CALIFORNIA’S FAIR PLAN RESISTS REGULATOR’S CALL TO EXPAND COVERAGE

California’s Fair Plan, the state’s home insurer of last resort, is balking at state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara’s order last week that the plan begin offering comprehensive homeowners coverage (HO-3) on top of its current fire-only coverage by June 1, 2020. Fair Plan president Anneliese Jivan called the order a “misguided approach...that would have unintended consequences that ultimately hurt consumers.” Jivan said the change in the plan’s mission would require a massive scale-up in personnel and operating costs. She noted that the additional coverages are “readily available” from numerous companies.