Toomey, Menendez clash on flood insurance
Toomey, Menendez clash on flood insurance

WASHINGTON – A debate over the federal flood insurance program sparked cross-river crossfire today, with New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez clashing with Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey over a plan to hold down premiums. Toomey, using procedural rules, blocked a plan to delay federal…
6 Factors Impacting the Claims Caseload
6 Factors Impacting the Claims Caseload

From the newest adjuster to the chief claims officer in an insurance organization’s home office, every claims professional has likely wondered at one point or another, “What is the ideal claims caseload?”That question still yields no quantitative answer. Those posing the question seek hard numbers.…
In tornado alley, building practices boost damage
In tornado alley, building practices boost damage

View PhotoReuters/Reuters – Memorial Day fireworks explode over a house damaged by the May 20 afternoon tornado in Moore, Oklahoma May 26, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson By Greg McCune(Reuters) – In a residential neighborhood near the center of a monster tornado that struck Moore,Oklahoma last month,…
Protecting the house: A movement to actual cash value in homeowners’ policies invites issues with roof claims.
Protecting the house: A movement to actual cash value in homeowners’ policies invites issues with roof claims.

By: Dean Jarvis The tragic Moore, Okla., tornado has jump-started what could be a very active tornado term that precedes the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. When these wind-related storms strike, it’s inevitable that roofing claims will follow.This reality comes amidst a trend over…
Recent New York Case re: Coverage for water from drain back up
Recent New York Case re: Coverage for water from drain back up

Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog, June 3, 2013 by Shaun Marker So You Have A Back Up Of Water From A Drain Line; Was Blockage On or Off the Insured Property?If you have a claim based on a back up of water from a drain…
Sandy update: Homeowners battle insurance adjusters
Sandy update: Homeowners battle insurance adjusters

They have argued themselves blue with insurance adjusters. And still their homes are gutted and smell of sodden wood.Six months after superstorm Sandy, a weary cadre of Long Islanders remains mired in fights over settlements from the National Flood Insurance Program. They tell of enduring…
Allstate to get big test in Oklahoma
Allstate to get big test in Oklahoma

In tornado-ravaged Oklahoma, Allstate Corp. is about to get a first true test of how consumers respond to its new, less generous approach to insuring homes. About 18 months ago, Oklahoma became the first state in the country to get Allstate’s new House and Home…
Flood insurance lawsuit aimed at ‘basement’ definition
Flood insurance lawsuit aimed at ‘basement’ definition

A federal lawsuit accusing insurance companies of unfairly denying flood claims could have broad ramifications for Long Islanders who were denied coverage because their first floors were classified as basements. The class-action suit, filed in Newark, says insurers are wrongly refusing to pay for flood-damaged…
Does Minnesota Have a Match Law?
Does Minnesota Have a Match Law?

We are constantly asked by our homeowner’s insurance paid renovation contractors whether Minnesota has a “match law” that requires an insurer to pay for a complete re-roof or re-siding of a customer’s improvement when a replacement match cannot be found. The short answer to the…
Sandy-struck homeowners face delay in cashing insurance checks
Sandy-struck homeowners face delay in cashing insurance checks

Homeowners across Long Island are struggling with the cost of rebuilding from superstorm Sandy as they wait for banks and mortgage companies to release their insurance settlements more than two months after the storm. Insurers began cutting checks weeks ago, but most people can’t simply…
Progress on N.J. Sandy insurance claims concealed
Progress on N.J. Sandy insurance claims concealed

Thursday, March 21, 2013 BY RICHARD NEWMANSTAFF WRITERThe Record Since superstorm Sandy struck the Northeast last October, New York residents have been able to track the performance of insurance companies in response to the disaster by logging on to a state government website.Connecticut’s insurance regulator…
High Park Fire Insurance Payouts a Slap in the Face
High Park Fire Insurance Payouts a Slap in the Face

Wildfire victims say insufficient policies and unrealistic deadlines are impeding rebuilding efforts.Homeowner insurance protection: What would it do?• Expand the time allowed to submit an inventory of destroyed property to an insurer.• Require insurers to award claims for a percentage of destroyed property without submissoin…
Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims: An exercise in exasperation, homeowners say
Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims: An exercise in exasperation, homeowners say

Meg Kelly uses three images when summing up her experience with Hurricane Sandy.First, the freight train: the thundering wind gusts that barreled through her Neptune neighborhood the night of Oct. 29.Then, the tsunami: the punishing surge that sprang from the surrounding bay and deluged the…
New York Regulator Says Sandy Complaints Show Need for Uniformity, Clarity in Policies
New York Regulator Says Sandy Complaints Show Need for Uniformity, Clarity in Policies

BY MARK E. RUQUET, PROPERTYCASUALTY360February 27, 2013 New York’s top insurance regulator says Superstorm Sandy has revealed glaring gaps in consumer knowledge about coverages, and has highlighted the need for uniformity and clarity in property-insurance policies.Addressing members of the State Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance…
Watchdog: Sandy insurance complaints growing
Watchdog: Sandy insurance complaints growing

TRENTON — Sandy has created a superstorm of insurance complaints.Consumers are hounding state insurance regulators to combat slow action by insurers or for help on other claim matters.The state Department of Banking and Insurance has fielded 481 Sandy-related inquiries and complaints. Seventeen cases are formal…
Mississippi State Senate Fails Homeowners Again
Mississippi State Senate Fails Homeowners Again

Citizen activist Kevin Buckel continues to work tirelessly to reform the laws in his state to better protect consumers against unfair insurance practices. Despite many setbacks, Kevin has scored important victories: Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney now supports legislation to keep the burden of proof on…
Thinking of hiring a law firm to fight your insurance company? Know what you’re getting into…
Thinking of hiring a law firm to fight your insurance company? Know what you’re getting into…

Todd Kaminsky, the author of this useful article, is a concerned citizen who is using his expertise as a lawyer to help his Long Island neighbors recover from Sandy’s devastation. Todd is a United Policyholders volunteer and we are one of the experts he references…
Christie, Schumer Blast NFIP and WYO Insurer Delays in Handling Sandy Claims
Christie, Schumer Blast NFIP and WYO Insurer Delays in Handling Sandy Claims

BY ARTHUR D. POSTAL, PROPERTYCASUALTY360.COMThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is coming under heavy fire for its handling of Superstorm Sandy flood claims in New York and New Jersey.The criticisms extended to Write-Your-Own companies that in many cases process flood claims for FEMA.The objections—outlined in a…