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September 3, 2026

Oct 6
2 min read

L.A. County Sues State Farm Over Its Handling of Wildfire Claims Yahoo! News


Los Angeles County announced Monday that it had filed a lawsuit against State Farm after hundreds of victims of last year's devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires complained that their claims had been delayed, denied or underpaid.


The lawsuit alleges that State Farm engaged in illegal and deceptive business practices that kept victims of the wildfires from receiving what they were entitled to under their policies.



When Is It Safe to Return Home After a Wildfire? California Becomes First State to Pass Standards

NBC News


Since last year's wildfires in Southern California, thousands of people have remained displaced or stuck in temporary housing, even though many of them own homes that survived the blazes. Because there are no consistent requirements for testing and remediating toxins in smoke, like lead and asbestos, which can settle into walls and ducts during a wildfire, residents fear that moving back to their homes could make them sick.


With a pair of bills passed Monday, California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for that contamination risk. Together, the two bills require California's Department of Toxic Substances Control and Air Resources Board to develop regulations and guidance on what contaminants need to be addressed after a wildfire, how environmental testing should be conducted, and when homes can be considered ready for re-occupancy.



AI Wealth is Creating a 'Mansion Shortage' and Upending San Francisco's Housing Market

NPR


San Francisco is the epicenter of the boom in artificial intelligence, and it's intensifying competition in an already pricey housing market. AI companies are expanding fast, with startups Anthropic and OpenAI preparing to go public, a process that has sparked a flood of wealth.


The jump in demand has sent home and rental prices skyrocketing. This new demand with a lack of supply, especially of single-family homes, has been dubbed a "mansion shortage" by Compass and other brokerages. The skyrocketing prices and lack of supply have also raised fears of more displacement in a city where previous tech booms and a longtime housing shortage have already driven out many who could no longer afford to stay.



Mortgage Rate Shock Stalls Housing Market as 8-Month Growth Streak Collapses


Stubbornly high mortgage rates finally took their toll on buyer demand in August, snapping an eight-month streak of pending sales growth even as sellers slashed prices.


The share of listings in pending status fell 0.2% from a year ago, marking the first negative readout since November 2025, according to the latest Realtor.com monthly housing market trends report released Wednesday.



Average Rate on a 30-year Mortgage Climbs to Highest Level in 13 Months

Associated Press


Mortgage rates rose again this week, driving the average long-term U.S. home loan rate to its highest level in more than a year.


The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose 6.71% from 6.66% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.50%.


The average rate is now the highest it's been since July 31, 2025, when it was at 6.72%.


 
 
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