California wildfires have burned more than 832,000 acres so far this year, so the news that any insurer is ending fire insurance coverage is jarring for homeowners in the state, but for 17,000 facing the end of their policies, the reason is especially curious.
Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual, is not renewing the policy of roughly 17,000 dwellings starting next month and continuing through November. Rather than pointing to losses, a common reason given for such actions, the company says this decision is technology-based.
The unit, in a filing with the California Department of Insurance, says it is retiring “antiquated” technology which manages the policies and says “it is not feasible to create a new system to support this product in California” moving forward.
Liberty Mutual, through a number of subsidiaries, carried just shy of 10% of the state’s fire insurance market. (The vast majority of policyholders will not be affected by this decision.)
Fire insurance customers in other states are also being affected by the technology changes, but the number of people impacted nationwide was not immediately available.
This has been a brutal season for wildfires in California. The Park Fire, which was started when someone pushed a burning car into a gully, grew to one of the largest ever in the state, consuming 429,000 acres in July and August. That fire, which is currently 85% contained, has destroyed 709 structures and damaged another 54. Year to date, there have been 2,981 structure fires in the state, according to CalFire.
Liberty Mutual will continue to offer fire insurance in the state through its Safeco brand.