Screened: Breaking News
Insurance and warranty news for US consumers — sourced from federal and state regulators, ratings agencies and market data, newest first.
Updated Thursday, September 10, 2026
Revolut Wins Conditional Approval for a US Bank as Mercury Waits on the FDIC
The OCC's September 3 decision clears Revolut Bank US to launch in the first half of 2027 with $95 million of capital. It follows denials for Wise and Bunq, and Mercury's own conditional approval in April.
Eufy Unveils a 4K NVR System, a 9-Megapixel Doorbell and a $70 Window Camera at IFA 2026
Anker's security brand priced its new E50 kits at $999 and $1,599, the Video Doorbell S4 at $299, and a radar fall-detection sensor that needs no camera or wearable.
Los Angeles County Sues State Farm Over Handling of 2025 Wildfire Claims
The county alleges California's largest home insurer delayed, underpaid and denied Eaton and Palisades fire claims, including smoke damage. State Farm says it has paid more than $6.2 billion.
Ring Makes 'Throw Away the Key' Encryption the Default for Its Cloud Features
Starting in September, Ring cameras will use rotating keys that exist in the cloud only while a smart feature runs and are deleted within 24 hours. Full end-to-end encryption remains an option.
Life Insurance Sales Rise for a Fifth Quarter as Whole Life and Variable Products Lead
LIMRA reports $4.75 billion of new individual premium in the second quarter, up 3%, with policy count up 8%. Whole life took a 37% share; indexed universal life fell 9%.
EPA Issues Guidance on Replacing Lead Pipes as the 2027 Inventory Deadline Nears
Water systems must complete lead service line inventories and begin replacements by November 1, 2027, with all lead lines gone within ten years. Here is what it means for the water at your tap.
Citi AAdvantage Executive Annual Fee Rises to $695 With $600 of New Credits Attached
From August 23 the American Airlines premium card costs $100 more, adds an in-flight and Admirals Club credit, a $500 AA Vacations credit, and moves to World Legend Mastercard.
State Farm Is Mailing $5 Billion in Dividend Checks to 49 Million Auto Policyholders
The largest dividend in the mutual's history pays 4% to 10% of 2025 premium, about $100 per vehicle on average. Here is who qualifies and how to spot the scams that follow.
Car Insurance Is Rising Again in 32 States After Last Year's 6% Drop
Insurify's mid-year report puts the average full-coverage premium at $2,237, up 1% in the first half of 2026, with repair costs up 45% and Connecticut heading for a 15% jump.
Chase Sapphire Lounges Have Left Priority Pass, and Walk-Up Passes Now Cost $100
As of August 15, the nine Sapphire Lounge by The Club locations no longer admit Priority Pass or LoungeKey members. Sapphire Reserve cardholders keep full access with two free guests.
Home Insurance Rate Increases Collapse to 1.8% as Carriers Shift to a State-by-State Market
After 13.6% in 2024 and 6.3% in 2025, approved homeowners rate increases have slowed to 1.8% through July, S&P Global data show. The catch-up is over, but relief depends on where you live.
American Home Shield's Parent Grows Members for the First Time Since 2021 and Raises Its Outlook
Frontdoor reported second-quarter revenue of $645 million, a record 59% gross margin and 2.11 million members. Its HVAC upgrade program is on track for up to $175 million this year.
U.S. News Names Lemonade Best Overall Pet Insurer for 2026 to 2027
The awards, built on 11,424 data points and a survey of more than 800 policyholders, also singled out Pumpkin, Pets Best, MetLife and Spot in their categories.
Mercury Launches Spend Controls With Cards for Employees and AI Agents
The business banking fintech's new Mercury Spend layer issues limited, auditable cards to software agents as well as people, enforces limits at the point of sale and freezes cards when receipts are missing.
CarShield Buys Its Claims Administrator, American Auto Shield, Bringing Claims In-House
The largest seller of vehicle service contracts now owns the company that approves and pays its claims. Existing contracts are unchanged; the FTC order from 2024 still applies.
Days Left: Arizona Homeowners Must File by August 1 to Claim From $11.8M Choice Home Warranty Settlement
The state alleged the company sold coverage for appliances and air conditioners it then failed to repair, and targeted veterans and seniors. Eligible buyers have until 1 August 2026 to file.
Home and Auto Insurers Post Best Underwriting Year in a Decade as Profit Hits $61 Billion
AM Best data shows the US property/casualty industry closed 2025 with a 93 combined ratio, its strongest in ten years, as homeowners swung from loss to a $16.8 billion profit.
Car Insurance Rates Hold Flat at $186 a Month, Ending Years of Steady Increases
Full-coverage premiums were unchanged through June and are down on the year, though analysts expect a modest rise by December.
