Wells Fargo To Repay Borrowers $80M For Insurance Charges
Wells Fargo To Repay Borrowers $80M For Insurance Charges

Wells Fargo will reimburse $80 million to car loan borrowers who were wrongly charged by the bank for insurance, it said late Thursday. The 570,000 borrowers had car loans with Wells Fargo but, because “there was no evidence” that they had car insurance, the bank…
Too Close for Comfort
Too Close for Comfort

With both wildfire and hurricane season in full force it is so important to know what to do if a fire or storm come too close for comfort. If you are told to evacuate immediately, do so ASAP. If there is a chance you may…
Minnesota Insurance Commissioner Acts to Protect Drivers from Unfair Auto Insurance Prices
Minnesota Insurance Commissioner Acts to Protect Drivers from Unfair Auto Insurance Prices

Insurance giant Farmers has been ordered to refund money, pay a penalty, and change its pricing practices in Minnesota by Insurance Commissioner Mike Rothman after the state’s Commerce Department found that the company charged higher auto insurance premiums to drivers who did not own their…
Right where we’re needed: Advocacy and Action Program UPdate
Right where we’re needed: Advocacy and Action Program UPdate

UP has been a powerful voice for insureds in 7 of the 10 biggest insurance rulings of the year so far and in the ones to watch for the balance of the year. In Washington D.C. we’re working hard on extending and reforming the National Flood Insurance program…
New York Regulator Seeks Details From Life Insurers Using Algorithms to Issue Policies
New York Regulator Seeks Details From Life Insurers Using Algorithms to Issue Policies

New York’s top financial regulator is investigating life insurers’ use of big data, complicating the industry’s efforts to boost sales by forgoing medical examinations in favor of algorithms for sizing up risk. New York’s top financial regulator is investigating life insurers’ use of big data,…
Guest Blog: United Policyholders Amicus Project Scores Victory For Texas Homeowners and Businesses
Guest Blog: United Policyholders Amicus Project Scores Victory For Texas Homeowners and Businesses

The availability of insurance coverage for loss or damage can hinge on the smallest details.  Did your insurer record that it received your notice letter?  Did your insurer’s investigator take note of those small but critical facts you pointed out during the investigation?  Did you…
House Committee Adds 5 More Bills to Its Flood Insurance Reform Package
House Committee Adds 5 More Bills to Its Flood Insurance Reform Package

The House Financial Services Committee advanced five flood insurance proposals on Wednesday, adding to the two bills it passed last week. The House measures seek to reform and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is set to expire on September 30, for five…
Insurance Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2017
Insurance Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2017

Courts around the country will have their hands full with key insurance issues over the next six months, with the California Supreme Court considering whether a company’s negligent supervision of an employee is an accidental occurrence and the New York high court weighing the scope…
The Biggest Insurance Rulings Of 2017: Midyear Report
The Biggest Insurance Rulings Of 2017: Midyear Report

The first half of 2017 was rife with major insurance law rulings, with the Texas Supreme Court issuing key guidance on the requirements for maintaining statutory claims against insurers for deceptive practices, and with Washington’s high court limiting policyholders’ ability to sue for bad faith…
House Committee Advances 2 Flood Insurance Bills; More to Come
House Committee Advances 2 Flood Insurance Bills; More to Come

The House Financial Services Committee on Thursday passed two bills to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). One is a broad reform proposal that seeks to encourage more private insurance and move the program toward actuarial-based rates, while the other addresses premium credits for…
NFIP extension pitch draws praise and concern
NFIP extension pitch draws praise and concern

A draft proposal floated by two U.S. senators to extend the National Flood Insurance Program for 10 years is drawing some initial positive feedback, but stakeholders caution that some provisions are potential causes for concern. The draft legislation released by Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Kirsten…
Lawmakers To FEMA: Flood Plan Overhaul Is ‘Too Little, Too Late’
Lawmakers To FEMA: Flood Plan Overhaul Is ‘Too Little, Too Late’

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making sweeping reforms to the nation’s flood insurance program in the wake of a series of critical reports on NPR and the PBS series Frontline. But lawmakers say this isn’t enough when private insurance companies are profiting millions of…
The “Catch UP” webinar series: Successfully mediating insurance cases
The “Catch UP” webinar series: Successfully mediating insurance cases

The fourth installment of Catch UP was a success! Catch UP on how to successfully mediate insurance cases.  Registration fees support our non-profit’s important work empowering the insured.  A recording of the webinar is available for purchase at www.uphelp.org/catchup.  The one-hour long segment of Catch UP, hosted…
Tried and true may be best for you
Tried and true may be best for you

Does the idea of skipping the traditional blood and urine test to buy life insurance appeal to you? Some life insurers are using “big data” tools to size you up and price your policy instead of tried and true underwriting based on medical tests. The…
Poor Credit History Can Affect Homeowner’s Insurance Rates
Poor Credit History Can Affect Homeowner’s Insurance Rates

The impact of one’s credit history on homeowner insurance rates appears to be intensifying, a new analysis shows. If you have poor credit, your premium is more than double, on average, the rate for a homeowner with excellent credit, a report from the rate comparison…
Gardening and Hardening
Gardening and Hardening

We think your insurance company should help and reward you for taking steps to make your property less likely to be damaged or destroyed in a wildfire. We are working hard to make that happen. This is the official start of wildfire season, and now…
Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years
Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have released draft legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 10 years. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017. The legislation, the Flood Insurance Affordability & Sustainability Act of…
2017 Advocacy & Action UPdate
2017 Advocacy & Action UPdate

Insurance impacts every American in some way. Not a day goes by when UP doesn’t hear from a person, business, public official or community with an insurance problem. With 25 years of pro-consumer engagement in sales, claims and dispute resolution scenarios, we have a solid…