California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is moving to stop auto insurers from using marital status when setting rates. I think when this changes (lowers) car insurance rates for the unmarried (50% of drivers) we'll see it change rates across the nation, probably the world, as we've been scammed too long

"The price of your auto insurance should be based on how you drive, not whether you're married," said  Insurance Commissioner Lara. 

"For 30 years, insurers have been allowed to use marital status when setting rates. Today, we are taking action to end that outdated practice and reinforce a simple principle: insurance rates should be grounded in actual driving risk, not personal circumstances that have nothing to do with how someone behaves behind the wheel."

Unmarried drivers pay about 200 dollars more a year, compared to married drivers

https://abc7.com/amp/post/california-begins-process-eliminate-marital-status-based-auto-insurance-rates/19848808
 

there must be new management at Hagerty Ins Co, because today's experience was clearly not up to their usual standard of simple, clear, easy, and friendly.

 I get a statement in the mail, that my renewal will be about twice the amount I was charged last year. 

Since there is not a SINGLE thing that has changed, to my credit rating, my zip code, my driving record (Unless you count another year of trouble free and ticket free driving as IMPROVING my over all average years vs claims numerical factor, in my favor) not my cars indicated value, nor it's garage location or status (still in the garage, it hasn't moved in about 2 years, it's on jack stands) 

So I had to call to ask why. 

Feliza answered. And wouldn't give me a simple straight forward &^Y%*! answer.

That's right, I'm swearing... because I had to ask about 4 times to get enough clues from what she didn't say, and wouldn't state, to ask the right question that she couldn't dodge. 

340 last year, became 650 this year. Why? I haven't yet sent in a written mileage estimate of how many miles I'll drive this year, and they do NOT carry on from the last written estimate as something they will believe in perpetuity, in fact, after 12 months, they do not remember what my driving mileage has been, will be, ever was, or averaged. (less than 50 a year for about the last 10 years) (because I can't afford it, and did a BIG improvement that I went 3x over budget, and am paying down my credit card for) 

So, regardless of the annual photo sent in once a year of the speedometer, and it's garaged status, and the 20+ years of being a customer that they can look at the mileage and average it numerically... they instead, quoted me for 3500 miles. Which there is no logical reason for, and no evidence of my having driven my 69 R/T for, in over a decade, maybe, even in two decades, that car hasn't went more than 400 miles... total. 

But they went with %$@$^! 3500 miles of premium - about $650, and not the 341 they charged me last year, and the year before, for less than 100 miles.

And they do not have a Non Op insurance for garaged cars, unless you change your registration status with the DMV (waste of time) to Non Op

So until they receive a documented hard copy of an indication starting now that my previous 12 months of coverage is up, that I intend to drive it less than 100 miles, like the past couple of years, they simply send out a bill for 3500 miles of some cockamamie notion they decided is financially viable for THEM.

Lawyers, in laws, used car salesmen, and insurance people. Very difficult to get along with unless you have stupid amounts of money you simply don't care about, and gladly throw away

meanwhile, in the WTF category of news, an 86-year-old woman from York was convicted in a fast-track court, because a single letter typo on her car insurance rendered it technically invalid.

She had mistakenly written an 'F' instead of an 'S' in her vehicle's number plate when obtaining cover from Swinton Insurance.

Despite letters from the woman and her niece explaining the error, she was convicted under the controversial Single Justice Procedure.

The magistrate imposed a three-month conditional discharge and a £26 victim surcharge, rather than a fine.

The DVLA is now reviewing the case and may seek to overturn the conviction if the registration typo is confirmed as the cause.

https://www.the-independent.com/bulletin/news/car-insurance-mistake-conviction-dvla-b2960940.html

Under Florida law, vehicle owners must surrender the title of any car, truck, or SUV deemed a total loss within 72 hours.

"If you're dealing with an older car that's been in a minor crash, try to get an independent adjuster or auto body shop to assess the damage," said Michael Delong of the Consumer Federation of America. "Insurance companies often direct customers to their own preferred shops, which may be biased. Don't just take the insurance company's word for it."

