
The wildfires in Los Angeles, including the Palisades and Eaton fires, are causing significant property damage and displacing thousands. Moody’s Ratings anticipates insured losses to reach between $10 billion and $20 billion due to high property values in the affected regions. Dry conditions, strong Santa Ana winds, and water shortages have exacerbated the fires’ spread, creating challenges for firefighting efforts.
The financial impact is expected to stretch across homeowners, commercial property insurers, and the excess and surplus (E&S) market. The California FAIR Plan, covering high-risk properties, also faces significant exposure, particularly in high-value areas like Pacific Palisades. Rising material costs and construction demand may further elevate claims.
California’s ongoing insurance market issues are highlighted as insurers adjust rates, reinsurance strategies, and underwriting practices to address increasing wildfire risks. Moody’s notes that some major insurers have reduced operations in high-risk areas, while others have shifted policies to the E&S market for flexibility. Legislative changes allowing catastrophe modeling in rate-setting could influence future market dynamics.
The fires underscore the growing challenges of managing wildfire risk in California, with the state experiencing escalating costs from wildfire events in recent years.