State Farm Raises Rates For Coastal Alabama

Font Size By The Associated Press
.

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr State Farm Raises Rates For Coastal Alabama
Published: Wed, July 23, 2008 - 8:58 am
Last Updated: Thursday, July 31, 2008 - 1:59 am
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Citing coastal growth and hurricane threats,
State Farm will boost its homeowners insurance rates by 12 percent
to 18 percent in Mobile and Baldwin counties.
The Alabama Department of Insurance approved the new rates
Tuesday for the state's largest property insurer. Some 700 policies
on the coast also will lose State Farm's wind coverage over two
years.
State Farm also will require a hurricane deductible equal to 5
percent of the value of a policy for renewing Mobile and Baldwin
customers. Those customers will pay a 1 percent deductible for
other losses, including fires and thefts.
Elsewhere in Alabama, State Farm spokesman David Majors says
rates will drop by an average of 0.9 percent.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Carl, that is a very good point. Why not offer graduated coverage? It’s insane that insurance is all or none. Monopoly.

Posted by southfan1981 on 07/23/08 - 3:52 pm • Report Abuse   

What bites my bu-t is they don’t give you a choice of how much coverage you want. I don’t need a $160,000 policy for the house, just enough so I can get started on rebuilding in case of major damage, say a $60,000 policy for the house. They won’t let me decide on my coverage, they just say this is the only policy we will sell you, and we both know why, Higher premiums for them. Oh Yea, I see where they got Mr.Scruggs and his son locked up in Mississippi. I figured The insurance companies would see to him. He was costing them some serious money for home owners claims. The first chance they got they pinned him and his son to the wall, prison bound for some of the same things the insurance companies do with the judges.

Posted by carl on 07/23/08 - 3:27 pm • Report Abuse   

Carl, who knows you may have the chance to be part of a class action lawsuit? An acquaintance of ours dropped their flood insurance in Diamondhead MS the year before Katrina. It was only about $500 a year. So, their house is gutted. They did not have coverage and Dickie Scruggs got them $250K. I don’t know how I feel about that. I will tell you that FEMA wouldn’t help us with our roof and the 5% we would have to pay in deductible. It doesn’t sound like much to come out of pocket but when you live paycheck to paycheck. Well, we all know about reality.

Why would an 1100 square foot home cost $1200 a year? It screams of monopoly.

Posted by southfan1981 on 07/23/08 - 3:02 pm • Report Abuse   

Carl I totally understand.  I do have a mortgage.  When we first bought our house in July of 1998 we had Allstate (HA HA) then hurricane George hit in August or September of 1998, we had a claim of about 4000.00 and immediately they increased, well I left them in November of 1998 and went to Nationwide with yearly premium at 700.00 had them til 2000 or 2001 can’t remember then all of the sudden the had a 33% rate increase, I immediately left them and went to Alfa have been there ever since I have had a couple of claims with small rate increases then Katrina and it went up about 350 a year then dropped about 100 per year last year.  It is all scams and people are rich while us people are struggling to make ends meet, living payday to payday.

Posted by momof2ingrandbay on 07/23/08 - 3:01 pm • Report Abuse   

I just looked at this article again...and my blood pressure went back up....

Posted by Tide Fan on 07/23/08 - 3:01 pm • Report Abuse   

You mean who WAS my insurance carrier when I had insurance. It was ALLSTATE and they gouged me for 30 or 40 years. It just came to a point where I could no longer put up with it or afford it. I am now my own insurance carrier. I’ve had to take some added precautions but so far so good. I know a lot out there can’t do it like my self and others because they still have a mortgage. I’ve noticed for years the people having to get help after having a fire or hurricane damage from different organizations and FEMA and now I guess if I have a disaster I’ll be one of them with my hands stuck out.

Posted by carl on 07/23/08 - 2:41 pm • Report Abuse   

Momof2ingrandbay,
It is probably cheaper to complete the repairs yourself! By the time you pay in all of the premiums and deductables, you could have practically rebuilt your home! Insurance is a legal scam!

Posted by Razorsharp on 07/23/08 - 2:39 pm • Report Abuse   

Ok I should have read more thoroughly before.  I also see where the hurricane deductible will be 5% and the other deductibles will be 1% oh hello so if you house is covered for $200,000.00 your deductible for fire or water damage (from a toilet or busted pipe) your deductible will be $2000 and a hurricane will make it $10,000.00 that is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  My Hurricane deductible is already 4500.00, I just would not be able to do any repairs.

Posted by momof2ingrandbay on 07/23/08 - 2:33 pm • Report Abuse   

Hey Carl, My insurance company is ALFA.  Don’t get me wrong they are great, I feel as many that we are paying to much.  Who is your insurance company.  That seems a bit much being north of I 10

Posted by momof2ingrandbay on 07/23/08 - 2:22 pm • Report Abuse   

No...Im not waterfront...South of Hwy. 98 in Baldwin County.

Posted by Tide Fan on 07/23/08 - 1:27 pm • Report Abuse   




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