Insurers promised 12,189 new California home policies. The FAIR Plan still has about 697,000

CalMatters reported on September 23, 2026 that insurers are telling the Department of Insurance they will write new California homeowners policies again. The department has not published how many policies those companies have actually sold. Consumer Watchdog counted the promises inside rate filings and got 12,189 new-policy commitments since January 2025, when Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s Sustainable Insurance Strategy took effect. The group’s actuary, Ben Armstrong, said the count is commitments, not sales, and not an exact science. Department spokesman Michael Soller called that tally incomplete and premature. The department says it will publish its own look at the market. Soller did not know whether that would happen before Lara’s term ends in January.

Of 10 companies that asked for rate increases under the new rules, Consumer Watchdog found five that committed to selling more policies. The rule gives a carrier a choice: write 85% of its statewide market share in high-risk areas, grow policies 5% in those areas, or grow 5% by taking customers off the FAIR Plan. Some carriers say they already meet the 85% test. In the filings the watchdog used, Mercury’s distressed-area commitment is 2,107 new policies, against an eight-year goal of moving about 6.5% of FAIR Plan residential policies. Farmers’ filing, the largest rate increase in the set at more than $150 million, commits to 5,596 new policies. The state has more than 8 million homeowners policies. Insurify said the average California homeowners premium was up 5% in the first half of 2026.

The FAIR Plan still had about 697,000 policies in June, up 157% since September 2022. CalMatters said that book is still growing, more slowly than it was. A commitment of 12,189 does not clear a residual market of that size. The plan’s 29.1% average dwelling increase still takes effect October 15 for new and renewing policies. If you are on it, ask us to shop an admitted quote before you renew the fire-only policy and assume that is the market.

If this is on your renewal, call the office at (619) 420-8600 or start a quote. We will tell you what the market will actually write.

Sources: CalMatters, September 23, 2026; Mainline, August 19, 2026, on the October 15 FAIR Plan increase.