For the first time, Oklahoma's insurance commissioner has agreed to hold a public hearing, planned for September 2026, on whether the state's homeowners insurance market is really competitive. Commissioner Glen Mulready announced the reversal on May 20, 2026. It matters because, under Oklahoma law, rates can only be formally challenged after the market is declared non-competitive.
Key Takeaways
- Commissioner Glen Mulready announced on May 20, 2026 a public hearing planned for September 2026 on homeowners market competitiveness.
- Under Title 36, rates can only be challenged after the commissioner declares the market non-competitive; the hearing itself changes no rate.
- Oklahoma Watch reported in October 2025 that the top four carriers control more than 60% of the state's homeowners market.
- Additional Living Expenses coverage typically reimburses reasonable temporary housing costs above normal living costs; the carrier decides what is covered.
This guide covers what the Oklahoma home insurance public hearing is, why the commissioner reversed himself, what a competitiveness finding could open up under state law, how to get your own premium history into the record, and what your existing policy pays if a fire or storm forces you out before any of that is settled.
If you are an Oklahoma City homeowner staring at another premium increase, this is the proceeding you have been waiting to be heard at. As of June 2026, the hearing is planned but not yet formally scheduled, and Mulready has said he still believes the market is competitive.
The hearing is planned for September 2026. The law does not specify when a hearing must be called or scheduled, so watch the Oklahoma Insurance Department for the formal date and any public-comment window.
What Did the Commissioner Actually Announce?
On May 20, 2026, Commissioner Glen Mulready announced that the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) will hold a public hearing, planned for September 2026, on the competitiveness of the state's homeowners insurance market. That announcement was a reversal.
Insurance commissioner candidate Bob Sullivan formally requested the hearing on February 24, 2026. Mulready denied that request on April 7, 2026, then changed course six weeks later. The sequence, reported by Oklahoma Watch on June 5, 2026, is the news here.
Even while agreeing to the hearing, Mulready stated plainly: "I also stand by my position that we have a competitive market for homeowners insurance coverage." So the hearing is happening, and the commissioner's stated view has not changed.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Oct 27, 2025 | Oklahoma Watch reports top 4 carriers control 60%+ of the market; Mulready tells an interim study "We clearly have an affordability issue." |
| Feb 24, 2026 | Commissioner candidate Bob Sullivan formally requests a public hearing. |
| Apr 7, 2026 | Mulready denies the request. |
| May 20, 2026 | Mulready reverses course, announces a hearing planned for September 2026, while restating his view that the market is competitive. |
| Sep 2026 (planned) | Public hearing on market competitiveness; formal date to be set by OID. |
For context on who sets these rules:
Further complicating matters is that the homeowners insurance industry is largely regulated at the state level rather than nationwide.
Wikipedia: Home insurance
Why Does a Hearing on Competitiveness Matter Legally?
Under Oklahoma's Title 36 (the Property and Casualty Competitive Loss Cost Rating Act), rates in a market deemed competitive cannot be challenged. They can be challenged only after the commissioner declares the market non-competitive. A public hearing on competitiveness is the doorway to that finding.
The hearing itself changes no rate. It is the legal step that would have to come first before any rate challenge under state law becomes possible.
Here is the contrast in plain terms. A competitive-market finding blocks rate challenges; a non-competitive finding is what unlocks them.
| Under current status | What a non-competitive finding could open |
|---|---|
| Market treated as competitive; rates cannot be formally challenged under Title 36. | Only after the commissioner declares the market non-competitive can rates be challenged. |
| Commissioner had not called a competitiveness hearing. | A public hearing (planned Sept 2026) is the step that puts competitiveness on the record. |
| Homeowners had no formal proceeding to be heard at. | A hearing creates a venue where public input and data are presented. |
| Mulready's stated position: market is competitive. | The hearing does not change that position. It tests it. |
Read that carefully before you set expectations. A hearing being held is a different thing from rates being lowered. It is a procedural door, and the law does not spell out a required timeline once the door is open.
What Does the Data Show About Oklahoma Premiums?
Data Mulready supplied to the Wall Street Journal showed Oklahoma had less hail but higher premiums than both Kansas and Texas, a comparison critics have seized on. Some described the market as "at best...an oligopoly."
Oklahoma Watch reported in October 2025 that the top four carriers control more than 60% of the state's homeowners market. Mulready is not seeking reelection; his tenure ends after the 2026 election. That is part of why the timing and the hearing's outcome are being watched closely.
What Does This Mean If You Own a Home in OKC or Have Been Displaced?
The practical takeaway is twofold. Watch for the formal hearing date and any public-comment opportunity from OID. Separately, know exactly what your existing policy pays if you are displaced. The two are different problems on different clocks.
