The state of Iowa is regarded by many as the nation’s insurance capital — or is at least close to it. In fact, in the last 15 years, Iowa has seen its GDP grow by 57 percent just in the insurance and financial services industries.  As a measure of percentage contribution to GDP, that growth makes Iowa first in the nation in insurance as a generator of income, salaries, and economic benefit, according to the Iowa Economic Development Authority.  So, ...

In Iowa, the homeowners insurance market had been profitable for years, followed by losses in 2020 to 2022 because of severe storms, Ommen said.  “We have strung together some pretty tough years — 2021 and 2022 were also really difficult years,” he said.  In 2020 alone, insurers in the state lost a combined more than $1 billion, according to data from the Iowa Insurance Division.  That year, a derecho, a powerful line of severe storms with hurricane-strength wind gusts, tore ...

……He added that he was surprised to learn about the terms of his policy when he filed his claim. Like many other Iowans, his insurer had moved him to a form of coverage that decreased the amount of money it would pay for a new roof. And like many Iowans, Shapiro had not noticed the change.   Read the article…………………………….

A residential area near the Hampton Country Club in north-central Iowa has for years exceeded its ammonia and bacteria limits for wastewater that is discharged into a creek, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.   Read the article…………………………….

Iowa’s Insurance Commissioner said he’s concerned about the number of insurance companies that have left the state because of severe weather and the increasing costs to repair the damage.  We introduced you to a man last week who spent months looking for insurance for his homeowner’s association after Pekin Insurance left Iowa. Now, the state is looking to create more options for some people to find the coverage they need.    Read the article…………………………….

David Langston is the President of Beaver Creek Homeowners Association and one of his many tasks is making sure the 17 homes on East Post Court have insurance for what the HOA is responsible for, the outside of these homes. But in January, he got work that Pekin Insurance, the company they’ve used for years would no longer cover their homes.   Read the article…………………………….

The five women estimate it has cost $50,000 so far to sue to try to gain control of their condo association, and here’s the kicker: They are also paying the attorney’s fees of their adversary as their case winds its way to Iowa’s Supreme Court.  Read the article…………………………….

After this condo experienced a blaze in January, it was boarded up and was not supposed to be occupied due to previous fire damage.  The first of numerous crews arrived on-scene at 5:39 a.m. with heavy smoke coming from the building, and with several police officers complaining of smoke inhalation.   Read the article…………………………….

The Heartland Park Condominiums in Fairfield is a community undergoing innovative changes to improve both the environment and the lives of their residents.  The community values the economic, spiritual, and physical well-being of its members and encourages members to help each other. The goal is to create a safe, healthy, and supportive community of all ages. Including the possibility of residents aging in place.   Read the article…………………………….

Proposed legislation in the Iowa House would enable community associations that govern areas near public lakes to police their members’ conduct while boating.Read the article…………………………….

Residents who used to live in Stoneridge Condominiums gathered Thursday night for a vigil to mark one year since a fire destroyed several units in the complex and displaced dozens of people. The fire happened on Nov. 15, 2022.  Read the article………………………………

Realtor Kirk Brunscheen had an offer on a three-bedroom condominium he was selling by Jones Park in southwest Cedar Rapids. But then the agent found out the condo association had levied an $18,000 special assessment due by January.   Read the article………………………..

Three lawsuits filed this week in response to the Davenport, Iowa condo collapse allege that the city, landlord, numerous contractors and engineers knew of the “imminent danger” facing tenants and chose not to act.   Read the article………………………..

Five people are unaccounted for after an apartment complex in Davenport, Iowa partially collapsed Sunday afternoon, with two potentially still inside the structure, officials said Tuesday during a press conference. Read the article………………………..

County officials said they were open to negotiating Secondary Road Assessment Districts in the area, but only through the process spelled out by state code, which allows local land owners to petition the county for road improvements, as long as residents agree to cover at least half of the bill.  Read the article………………………..

Dozens of families were displaced from their homes Tuesday night after a condo complex caught fire.  Smoke was pouring from the building when firefighters arrived, and they immediately evacuated the building. No injuries were reported.  Read the article………………………..

Following a mudslide that left residents of The Manor with soaked carpets and mud-caked sidewalks, Dolan Homes was issued a $500 citation for violating Bettendorf’s erosion and sediment control ordinance.  Read the article……………………….

Heavy rainfall caused a mudslide at a Bettendorf condominium complex Monday afternoon. It happened at ‘The Manor’ condos off Kimberly Road.  Read the article…………………………

Lightning is believed to have caused a fire at the Brownstones on Grand in Downtown Des Moines Sunday morning.  Firefighters were called to 201 Grand Ave. after a person living there smelled smoke and gas.   Read the entire article……………………………….

