technologies, transportation models, and consumer behaviors often outpace existing laws. Few people understand this balancing act — between innovation, regulation, and fairness — better than Assemblymem...