Speaking of Insurance

About Speaking of Insurance

Insurance, explained clearly by a family with three generations of expertise. Speaking of Insurance from Bollinsure Insurance Services features California insurance conversations with Brian Bollinger and Aaron Bollinger, covering home, auto, business and personal umbrella topics. Find episode transcripts and related resources at https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast.

Publisher

Brian Bollinger, Aaron Bollinger

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Aug 2026

Latest episode

3 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

39 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Nov 2026

   Condo Insurance in California: HO-6, Your HOA Master Policy and Loss Assessment

   You own a condo in California and have never filed a claim. Then a letter arrives from your HOA: a storm damaged the roof, the master policy has a $50,000 deductible, and the board is splitting that cost across every owner. Whether you pay your share out of pocket can come down to one line on your condo policy: loss assessment. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services explains how your HOA master policy and your own HO-6 split the job, what walls-in coverage really means, how loss assessment works, and the California traps condo owners miss. What we cover: The master policy versus your HO-6, and what each one usually covers CC&Rs and the Davis-Stirling Act: where the answer to "who covers my cabinets" lives Bare walls, single entity and all-in master policies Setting your Coverage A limit to rebuild your interior Walking the HO 00 06 form: Coverages A, C, D, E and F Exclusions, including earthquake, flood and repeated leakage Loss assessment coverage, the HO 04 35 endorsement, and how deductible assessments are capped California traps: earthquake assessments, the annual insurance summary, the wildfire market, and renting out your unit Example: a water loss in a Thousand Oaks condo, step by step What to gather before you talk to a broker Resources: All Speaking of Insurance episodes (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast) Home insurance in California (https://www.bollinsure.com/home-insurance) Episode 37: How California earthquake insurance actually pays (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast/465e5b9e-how-california-earthquake-insurance-actually-pays-deductibles-contents-and-loss-of-use) Clarifications "HO6" and "HO0006" refer to the ISO unit owners form HO 00 06. Carriers use their own versions. Around 9:05, "HOO435" is the ISO loss assessment endorsement HO 04 35. Around 3:00, CC&Rs are the rules that govern a common interest development, such as a condo or planned community, run by its homeowners association. Around 8:20, "certain parents" means certain perils, and "a covered boss" means a covered loss. The California Earthquake Authority (CEA) is a publicly managed, privately funded, not-for-profit earthquake insurer whose policies are sold through participating insurance companies. Its condo unit policy can include building property, personal property, loss of use and loss assessment for earthquake. Around 13:25, "minus it's deductible" means minus its deductible. Pricing for a loss assessment endorsement varies by carrier and limit, and it is often inexpensive relative to the exposure. Ask for a quote with and without it. Around 15:40, the website is bollinsure.com. Get quoted: Review your condo coverage with Bollinsure Insurance Services at www.bollinsure.com/quote (https://www.bollinsure.com/quote?line=home&utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep39-condo-ho6), or call 562-268-9355 (tel:+15622689355). CA License 6013787 This episode is for general education only and is not legal, tax, or coverage advice. Coverage, eligibility, and pricing depend on the carrier, underwriting, your policy terms, and your association's governing documents. Chapters 00:00 Cold open: the $4,000 HOA letter 00:41 Welcome and what this episode covers 01:15 Disclaimer 01:28 Two policies, one building 02:28 CC&Rs and the Davis-Stirling Act 02:45 Bare walls, single entity and all-in 03:58 Why it matters: Coverage A 05:10 Walking the HO-6 07:12 Exclusions to know 07:45 Loss assessment coverage 09:28 Three details in the endorsement 10:28 California traps 12:43 Example: a Thousand Oaks water loss 14:43 What to gather before you talk to a broker 15:37 Getting help and sign-off Transcript excerpt Picture this. You own a condo in Ventura County. You've never filed a claim. Then a letter arrives from your HOA. A storm damaged the roof on three of the buildings, and the master policy has a $50,000 deductible.… Full episode on bollinsure.com (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast/c6cd1dbf-condo-insurance-in-california-ho-6-your-hoa-master-policy-and-loss-assessment)

2. 

