Amy Bach has been a professional advocate for insurance policyholders since 1984 and an attorney since 1989. While practicing insurance regulatory law and representing clients in litigation matters, she co-founded United Policyholders in 1991. Bach migrated from the private practice of law in 2005 to become the organization’s full-time Executive Director and primary spokesperson; shaping and overseeing the Roadmap to Recovery™, Roadmap to Preparedness, and Advocacy and Action programs. She is a nationally-recognized expert on insurance claim and legal matters; frequently interviewed in print and broadcast media, and the author of numerous legal and consumer publications including “The Disaster Recovery Handbook,” “WISE UP: The Savvy Consumer’s Guide to Buying Insurance,” and tips and guides in the UP Claim Help Library. Recognized by Money Magazine as a Money Hero, Bach has served as an official consumer representative to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners since 2009 and is in her second term as an appointed member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance. She also currently serves on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Response.
Can I legally rescind a claim if I decide not to repair my car?
I’m looking for guidance on an ALE issue stemming from prolonged carrier delays. I experienced a significant interior flooding loss that left my condo unit fully gutted and uninhabitable. For approximately six months, I received inconsistent and conflicting guidance from my insurer regarding whether my…
How do insurance carriers qualify a home as "habitable" when it comes to ending ALE under a policy holder’s coverage C provision? By way of an example, our home contained moderate – severe heavy metal contamination from the Eaton Wildfire. We had our home remediated, and post…
Our Neighborhood was recently assigned a much higher fire hazard zone rating. We do not believe the higher zone is appropriate. What type of professional should we hire to dispute the fire hazard zone rating assigned to our neighborhood by the state.
Thank you so much for everything you are doing to support those of us impacted by the LA Wildfires. I have a few questions related to the CA FAIR Plan coverage, separating into individual questions so others can find if it pertains to them. While…
My carrier Lemonade wanted me to take dozens of photos of the interior and exterior of my house as a condition of renewal. I declined in part because of privacy and security concerns with submitting photos of a fully furnished interior home (with artwork, etc).…
I recently received a non-renewal notice from Farmers for my home in Ojai Valley, California. I am in a fire hazard area designated as “very high.” My agent said she would try to find alternative coverage. I also telephoned agents from other insurance companies, and…
I am a home owner who lost his home due to a fire in March 2022. The house is currently being built by a contractor who I signed a closed contract with. I’ve been having difficulties with my contractor due to the financial limitations given…
I recently received a letter of denial from an Insurance company. I am looking for new homeowners insurance. The reason I was denied was I had Hail Damage in 2020. I was told that part of the criteria to issue new policies is no claims…
Does Cal Code 2070-2071 apply to disclosures for auto accidents? Does Cal. Code Regs. tit. 10 § 2632.13 pose jurisdiction for a California insured person in out of state accidents?
I requested replacement for a large amount of lost jewelry. My insurance company wants to make a cash settlement based on the 2017 appraisal value. They are not willing to reproduce the items. I would not be able to purchase the same/similar item today due…
Hi, First of all, thank you in advance for your help regarding this matter. I’ve been fighting this for about 2 months now, and any advice is greatly appreciated. To sum up, in 2022, I contacted my insurance agent to cancel flood insurance for a…
We have a coastal property in Fort Morgan, AL (Gulf Shores). Our insurance assessments went from $2,300 in 2022 to $5,500 in 2023 to estimated $6,800 in 2024. We have not flooded in that area and have been told it is not likely we will…
I’m the owner of a property in Lahaina, the town that was devastated by the Maui Wildfire in August. My property, a townhouse, is still standing, but there is smoke damages to the interior, which requires deep cleaning for the wall, carpet and furniture, such…
Aloha My ohana lost our home in the Lahaina fires on August 8th. Our insurance company has been pretty good, for the most part and we have already received 100% of our coverage A “Dwelling.” However, they are “nickel & diming” us on our contents…
Aloha, our house on burned down to the ground on 8/8/23 during the Maui Lahaina wildfire; our insurance has so far played nice; but I’m finding it difficult to interpret the different coverages incl. the policy states that we need notify the insurance after a…
Home decorator needed for replacement and sourcing the furnishings after a massive fire event of a 4,000 sf custom home. Are the services of a home decorator covered under the insurance policy?
