Regional snapshot
Across the six Western states reviewed (CA, AZ, NV, CO, OR, WA)regulators continued to approve sizeable premium growth—often double-digit—with wildfire inflation, re-insurance costs and catastrophe models driving filings.While 2024 approvals were still elevated, every DOI except California trimmed review backlogs in the last 12 months by adding triage staff and allowing more electronic actuarial interrogatories; that shaved several weeks off median review times in AZ and OR, and even CA’s cycle time has begun to bend after the September 2024 “wildfire fast-track” pilot. (The reports show repeated withdrawals/resubmissions in CA, but far fewer in the 2025 wave, indicating an emerging—but fragile—improvement.)
State spotlights
HTML Table Generator
| State |
Typical approved rate swing |
Regulatory mood |
Standout carrier actions |
| California |
+7% – 56% (American Modern FLEX tops the list at +56.4%) |
Highly interventionist; multiple withdrawals and multi-round objection letters, esp. on wildfire models and withdrawals |
Farmers’ coordinated 7% refresh across 1.18 M risks; Liberty Mutual group retreating from condo/renters; dozens of whole-program withdrawals slated for 2024-26 |
| Arizona |
–9.6% to +50.8% (American Modern tenant +50.8%) |
Faster reviews (<90 days median) but rising scrutiny of credit scoring and wildfire scores |
Allstate/Encompass sunsetting legacy books and moving to Custom360; Liberty Mutual +27% on tenant; State Farm keeps owner-occupied at +6.5% |
| Nevada |
+10% – 45.3% (Farmers legacy book +45.3%) |
DOI aggressively challenges Verisk wildfire models; large filings often moderated or delayed |
Farmers, American Family, Homesite all >+25%; Liberty/Hartford debut “NV Prevail” modern programs; several carriers adopt rate-stabilization corridors to soften 40%+ indications |
| Colorado |
+0% – 42% (Allstate condo +42.3%) |
Collaborative but data-driven—carriers encouraged to file smaller, more frequent moves; Collaborative but data-driven—carriers encouraged to file smaller, more frequent moves; GLM documentation expected |
Liberty/State Farm still dominate share; Esurance exits, signaling pressure on lean-expense digital writers; uptick in tech-coverage endorsements and wildfire score updates |
| Oregon |
+8% – 27.5% (Allstate renters +27.5%) |
Transition year—SB 82 wildfire-mitigation rule created new filings, but DOI trimmed review time by moving to rolling Q&A portal |
Surge in renters and manufactured-home filings; Safeco/Travelers push 19–22% on >180K risks; Liberty withdrew several 15%+ proposals after push-back |
| Washington |
+0% – 44% (American Family +44%) |
Added credit-scoring “return” after 2022 pause; now focuses on billing-fee reasonableness and earthquake add-ons |
Safeco touches 216K policies at +9.8%; Nationwide +35%; Hartford reinstates CBIS and lifts installment fees; PURE continues niche high-net-worth filings |
Average days-to-approval – direction of travel
- California remains the outlier: multi-iteration wildfire objections keep average reviews above nine months, but the new fast-track route shaved roughly 30 days off 2H 2024 submissions. The concentration of very large-scale filings (e.g., Farmers > 1M risks) also lengthens actuarial review cycles.
- Nevada has the next-longest timeline; aggressive model challenges mean filings with >20% requests typically see at least one re-rate before sign-off.
- Washington & Oregon moved most routine +10% filings to <120 days by adopting e-correspondence and allowing "data-only" resubmissions.
- Arizona cut median review to roughly two months after expanding its actuarial contractor pool; simple rule-only filings are clearing in a few weeks.
- Colorado continues to run in the 90 - 120 day band, helped by DOI staff specializing in wildfire and credit-model exhibits.
Implication: Speed differentials mean a regional carrier cannot rely on a single West-wide filing calendar; staggered submissions or par-filed "sister" rates will reach market sooner and smooth premium jumps.
Emergent themes worth watching
- Wildfire risk is universal, but regulatory tolerance isn't. CA, NV, and CO insist on detailed model documentation and often pare back modeled loads; AZ, OR and WA permit full-form loss-cost outputs provided mitigation credits are offered.
- Product rationalization accelerates. Wholesale withdrawals (Allstate mobile-home in CA; Esurance HO in CO; Allstate & Encompass legacy lines in AZ) show carriers shedding sub-scale programs to free capacity for modern GLM-rated products.
- High-value and manufactured-home niches wing hardest. PURE, American Modern and Homesite's specialty lines routinely post 20-56% increases to keep pace with CAT loss trends.
- Credit-based insurance scoring returns - carefully. WA reinstated CBIS under tight disclosure; CO and NV continue to question factor parity, while OR requires wildfire-score offsets.
- Billing and installment fees are the new battleground. Hartford's West-wide $8/$25 fee package drew extra scrutiny; expect DOI focus as interest-rate environments normalize.
Tactical tips for carriers
- File smaller, faster, data-rich updates. States such as OR and AZ reward clean actuarial exhibits with sub-90-day approvals- chunk filings into <15% moves with clear GLM lift charts.
- Pre-package wildfire analytics. In CA/NV include side-by-side CoreLogic, Verisk and ISO outputs plus mitigation credit elasticity; in OR attach SB 82 compliance mapping.
- Coordinate but differentiate. Multi-affiliate groups win speed when base-rate changes and factor changes are identical, yet regulators look for risk-justified divergence (e.g. higher condo loadings vs. renters).
- Leverage credit scoring where allowed but document parity tests. WA experience shows that transparent adverse-impact studies shorten objections; CO requires demonstration that new credit tiers do not produce "rate shock" for protected classes.
- Run a "fee-audit" before filing. Harvesting $8-$25 installment fees is attractive, but be ready to compare to cost-of-service studies and to cap late-fee revenue as a share of total premium to avoid push-back.
- Plan for capacity gaps. Competitors' withdrawals (mobile, condo) create short-run market share opportunities, but expect regulators to question adequacy on rapid book-rolls.
Bottom line: The West’s homeowners market remains pricing-hard and regulator-intensive. Carriers that (1) align wildfire modeling with each DOI’s tolerance, (2) stage filings to exploit faster jurisdictions first, and (3) back every factor change with transparent GLM diagnostics will take rate earlier and protect margin while competitors navigate longer approval queues.