   3 Nov 2026

   How California Earthquake Insurance Actually Pays: Deductibles, Contents and Loss of Use

   Most California homeowners know their home insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage. Fewer know what happens when they do buy earthquake insurance. They are surprised by a deductible measured in six figures, and surprised that their furniture claim depends on the damage to the house. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services walks through how a California earthquake policy actually pays, with real numbers: percentage deductibles, contents and loss of use, retrofit discounts, fire following an earthquake, the private market, and a full claim example. What we cover: Why earthquake deductibles are a percentage of the dwelling limit, not of the damage CEA deductible choices of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 percent, and who can pick the lower ones Coverage A, B, C and D on a CEA homeowners policy, and why the limits do not automatically match your home policy Standard versus Homeowners Choice: how each one treats contents Loss of use with no deductible, emergency repairs, and building code upgrade coverage Seismic retrofits, CEA premium discounts, and Earthquake Brace + Bolt grants Why fire following an earthquake goes to your homeowners policy Private and surplus lines earthquake coverage, and the CIGA trade-off Example: a 1962 Pasadena home with an $800,000 limit and a 15% deductible Three common mistakes, what to bring to a review, and four questions to ask Resources: All Speaking of Insurance episodes (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast) Home insurance in California (https://www.bollinsure.com/home-insurance) Read the guide: How California earthquake insurance pays (https://www.bollinsure.com/guides/how-california-earthquake-insurance-pays) Clarifications Around 3:25, "covered B" means Coverage B, the extensions of the dwelling. Around 3:50, the CEA rule is correct: homes with a dwelling limit over $1,000,000 cannot choose the 5% or 10% deductible. The same applies to pre-1980 raised foundation frame homes without a verified retrofit. Those homes choose 15%, 20% or 25%. Around 5:37, on a Homeowners Choice policy the contents deductible is waived once the dwelling deductible is met. Homeowners Choice contents limits run from $5,000 to $25,000. Around 8:40, the California law on fire following an earthquake is Insurance Code section 10088.5. The fire is covered under the fire or homeowners policy, subject to that policy's terms and deductible. Around 9:50, "sometimes worse to the CEA" means sometimes worse than the CEA. The CEA is a publicly managed, not-for-profit earthquake insurer whose policies are sold through participating home insurance companies. Brace + Bolt grants of up to $3,000 are run through the California Residential Mitigation Program. Eligible zip codes change each year. Get quoted: Compare earthquake coverage options with Bollinsure Insurance Services at www.bollinsure.com/quote (https://www.bollinsure.com/quote?line=earthquake&utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep37-earthquake-how-it-pays), or call 562-268-9355 (tel:+15622689355). CA License 6013787 This episode is for general education only and is not legal, tax, or coverage advice. Coverage, eligibility, and pricing depend on the carrier, underwriting, and your policy terms. Chapters 00:00 Cold open: the six figure surprise 00:23 Welcome and what this episode covers 01:05 Disclaimer 03:00 Percentage deductibles 04:12 Why the deductibles are so high 04:36 Contents and loss of use 04:58 Standard versus Homeowners Choice 06:02 Loss of use, emergency repairs and code upgrades 07:02 Retrofits, discounts and Brace + Bolt 08:20 Fire following an earthquake 09:15 The private market 10:18 Example: a Pasadena claim with numbers 12:45 Three common mistakes 13:28 What to bring to a review, and four questions 14:21 Getting help and sign-off Transcript excerpt Most California homeowners know their home insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage. Fewer know what happens when they do buy earthquake insurance. They are surprised by a deductible measured in six figures. They are surprised that their furniture claim depends on the damage to the house.… Full episode on bollinsure.com (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast/465e5b9e-how-california-earthquake-insurance-actually-pays-deductibles-contents-and-loss-of-use)

3. 

