Residential policyholders across California could be paying several hundred million dollars to help cover the costs of claims arising out of the January firestorms in Los Angeles County.

Multiple insurers, including State Farm General, the largest in California, have received approval from the Department of Insurance to charge their customers for a portion of a $1-billion assessment they were hit with due to the financial problems of the state’s insurer of last resort.

Surcharges that have been approved for some large insurers so far total more than $150 million, with the average surcharge for a standard homeowner’s policy (HO-3) around $50, depending on the carrier. The charge can be more or less according to the size of the premium and is split into monthly payments that can be spread

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