As if the loss of NBA superstar Lebron James wasn't enough for Ohio, government regulators claimed this week that the Buckeye State has seen homeowner's insurance rates spike 9.7 percent in the last year.

While the state claims the sixth-lowest homeowners insurance premiums in the country, the rise in prices has state regulators concerned. Premiums jumped last year due to the severe weather that rampaged the state in 2008, notably from the remnants of what was Hurricane Ike. Insurance companies had to pay $1.4 billion in claims in Ohio from the storm alone, and needed to look for a way to recoup costs.

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Considering the disasters Ohio has seen so far in 2010 doesn't bode well for the next year either. State Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson told AP that she didn't foresee any break in premiums due to the many weather-related claims filed already this year.  Northwest Ohio saw one storm in particular in June that was responsible for $22.1 million in damage and killed six people.

Hudson also told AP that regulators do watch the market and assured that Ohioans would always have competitive coverage. Still, the 9.7 percent average includes a 15.9 percent increase by the Westfield Group and a 14.3 percent increase by Nationwide Corp. Both companies declined to comment to Pameno.