   3 Nov 2026

   Ordinance or Law Coverage in California: Paying for Code Upgrades After a Fire

   Here is a sentence heard more than once from California homeowners after a fire: I had replacement cost, so why is there a gap? The policy paid to rebuild the house that stood there, but the city would not let them rebuild that house. The code says you must build to today's standards: fire resistant siding, ember resistant vents, new electrical, maybe solar, maybe a sprinkler system. That difference has a name. It is called ordinance or law coverage. Aaron Bollinger of Bollinsure Insurance Services explains how building code upgrades are paid for after a loss, why they matter so much in California wildfire country, what a standard policy gives you, how to buy more, what is excluded, and a claim example with numbers. What we cover: Why building codes change, Title 24, and the wildland urban interface (WUI) rules in Chapter 7A of the California Building Code Grandfathering, and why it ends once a house is destroyed or badly damaged What high fire hazard areas can require: Class A roofs, ember resistant vents, tempered or multi-pane glass, defensible space The ordinance or law exclusion and the 10% additional coverage on the ISO HO 00 03 form Why extended replacement cost is a different thing from code upgrade coverage The three pieces on commercial forms (CP 04 05 Coverage A, B and C) Why wildfires make the code layer large, and California's 36 month post-disaster replacement cost window Closing the gap: HO 04 77, premium tiers, the FAIR Plan with a DIC policy, and commercial limits What ordinance or law does not do: upgrades with no loss, excluded perils like earthquake, prior violations, pollutants, and cash settlements Example: Daniel's Ventura County rebuild with 10% versus 50% ordinance or law Four questions to ask about your own policy Resources: All Speaking of Insurance episodes (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast) Home insurance in California (https://www.bollinsure.com/home-insurance) Read the guide: Ordinance or law coverage in California (https://www.bollinsure.com/guides/ordinance-or-law-coverage-california) Clarifications Around 2:28, "five sprinklers" means fire sprinklers. Some jurisdictions require fire sprinkler systems in new single family homes. Around 2:15, the glass requirement is tempered or multi-pane glass. Around 3:05, the ISO homeowners form is the HO 00 03 (often called the HO-3). Around 9:37, "read the law settlement" means read the loss settlement and ordinance or law wording together. In Daniel's example, 10% ordinance or law leaves a $65,000 gap on $140,000 of code items. With HO 04 77 at 50%, the $375,000 limit covers the full $140,000. CEA earthquake policies include a separate building code upgrade limit; check the amount on your policy. Get quoted: Compare coverage options with Bollinsure Insurance Services at www.bollinsure.com/quote (https://www.bollinsure.com/quote?line=home&utm_source=transistor&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ep36-ordinance-or-law), or call 562-268-9355 (tel:+15622689355). CA License 6013787 This episode is for general education only and is not legal, tax, or coverage advice. Coverage, eligibility, and pricing depend on the carrier, underwriting, and your policy terms. Chapters 00:00 Cold open: replacement cost, but still a gap 00:32 Welcome and what this episode covers 01:05 Disclaimer 01:19 Why building codes change 01:51 Grandfathering and what high fire areas require 02:37 What a standard policy gives you 03:37 Extended replacement cost is a different thing 04:09 The three pieces of ordinance or law 05:41 Why wildfires make the code layer large 06:33 California's post-disaster rules 07:09 How to close the gap 08:23 What ordinance or law does not do 09:41 Example: Daniel's rebuild 11:25 What to do this week: four questions 12:14 Getting help and sign-off Transcript excerpt Here is a sentence I have heard more than once from a California homeowner after a fire. I had replacement cost. Why is there a gap? The house burned. The policy paid to rebuild the house that stood there, but the city would not let them rebuild that house. The code says you must build today.… Full episode on bollinsure.com (https://www.bollinsure.com/podcast/b07e02d6-ordinance-or-law-coverage-in-california-paying-for-code-upgrades-after-a-fire)

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