California bans insurance cancellation in LA fire-affected areas

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(Bloomberg) — California banned insurers from cancelling or not renewing residential property policies in the Los Angeles neighbourhoods that were affected by the blazes that destroyed swaths of the city this week.

The state’s insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, issued a one-year mandatory moratorium to shield those in the neighborhoods or adjoining ZIP codes of the Palisades and Eaton fires, whether they suffered a loss or not, according to a statement published late Thursday Los Angeles time.

This order applies to all residential property policies in force as of Jan. 7, when Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

The California Department of Insurance may extend the moratorium to other ZIP codes that could become affected by the wildfires.

“Our top priority is protecting Californians during this crisis and helping us recover,” Lara said in the statement, adding that the moratorium aims to ensure that “people don’t face the added stress of finding new insurance during this horrific event.”

At least 10 people died and more than 29,000 acres burned in this week’s blaze. The fires in the neighbourhoods of Pacific Palisades and Pasadena remained largely uncontrolled as of Friday morning New York time.

The total economic losses of the devastation — which account for uninsured destruction and indirect economic impact such as lost wages and supply-chain disruptions — is now expected to land between $135 billion and $150 billion, according to Accuweather Inc.

Insurers are set to face a bill that could top $20 billion, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts, though that figure may increase further as devastation spreads.