Top Property Insurance Trends to Watch in 2026
Insurance industry attorneys Greg Hoffnagle and Alex Selarnick were quoted in a Law360 article previewing property insurance trends to watch in 2026. Mr. Selarnick spoke on dual enforcement in California, where the California Department of Insurance and Los Angeles County are investigating State Farm for issues related to adjuster turnover and smoke damage claim handling. He said insureds and carriers should keep an eye on the outcome, as it could indicate an increase in local enforcement efforts beyond state-level investigations.
"The county's move, I think, has broader implications, in the sense that it signals that local governments may start to play a bigger role in consumer protection when it comes to natural catastrophes," he said.
On the other side of the country, New York lawmakers are examining why state residents pay such high premiums for homeowners insurance, reflecting a broader industry focus on affordability in coverage. A hearing in November highlighted climate change, inflation, reinsurance costs and litigation costs as some of the reasons for hikes in premiums. Mr. Hoffnagle commented that it's hard to tell what the investigation could yield, characterizing current efforts as exploratory in nature.
"I look at this as just being very open-ended and broad right now," he said.