First responders took two people to the hospital for smoke inhalation Saturday afternoon after a small fire caused extensive smoke damage to a condominium.  Neighbors called 911 just after 2:15 p.m. after noticing smoke coming from the condominium    Read the entire article……………………………….

The developer of the future Creekside Luxury Condos at the corner of Cedar Heights and Valley High drives did enough in the eyes of City Council to appease some 100 HOA residents who had signed a petition in opposition to them last year.   Read the entire article……………………………….

One person was injured and four condos were destroyed in a fire in Windsor Heights around 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Windsor Heights Fire Chief.  The condition of the injured person is not known at this time. The building is burnt to a crisp.     Read the entire article……………………………….

A couple of lawn chairs sit on the cracked concrete foundation that used to be Anne Clinton-Cirocco’s living room before the derecho struck a year ago.  The 71-year-old moved out of her condominium in February so workers could gut and rebuild the place after water damage from the severe Aug. 10, 2020, wind and rainstorm. She’s still living in a hotel, and little work has been done in the condo since April, she said.     Read the entire article……………………………….

Mobility-challenged military veterans at the Regency North senior condo complex couldn’t curb their disdain for the steep curbside and front access to their building.  For an old sailor like U.S Navy Korean War era veteran Duane Jaschen, it was pretty unnavigable.   Read the entire article……………………………….

A condominium fire in Coralville Wednesday caused damage estimated at around $100,000.  According to a Coralville Fire Department news release, at about 6:30 p.m., firefighters responded to an apartment fire at 308 First Avenue in Coralville. Property records show Riverview Plaza Condominiums at that address.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Two people were rescued from a condo fire in Moline early Saturday morning.  Twelve more got out of the three-story, 12 unit condominium at 3069 4th Street, according to firefighters.    Read the entire article……………………………….

An Ames father and son are concerned their neighborhood’s natural getaway could be at risk as an area homeowners’ association tries to get a handle on the hoards of geese invasive plant species that have found their way into the area.   Read the entire article……………………………….

The Dyersville Street Committee will soon explore a request by a local homeowners association about possibly aiding in the maintenance and care of a couple of streets.  On Oct. 21, members of the current executive committee of the Country Club Estates Homeowners Association asked the Dyersville City Council for assistance, citing the mounting costs of maintenance.      Read the article……………………………………

Although the City of Iowa City has reaffirmed its position that the city is not responsible for maintenance of the stormwater management facility located in the Olde Towne Village subdivision, it continues to receive complaints from residents about the system that the appearance of the wetland is an “eyesore and nuisance.”    Read the article……………………………………

A Marion man has been imprisoned for defrauding a homeowners association out of nearly $125,000.  The Gazette reports that 55-year-old Wayne Jones Jr. was given 18 months at his sentencing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. He’d pleaded guilty to wire fraud.     Read the article…………………….

Jack Emehiser knows more than most about homeowner associations: The former businessman was the first association president for Pinewood Glen Townhomes about 15 years ago.  Emehiser, 85, now has a beef with that association, one that he believes has as much to do with fairness as it does money.    Read the article………………

From the beginning, all Nanette LaVia and her neighbors wanted to know was who’s responsible for the mess and when they could move back in.  Fire destroyed one of four buildings at Plumwood Terrace Condominiums in Urbandale on New Year’s Day 2018. LaVia and 35 neighbors, many of them elderly or disabled, have been living in rentals ever since.   Read the article………………….

A Johnson County judge ruled in favor of University of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz and wife Mary in a neighborhood squabble that has spilled over into county court.  The Wednesday ruling affirms that the Ferentzes do not owe neighbors thousands of dollars for road maintenance and do not have to remove the roadside landscaping that affords them privacy from invasive fans.    Read the article……………………

Neighbors in a newer residential area on the outskirts of southeast Cedar Rapids are resisting a developer’s plan to build more homes claiming the infrastructure doesn’t support what’s built, which contradicts engineering studies showing it does.    Read the article……….

About eight condos and five homes suffered significant damage at Lake Panorama during severe storms Sunday night.  Read more……..

Most of Iowa remains in some form of drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor views more than 80 percent of Iowa as abnormally dry. About 56 percent of the state is in at least a moderate drought.    Read more…….

The bill clarifies that the terms, conditions, covenants, and provisions of the documents creating and regulating a multiple housing cooperative or horizontal property regime (condominium) continue and remain in full force and effect for so long as the coop or condominium is in existence, unless amended    Read more……..