Why is this an issue?

"A State Farm representative said that they sent our Lexus to the body shop and that the body mechanic himself was the one who determined it was a total loss. (Later) A State Farm supervisor confirmed that the agent who told us that was the party who determined it was a total loss."

The agent informed the couple that the repairs would exceed the car's value, estimating costs at over $12,000

Three months after the crash, State Farm finally agreed to an independent inspection, Haddon said. The new estimate came in at under $7,000.

https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/state-farm-faces-scrutiny-over-total-loss-claim-denial-for-florida-couple/

So, State Farm lied. Imagine that, a for profit insurance company has employees that lie

In a news release on Thursday, State Farm said its latest rate cut would bring down premiums for its customers by an average of 10%.

The rates would take effect on Jan. 2 for new policies and March 14 for renewal policies.

Florida law requires auto insurers to return excess profits if their underwriting gains exceed anticipated underwriting profit, plus 5% of earned premium, over three years. 

The company announced the latest round of cuts a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis convened a news conference

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/30/state-farm-files-10-rate-cut-for-auto-insurance-customers/

By the way... when it comes to car insurance... avoid Kemper

 Christina has a damn good reason to tell us that you're better off with ANY other insurance company. 

I've had AAA, Allstate, Hagerty, and State Farm. 36 years. 

I've been very upset with each one's customer service when it comes to simply paying my damn bill, but not for claims

If anyone has another car insurance company that they need to spread the word to avoid, just let me know, of course. 

What good is a car blog if it won't be useful? Informative? And help everyone avoid bad car insurance companies

An Arkansas jury found recently that State Farm shortchanged customers who had been in accidents that left their cars "totaled"

State Farm calculated the replacement cost, she decided to bring her case to court. Her lawyers alleged that the company used technology to estimate the amount of buying a replacement. That program factored into the calculation the potential for the car buyer to negotiate a discount from used car dealers — a haggling discount that Chadwick's attorneys argued was no longer consistent with how modern-day used cars are priced and sold.

"The computer program that State Farm used to calculate the replacement value of the car, did it systematically unfairly," said Chadwick's attorney, Brian Glasser. Glasser says his firm argued that commonly used software systematically low-balled the value of total-loss cars for tens of thousands of drivers across the country.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/state-farm-totaled-car-insurance-payout

how much premiums go up after a single speeding ticket varies a lot by state

 

https://ktla.com/news/california/a-speeding-ticket-in-these-5-states-will-make-your-insurance-rate-soar-study-finds

California state's former insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara's taxpayer-funded travel across the world been the focus of an investigation to determine if they had a business purpose of the 'mission critical' trips

"If the insurance commissioner's office isn't able to provide answers as to the government purpose of this travel, I think it's absolutely appropriate for us to move forward requesting an audit so we can get answers for the taxpayers. Again this is about transparency -- it's about good government. It's something that Californians absolutely deserve," Assm. Wallis said.

ABC7 reported earlier this week that Commissioner Lara made at least 46 trips across the country and all over the world since 2019, from the U.K. to Singapore to Glasgow, and Dubai. Receipts show at least 11 fully taxpayer funded 'work-related' excursions to places like Bogota, Paris, and a $14,000 'mission-critical' request to go to Chile.

Many trips that caused him to miss a slew of key insurance hearings since 2019.

https://abc7news.com/post/lawmakers-push-audit-ca-insurance-commissioners-travel-government-purpose-trips-isnt-made-public/16088308/

That was March 29th, 2025

Yesterday's new was: 

Records justifying CA insurance commissioner's taxpayer-funded travel missing

it makes a govt employee look especially bad, and corrupt, when they get audited and that turns up 30,000 dollars in meals with the corporations they are supposed to be regulating, and 11 taxpayer-funded excursions to places like Bogota, Paris, and Toronto.