Being heard at the hearing is a slow, policy-level fight. Getting your family somewhere to live after a kitchen fire or a spring storm is an immediate one, and it runs on your policy's loss-of-use benefit rather than on whatever the commissioner decides in September.
Oklahoma's tornado season peaks April through June, and hail claims are a big part of why premiums are in the news at all. If a covered loss forces you out, your Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage typically reimburses the reasonable cost of temporary housing above your normal living costs. The carrier, and never us, decides what is covered.
Displaced by a fire or storm while this plays out? Your ALE benefit can often cover a furnished home instead of a cramped hotel. We work with adjusters and TPAs on placements and offer monthly rates on 30+ night stays.
How ALE housing stretches further than a hotel
Here is a clearly hypothetical example to show the math. Say a family of four is displaced by a hail-driven roof and water loss, and the rebuild runs four months.
Two hotel rooms (kids need their own space) at roughly $175/night each, about $350/night combined, runs near $42,000 over four months, with no kitchen and no laundry. Meal and laundry costs stack on top and burn ALE faster. A furnished multi-bedroom home with a full kitchen and laundry, billed at a monthly rate, typically lands well under that combined nightly figure and keeps the family together under one roof.
Every hotel night burns ALE budget a furnished home would stretch. Our published from-rates run $225-$425/night, with direct-booking savings up to 35% on 4+ night stays and monthly pricing on 30+ nights. The carrier decides your reimbursement; the point is that a furnished home often does more with the same benefit.
How to Be Heard on Oklahoma Insurance Rates, Step by Step
If you want your voice in the record, here is a practical sequence.
- Confirm the hearing date. Watch the Oklahoma Insurance Department for the formal September 2026 schedule and any public-comment window.
- Document your premium history. Pull your last few renewal notices so you can show your own year-over-year increases.
- Write down your specifics. Note your ZIP, carrier, coverage changes, and any non-renewals. Concrete cases matter more than general anger.
- Submit comment or attend. Follow OID's instructions for public input at or before the hearing.
- Separately, check your loss-of-use line. Know your ALE limit now, before a claim, so you are not learning it during a crisis.
What to Check Before You Set Expectations
- Treating the hearing as a rate cut. It changes no rate. It is the step that would have to come before a rate challenge is even possible.
- Assuming a date is set. As of June 2026 the hearing is planned, and the formal date and comment window have to come from OID.
- Reading the reversal as a change of view. Mulready still says the market is competitive. The hearing tests that position.
- Mixing up the two clocks. The hearing is a policy fight measured in months. Displacement housing runs on your ALE benefit the night a loss happens.
- Booking a furnished home for a two-night loss. If your loss is minor and you will be back home in a night or two, a hotel is the simpler call, especially for a single person or a couple with points loyalty and no pets. There is no reason to arrange a monthly furnished home for a 48-hour smoke-out.
A furnished home changes the outcome when the timeline stretches: displacements of 30+ nights, families who need bedrooms and a kitchen, pets that hotels will not take, or groups that would otherwise pay for multiple rooms. That is when the same ALE dollar buys a real home instead of adjoining hotel rooms. Several of our homes are dog-friendly, and monthly rates apply on 30+ night stays.
Terms You'll Hear, Decoded
- Additional Living Expenses (ALE) / loss of use: the part of a homeowners policy that reimburses reasonable extra costs of living elsewhere after a covered loss; "additional" means above your normal expenses.
- Competitive Loss Cost Rating Act (Title 36): the Oklahoma law under which rates can't be challenged in a market deemed competitive.
- Non-competitive finding: a commissioner's declaration that opens the door to formal rate challenges.
- Direct billing: the carrier or its TPA pays the housing provider directly, only when authorized by the carrier.
- TPA (third-party administrator): a company an insurer uses to manage claims, such as Alacrity Solutions, with whom we work on placements.
Our real trust numbers: BnB OKC operates 11 furnished homes across the OKC metro and holds a 9.5 out of 10 average across 1,580 verified guest reviews on Airbnb and Vrbo.
See also our OKC housing and lodging coverage: okc short-term rental rules, okc airbnb enforcement crackdown, and norman hotel tax increase. For longer displacements, browse our extended stays and pet-friendly rentals in OKC.
The Bottom Line
Check the Oklahoma Insurance Department for the formal September 2026 hearing date and any public-comment window, and pull your own premium notices so you have something concrete to say. Confirm your policy's ALE / loss-of-use limit now, before any claim, so you know what temporary housing it can cover. If you are displaced, compare a furnished home against a hotel at our insurance housing page or call/text (405) 870-2146 for same-week options.
This guide is general information, not insurance or legal advice; your carrier makes all coverage decisions.