I am living in Florida and my business and home was hit from Hurricane Ian. I have renters insurance and from the very beginning they have tried to deny the claim without ever speaking to me or even coming to look at my place or…
I am receiving LTD benefits due to my Parkinson’s disease and I also have a disabled son. My son is over 18 with Down’s syndrome, so he is receiving Social Security (SS) benefits due to his disability. Can the LTD insurance company offset my LTD…
When my insurance agent measured my property nine years ago for homeowners coverage she over-measured which caused an overpayment of 15%. When the error was discovered prior to renewal I was issued a refund. Am I entitled to a refund for the previous eight years?…
Hi, Thanks for your answer to my evacuation question, and for further clarification, our home is in the CZU fire area. Our property was not burned, but we were evacuated for weeks. We have had many subsequent evacuations due to threat of landslide. We have…
I had smoke damage only in the Marshall Fire. Insurance paid for the cleaning which of course is less than the cost basis of the house. Insurance also paid to replace mattresses. As I understand it due to the DR classification for the Marshall fire,…
Is an adjuster authorized to overrule the mailing address of an insurance policy without the policyholder’s consent? My insured object is non residential so all checks and paperwork needs to be sent to my residential mailing address as indicated on the policy. My adjuster however…
I just filed a storm claim in July of 2022 with my insurance company. They put the date of loss as June of 2020. My contractor has been working since then but with labor and material shortages he has just now completed all the work.…
We received 2 insurance claim checks totaling $47,914.39. As instructed by our mortgage company, LoanCare,LLC, I cosigned the checks and overnighted them on December 23, 2022 with all receipts for materials and work completed to that point. They said they would have to send an…
I purchased my home in September 2022. Excited that I have finally got to a place in my life I could purchase a home, and it being the first home I ever purchased, I was checking the boxes with what was needed. I got insurance!…
Hello- we lost our home in the Marshall Fire. The one year anniversary is approaching and a recent email sent by the city implied that there may be a one-year limit to suing your agent for underinsurance. We are severely underinsured with a new policy…
Our house was damaged by Hurricane Ian. We have heard nothing from our insurance company in more than a month, despite repeated inquiries and emails. Field adjuster visit was Oct. 9. We have received a couple of estimates for repair/replacement of our roof. Is it…
I am a victim of hurricane Ian. My insurance company gave me a low settlement–do I have the right to request a copy of the field adjuster’s estimate? Thank you.
I will try to keep this simple. I had a major house fire in 2018. Took over a year to rebuild–not wildfire related. I filed a claim in 2018 with my insurance company. First one ever in 26 years. Then in 2019 while NOT in…
My insurance company is not renewing policy and the end of term is here. There is still an open claim, but no one else will insure us with an open claim. Looks like we will need to close the claim prematurely just to get a…
I was issued a check by the Fire Victim Trust and never received it. Later I got a communication from the FVT that my check and 4 other people had their checks stolen and wrongfully cashed. For over 3 months I have been communicating with…
The estimate from my insurance company is very low, and doesn’t cover the lanai knee wall. The estimate I got from a contractor was $13,000 to replace windows, rebuild the knee wall and the front door to the lanai. How can I get work done…
We have comprehensive insurance with Nationwide. My wife recently rear ended her covered Tesla. During the damage assessment stage, Nationwide’s investigative officer called us and demanded a copy of my son’s driver’s license and the copy of the title on a 2nd Tesla that is…
Can an insurance company at renewal change your policy limits from full replacement value to ACV if you never requested the change?
I have quite a bit of damage from Hurricane Ian to my house. I filed a claim with my insurance company and filed a claim with FEMA already. My insurance company sent me a letter earlier this year saying they were not going to renew…
Hello, We lost our home in the 2021 California Caldor Fire and have decided to pursue a replacement home in another location. Our insurance company will release funds to replace, but our mortgage company is telling us that they won’t release the funds they are…
My 75′ tree fell on my garage and bedroom because of Ian. There are holes in both areas, causing water damage in the bedroom ceiling. My insurance company asked me if the damage is caused by wind, water, or both. I am afraid that if…
We live in Louisville and are very confident our windows were compromised in the fire. We had Pella come out to determine if the damage was caused by the fire, but Allstate, our insurance company, did not accept their insight. When insurance sent their industrial…
My home burned in the Marshall Wildland Fire. We have USAA insurance. The City of Louisville is allowing us to opt out of the 2021 IECC building code and downgrade to the 2018 IECC standard. My question is whether the insurance companies will pay building…
Can you get paid mileage for checking on your home while it is being rebuilt?
Our home was totally lost to the Colorado Marshall Fire on 12.30.2021. We were advised by our Safeco/Liberty Mutual adjuster that we needed to obtain an “as-was bid with code upgrades broken out separately” and submit that bid to that same Safeco/Liberty Mutual adjuster, so…
I have a fire claim from the Creek Fire and Skirball fire with State Farm. I submitted my claim and the carrier gave me an estimate that was low. After I couldn’t get them to pay more, I tried to invoke the appraisal clause in…
I lost my house in the Tubb’s Fire and I am just now getting final numbers on the rebuild cost. In 2013 my neighbors house caught on fire and damaged several of our separate structures and garage. At the time I was underinsured in my…
Post Tubbs Fire in 2017, we relocated to Florence, OR. State Farm is paying for our rental house, rental furniture and part of our utilities and mileage since moving here in July 2018, while we look to buy a house in a very tight market.…
