Approved with changesClosed California
California approves 1.5% homeowners rate increase for Farmers Insurance Exchange
Farmers Insurance Exchange, with Fire Insurance Exchange and Mid-Century Insurance Company, asked California regulators for a 7.0% average homeowners rate increase. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) gave public notice of the filing on Jan. 2, 2026 and closed it as approved at 1.5% on May 11, 2026. That is the smallest approved homeowners increase in CDI's 2026 list so far.
By C. Zakarian, editor. Published
Approved 5.5 points below the request. Overall average increases; individual premiums vary.
Who it affects
The filing covers homeowners policies written by three companies that CDI lists in the same insurer group: Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange, and Mid-Century Insurance Company. CDI lists the same requested and approved figures for each company. Its lists name the program as Farmers Next Generation Homeowners and a Smart Plan program, but cut the full name off.
The 1.5% is an overall average. Individual policyholders' changes can be larger or smaller. CDI's lists do not give the number of policies covered or the date the new rates take effect.
What the record shows
CDI's weekly public notices list each new filing's company, program, filing type, and requested overall change. Its closed-filings lists add the approved change, the outcome, and the date CDI closed the filing. Neither gives the insurer's stated reasons for the change; those are in the full filing on SERFF Filing Access.
How this compares
Farmers Insurance Exchange's earlier homeowners rate filings in CDI's lists were approved at 17.7% (requested 24.9%) and 12.5% (requested 47.7%) in 2023, and at 6.99% twice in 2024, as requested. Two other filings had no overall change. This filing's 1.5% is the smallest approved increase among them.
| CDI file | Program (CDI description, shortened) | Requested | Approved | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-2528 (this filing) | Next Generation Homeowners, Smart Plan Ho… | +7.0% | +1.5% | May 11, 2026 |
| 23-1129 | Smart Plan Next Generation HO, Renters, Condo | 0.0% | 0.0% | Jan. 23, 2025 |
| 24-634 | Next Generation Homeowners, Smart Plan Re… | +6.99% | +6.99% | June 12, 2024 |
| 23-3207 | Next Generation Homeowners, Smart Plan Re… | +6.99% | +6.99% | Jan. 10, 2024 |
| 23-844 | Next Generation Homeowners, Smart Plan Renters | +47.7% | +12.5% | Aug. 11, 2023 |
| 22-1617 | Var. 7B, 8B, Next Generation / Smart Pla… | +24.9% | +17.7% | March 10, 2023 |
| 21-3497 | Next Generation Homeowners, Smart Plan Ho | 0.0% | 0.0% | March 2, 2023 (status: closed) |
Across California, CDI's list of filings closed from Jan. 2 to Sept. 30, 2026 includes 19 personal homeowners company filings approved with a non-zero overall change. All 19 were increases. The median approved change was 6.9%, and 9 of the 19 were approved below the request. CDI lists a filing made for several companies once per company, so this filing accounts for 3 of the 19, and its 1.5% is the smallest of them. CDI's homeowners line also includes renters, condominium, and rental dwelling programs.
As of Oct. 8, 2026, FiledRates has published four California filings. Among them, State Farm General's 13.0-point cut from its request is the largest; this filing's 5.5 points is the second largest. See the California page for all four and for CDI's 2025 and 2026 figures.
What happens next
CDI's list shows this filing closed as approved on May 11, 2026, so the review is complete. California reviews homeowners rates under prior approval: under Proposition 103, the Insurance Commissioner must approve a rate before an insurer uses it. The date the approved rates take effect is in the filing on SERFF Filing Access. More on the process is on our California page.
Timeline
- CDI gives public notice of the filing, with a 7% requested increase.
- CDI closes the filing as approved at 1.5%.
Source documents
- Rate Filing Closed and Approved Filings, year to date through Sept. 30, 2026 (spreadsheet)
- Public notice of rate filings, Jan. 2, 2026 (spreadsheet)
- Rate Filing Closed and Approved Filings, 2025 (spreadsheet)
- Rate Filing Closed and Approved Filings, 2024 (spreadsheet)
- Rate Filing Closed and Approved Filings, 2023 (spreadsheet)