Insurance company refuses to renew
One Mineral County couple is being denied renewal of their homeowner insurance policy because the carrier says they live in a “high wildfire risk area.”
Bill and Judy Edwards were notified in July their home, located directly on the banks of the Clark Fork River near St. Regis, will not be covered by the 21st Century Insurance company during the next term. The company stated in a letter to the Edwards, “your policy no longer meets our underwriting guidelines.”
Bill Edwards said while he was disappointed in the decision, he was not concerned he would be able to find other insurance coverage. He said he did have questions about how they determined the new guidelines.
“It’s the first incidence of non-renewal that we have heard of,” Edwards said. “I haven’t heard anyone else say their insurance company is doing the same thing so hopefully it’s an isolated incident but you never know.”
Edwards said the company told him they had reassessed insuring homes in the area but details about how they reached their decision were not immediately available. The number of people the company’s decision could potentially affect and the area under the new guidelines was also not immediately available as per a request from the Mineral Independent.
Edwards said he wanted to know how the company came to their conclusions and why now as Mineral County is often at risk for wildfires this time of year. He said he was waiting to hear back from 21st Century after submitting a written request for more information.
“I don’t know what has changed,” Edwards said. “I can understand if I was tucked back in the woods somewhere but I’m right on the river. I can watch floaters on the Clark Fork from my back deck. All they told me when I called was the rating for the area had changed.”
One of the Edward’s neighbors and a member of the local homeowner’s association stated in an email to Sen. Jennifer Fielder that he thought the catalyst for the insurance company’s decision could have been an article published by the Mineral Independent earlier in the year.
Jim Arney said in the email, “This is likely due to the Mineral Independent newspaper coverage of the USFS meeting at the Superior Ranger District on April 17 where scientists from the USFS Fire Laboratory in Missoula confirmed that the entire county is at an extreme wildfire risk.”
The Mineral Independent was not able to confirm with representatives of 21st Century whether this was the case. Arney told Fielder in another email details about the location of the Edward’s home and information about the homeowners association’s efforts to keep the area free of dead trees and other debris that could pose a fire hazard.
Arney stated in the email, “The Trestle Creek Homeowner’s Association keeps an active watch for dead and dying trees and has maintained an active program to remove them over the past 14 years on all 80 house lots in the development.”
A media relations representative from Farmers Insurance which owns 21st Century said the company was not able to make a statement regarding the denial of the renewal at the time of press.