Just weeks after ABC7 revealed California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara's extensive travel during his time in office, ABC7's media partner The San Francisco Standard has released their own investigation into the commissioner's spending on expensive restaurants - to the tune of nearly $30,000.

Critics' complaints about the lavish meals are multifaceted: Commissioner Lara shared some of these meals with insurance industry bigwigs, who represent the very companies the Department of Insurance is meant to regulate - and at a time when insurance companies are canceling coverage and ceasing new business in the state.

the commissioner took at least 46 cross-country and international trips, including at least 11 taxpayer-funded excursions to places like Bogota, Paris, and Toronto. But after more than a month of questioning his office, Lara's staff has been unable to identify the business purpose for nearly all of them.

https://abc7news.com/amp/post/calif-insurance-commissioner-found-have-spent-30k-lavish-meals-according-sf-standard/16157716/

Louisiana’s Gov. Landry outlined a sweeping has a plan aimed at tackling sky-high auto insurance rates. He even admits that all previous work to do so, was wasted.

If the plan comes to fruition in the upcoming regular legislative session, Landry said it will hold both trial lawyers and insurance companies accountable, target frivolous claims and bring greater transparency to the state’s insurance market.

“One of the most pressing issues affecting the budgets of Louisiana families is the cost of insurance. … We passed dozens of bills last year that we were told were going to lead to lower rates, and yet we stand here today seeing very little improvement,” Landry said

Landry contended that both aggressive trial lawyers and profit-hungry insurance companies are to blame for Louisiana’s auto insurance crisis.

Landry pledged to support legislation that restricts attorney advertising, which he said fuels a culture of frivolous injury claims.

Landry wants to reverse a court-imposed law mandating that injuries claimed after an accident are presumed to be caused by that accident. His proposal would require plaintiffs to prove their injuries resulted directly from their accidents, thereby making it more difficult to file frivolous claims.

Currently, Louisiana’s “No Pay, No Play” law prohibits uninsured drivers from claiming damages for the first $15,000 in personal injuries after an accident. Landry wants to raise that figure to $100,000 to further discourage driving without insurance.

Landry wants to restrict insurance companies from labeling financial data as “confidential and proprietary,” thereby making it more difficult for them to hide key information from consumers and regulators.

Landry also wants to ban texting and social media use while driving; limit the ability of undocumented immigrants to benefit from Louisiana’s insurance system; give commercial trucks with dashboard cameras a 5% premium discount; prohibit using credit scores to set rates; and prevent insurance companies from punishing drivers who had a lapse in coverage but weren’t actually driving during that lapse.

https://www-businessreport-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.businessreport.com/business/gov-landrys-auto-insurance-reform-plan-explained

Following two days of sometimes violent protests, with blockades that had forced schools and some businesses to close, the Guatemalan President has withdrawn a decree which would have made car insurance compulsory

President Arévalo argued that the new rule was necessary to compensate victims of traffic accidents, but many in Guatemala - where an estimated 55% live in poverty - said they would not be able to afford the extra cost.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, the president said he had been elected to bring about necessary changes in the country, some of which could be difficult.

"I remain convinced that a new general transport law is the right way forward for the wellbeing of our country," he said, adding that traffic accidents were the main cause of death in Guatemala.

He said that after talks with representatives of the protesters, the two sides had agreed to set up a technical committee to come up with a plan on how to introduce compulsory insurance within a year.

https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg1qn7dw10o.amp

Headline-grabbing hurricanes and wildfires aren’t the worst problem for insurance companies, windstorms and hail are

 https://www.wsj.com/finance/home-insurance-costs-oklahoma-hail-88f93dc5

the most impressive ad from State Farm Insurance just happened... why wasn't this out for the Super Bowl? It would have gotten unreal amounts of free publicity

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/batman-joker-villains-state-farm-ad-dc-movie/

An apparently secretly-recorded video shows a State Farm executive allegedly admitting that the company threatened to cancel policies in California in order to pressure state insurance regulators to agree to its rate hikes

A tinder date, turned out to be a honey trap

 https://www-ktvu-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.ktvu.com/news/secret-video-state-farm-exec-appears-confess-manipulating-california-insurance-rate-hikes.amp

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/senior-state-farm-exec-sacked-after-honey-trap-sting-over-california-wildfires-527967.aspx

The national average for full coverage insurance is $2,313 annually.

