Wildfire Season Starts Early Amid Drought; Costs to Top $1 Billion
Wildfire Season Starts Early Amid Drought; Costs to Top $1 Billion

May 13, 2014By: Jennifer Oldham, Bloomberg NewsU.S. states plagued by historic drought are bracing for an early wildfire season with a cost that may rise as high as $1.8 billion, or almost $500,000 more than what’s available to control the blazes.Oklahomans fought seven fires in…
GAO Issues Dire Report on National Flood Insurance Program
GAO Issues Dire Report on National Flood Insurance Program

May 14, 2014By: Arthur PostalWASHINGTON—The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is a long, dark tunnel with no light in sight, a new Government Accountability Office report indicates, meaning that it is likely to be a political headache for the property casualty insurance industry for some…
CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake
CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake

For Release: April 29, 2014 CEA policyholders file claims, receive payments for damage from La Habra earthquake But recent earthquakes show that Californians are uncertain about their insurance coverage Media Inquiries to CEA: D’Anne Ousley 916-769-5766 / ousleyd@CalQuake.com SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Earthquake Authority…
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California
Recent Quakes Push Interest, Sales of Policies in California

Some people don’t need Earth Day to be reminded they live on a planet powered by the forces of nature.The recent string earthquakes on the Pacific belt may have hit home with California homeowners, who were already a bit shaken up by the 5.1 magnitude…
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act

On March 21, 2014, President Obama signed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 into law.This law repeals and modifies certain provisions of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, which was enacted in 2012. FEMA looks forward to working with Congress, the private Write…
The Strip Mining of Legal Rights
The Strip Mining of Legal Rights

By: Ralph Nader and Theresa AmatoThe fine print in standard form contracts is undermining tort law, and it is not limited to mandatory arbitration. Corporations use it to insulate themselves and take away consumers’ tort law rights in other ways, including unfair choice of law…
Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for Long-Term-Care Insurance: How to Pick the Best the Policy for Your Needs and What to Avoid
Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for Long-Term-Care Insurance: How to Pick the Best the Policy for Your Needs and What to Avoid

It’s a decision many baby boomers are grappling with: Should I buy long-term-care insurance? The decision has never been more difficult. According to researchers at Georgetown University and Pennsylvania State University, about 70% of individuals 65 and older will need long-term care—whether at home or…
Pesky Gaps and Caps
Pesky Gaps and Caps

(No) thanks to past wildfires, many Scripps Ranch residents have as much insurance expertise as professional agents or brokers. During the vacation months when empty homes are a target for burglars, it’s worth checking your homeowner’s policy for those pesky “internal limits” that apply to…
Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It?
Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It?

By ANN CARRNSThe New York Times, MARCH 21, 2014Every day, Jesse Slome says, about a half-dozen people contact his office at the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a group for industry professionals, to complain about premium increases on their policies.Financial planners, too, are hearing…
Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution
Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution

For Release: April 8, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In observance of National Retirement Planning week, the California Department of Insurance is reminding consumers about the importance of understanding what they are purchasing before signing on…
Bank of America Settles Forced-Place Insurance Claims for $228M
Bank of America Settles Forced-Place Insurance Claims for $228M

Bank of America Corp. agreed to pay $228 million to settle claims the bank overcharged for insurance homeowners were forced to accept when their regular policies lapsed.The amount was disclosed in a document requesting approval for the accord filed yesterday in Miami federal court. Lawyers…
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2014 Notice to Consumers5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big OneEarthquake insurance can help residents repair, rebuild, or replaceLOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 5.1 La Habra earthquake was significantly more powerful than the 4.4 magnitude…
Taxing tasks
Taxing tasks

April 15th is right around the corner, and while filing for an extension is certainly an option, disaster survivors get no automatic exception to the tax filing deadline. The IRS did just announce, however, that Colorado flood victims have until October to decide which tax year…
Resources: “Last Chance” Webinar Before April Sandy Deadline
Resources: “Last Chance” Webinar Before April Sandy Deadline

Thank you for attending the “Last Chance” Webinar Before April Sandy Deadline.  Here you will find the resources referenced in the webinar: Sandy NFIP Claim Help “Last Chance” Webinar: 3/26/14 at 12:30pm EST Presenters: Amy Bach, Executive Director, United Policyholders David Charles, Master Claims Consulting View the…
Storm Sandy Mediation Program: A Learning Experience
Storm Sandy Mediation Program: A Learning Experience

By: Dan Wade, Staff Attorney The government-sponsored Storm Sandy mediation programs in New York and New Jersey offered the promise of a low-cost easy access forum for disaster survivors to sit down face-to-face with their insurer to resolve claim disputes. A modest number of homeowners…
New York Federal Court Consolidates Pending Hurricane Sandy Cases
New York Federal Court Consolidates Pending Hurricane Sandy Cases

UPdate 7/18/14 At the request of insurers, three New York Magistrate Judges overseeing the Consolidated Case have asked plaintiffs to withdraw supplemental state law “bad faith” claims. The three-judge panel explained that plaintiffs have failed to address these claims in accordance with the Court’s discovery…
Farmers Insurance Ordered to Pay Woodward Tornado Victims $15M
Farmers Insurance Ordered to Pay Woodward Tornado Victims $15M

Shelly Hobbie walks through the rubble left of her son’s mobile home in Woodward, Okla. on April 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)An Oklahoma judge has ordered Farmers Insurance and a subsidiary to pay a total of $15 million to three plaintiffs who filed property claims…
Guidance for businesses on buying Cyber Liability insurance
Guidance for businesses on buying Cyber Liability insurance

ISO’s 2014 Data Breach Exclusion EndorsementsPerhaps a large majority of all businesses are subject to data breach liability whereby someone steals or makes unauthorized use of personal or confidential information, often of customers. Such data breaches have resulted in lawsuits and government sanctions. While most…