Moody's Warns US Flood Protection Gap Has Reached 65% as NFIP Sheds Millions of Policies
Uninsured flood exposure could run from $375 billion to $1 trillion in a severe event, with the shortfall increasingly landing on homeowners and local governments.
Progressive Overtakes State Farm as America's Largest Auto Insurer, Ending an 84-Year Reign
S&P Global Market Intelligence puts Progressive at $70.2 billion in private auto premium against State Farm's $68.7 billion, the first change at the top since 1942.
Annuity Sales Hit a Record $461 Billion as Indexed Products Take Nearly Half the Market
The ninth straight quarter above $100 billion. Indexed products have gone from 24% of sales a decade ago to 45% today — and they are the hardest to evaluate.
Americans Bought a Record $17.5 Billion of New Life Insurance Last Year
New annualised premium rose 10%, the fourth record in five years. Indexed universal life led the growth — and it is the product buyers understand least.
Car Insurance Prices Fell 6% in 2025 — the First Real Drop After a 46% Run-Up
Full-coverage premiums averaged $2,144, and drivers in 39 states paid less than the year before. Ten states went the other way.
Arizona Court Enters $11.8 Million Judgment Against Choice Home Warranty Over Sales Practices
The state alleged the company sold coverage for appliances and systems it then refused to repair, and marketed to veterans and seniors. The company must now reform how it sells.
FTC Mails $9.6 Million to CarShield Customers Whose Repair Claims Were Denied
168,179 checks went out to buyers of vehicle service contracts the agency said were deceptively advertised, including by celebrity endorsers who were not real customers.
The Fed Cut Three Times This Year. Your Credit Card APR Barely Noticed.
Rates on accounts carrying a balance are still sitting near record territory above 22%, and the spread over prime has widened rather than narrowed.
Florida's Citizens Files for Its First Rate Cut Since 2015 as Reform Savings Land
An average 2.6% personal lines decrease, and an actuarially sound premium that has fallen 43% in two years. Private carriers are filing decreases too.
Flood Insurance Restored Retroactively as the 43-Day Shutdown Ends — But Only Until January
Policies written during the lapse are backdated to October 1 and claims from the gap can be paid. The programme's authority now runs to January 30, 2026.
Florida's Insurer of Last Resort Sheds 199,000 Policies in a Single Week
Citizens is on track to end 2025 at around 430,000 policies, down from a peak above 1.4 million. Private carriers are taking them back — with conditions.
Flood Insurance Stops Being Sold as the Shutdown Begins — and Home Closings Stall With It
The NFIP's authority lapsed on October 1. No new policies, no renewals, no increased coverage — and in flood zones, no mortgage closing either.
Nearly Half of US Homeowners Were Hit With a Rate Increase This Year, the Most in Over a Decade
J.D. Power found 47% of policyholders saw an insurer-initiated premium rise — and satisfaction fell hardest among those who were not told why.
The Fed Cuts Again and Savings Yields Start Sliding — What to Do Before They Reach 3%
High-yield accounts that paid over 5% in 2023 are drifting toward 4%. The gap between the best and worst accounts is now bigger than the cut itself.
Thousands of Home Warranty Complaints Pile Up in State AG Files as Coverage Denials Mount
A national investigation counted more than 1,500 complaints in Texas alone. The pattern behind almost all of them is the same clause.
Appeals Court Kills the FTC's 'Click to Cancel' Rule Six Days Before It Took Effect
The rule would have forced auto-renewing warranties, roadside plans and subscriptions to be as easy to cancel as they were to buy. The Eighth Circuit vacated all of it on procedure.
US Pet Insurance Passes $4.7 Billion as 6.4 Million Pets Get Covered — Still Under 4% of Them
Premiums grew more than 20% for the year, but NAPHIA's own data shows the vast majority of American dogs and cats remain uninsured.
State Farm Wins a 17% Emergency Rate Increase in California After the LA Fires
The regulator approved less than the 22% requested, tied it to a $400 million capital injection from the parent company, and extracted a pause on non-renewals.
Homeowners Insurance Premiums Rose 24% in Three Years, Consumer Federation Finds
The average US homeowner now pays over $3,300 a year, and the report flags that no federal agency systematically collects the data needed to track it.
Federal Judge Throws Out the $8 Credit Card Late Fee Cap — and the CFPB Agreed to It
The rule would have cut the safe-harbor late fee from $32 to $8, worth an estimated $10 billion a year to cardholders. It never took effect.
California Orders Insurers to Pay $1 Billion Into the FAIR Plan, the First Assessment Since 1994
The state's insurer of last resort ran short of cash paying Los Angeles wildfire claims. Roughly half the bill can legally be passed back to policyholders.