 According to Insurify, Nevada has the No. 7 highest auto insurance rates in the country, with the cost expected to rise to over $3,000 annually in the new year. 

For reference, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, in 2022, the combined average premium in Nevada was $1,420.51.

Motor vehicle insurance rose 20.3 percent in 2023 over the previous year, according to the index.

According to the Consumer Price Index, motor vehicle insurance increased the most after eggs — based on goods and services it tracks — from 2023 to 2024, experiencing an 11.3 percent jump. 

In 2024, the average cost of full coverage car insurance in Nevada was $2,973 annually, according to Insurify. The projected cost for 2025 is $3,214, an 8 percent increase.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/a-huge-expense-auto-insurance-becoming-unaffordable-for-some-nevadans-3271380/

Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit Monday against Allstate over driver data privacy

Texas has sued insurance provider Allstate, alleging that the firm and its data broker subsidiary used data from apps like GasBuddy, Routely, and Life360 to quietly track drivers and adjust or cancel their policies.

Allstate and its subsidiary Arity did not get consent to collect, use and sell personal driving data from over 45 million consumers nationwide.

Allstate and Arity, a "mobility data and analytics" firm founded by Allstate in 2016, collected "trillions of miles worth of location data" from more than 45 million people, then used that data to adjust rates, according to Texas' lawsuit. This violates Texas' Data Privacy and Security Act, which requires "clear notice and informed consent" on how collected data can be used.

https://www.statesman.com/story/business/technology/2025/01/15/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-allstate-insurance-auto-industry-lawsuit-data-privacy-concerns/77696487007/

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/allstate-sued-for-allegedly-tracking-drivers-behavior-through-third-party-apps/

Allstate lost a class action suit, result for the people involved? Thirteen dollars.

why does car insurance cost so much? Here's one little reason, they are greedy and corrupt, and don't have to admit it, just pay the fine while hiking rates for failure to conduct reasonable investigations or providing adequate explanation for claims denial

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. has paid back $5.2-million to Montana policyholders after completing a necessary 18,000 claim reviews as part of a settlement with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance (CSI).

The settlement, which was concluded in February 2024, addresses unfair claim practices discovered in a two-year review of the company's methods by the state regulator. The carrier was penalized $4 million as part of the settlement with the potential deduction of $2 million in lieu of compliance measures.

CSI alleged failure to conduct reasonable investigations or provide adequate explanation for claims denial in some instances.

The company has now made all its necessary updates in policy and training of its staff as of August, thus achieving a $1 million deduction. A follow-up exam to begin in 2025 will determine the fate of the second $1 million suspension according to CSI, contingent on an error rate below 8%.

“State Farm is cooperating with the Montana Commissioner of Securities & Insurance and actively working to resolve the issues identified in the market conduct examination report.”

The review covers accidents that occurred between November 2018 and April 2022, with State Farm having already paid an additional $1.18 million on 2,436 previously reviewed claims.

Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Troy Downing applauded State Farm for diligently reviewing the claims and working with CSI to make good on the February 2024 consent agreement, ensuring the money is being returned to Montana consumers.

State Farm has the largest market share in Montana's private passenger auto insurance market with 22.63%, while Progressive Insurance Group follows with 19.96%.

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/state-farm-returns-millions-to-policyholders-511084.aspx

Corporate greed drives up car premiums—not a rise in claims. UK car insurance is up by a third, yet it has risen by only 2% in France.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/opinion/views/corporate-greed-drives-up-car-premiums-not-a-rise-in-claims/