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…
Too Darn Hot
Too Darn Hot

In most areas of the U.S. right now, it’s just too darn hot. If you’re in the scary position of having to evacuate due to a nearby wildfire, but lucky enough to come home to a house still standing, consider this: Nearby flames, smoke and…
Unsettling
Unsettling

It turns out the meaning of “settled” in the context of an insurance claim depends on who’s using it. 6 months after Superstorm Sandy, the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), a national industry-funded group, claimed that 93 percent of the 1.5 million claims were “settled.” UP…
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…
Time to Dust Off Those Old Insurance Policies
Time to Dust Off Those Old Insurance Policies

With springtime comes spring cleaning.  We may take the time to deep clean the house and clear out the garage, however, most of us don’t take the time to perform the same spring cleaning for our financial affairs. When was the last time you reviewed…
What’s UP? May 2013
What’s UP? May 2013

Bach Talk We were excited to begin this newsletter with three major announcements: A recent legislative victory for policyholders in Colorado and two significant grants: One supporting Roadmap to Recovery services to Sandy victims in New Jersey, and another from FEMA to help the Bay…
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…
Healthy Choices
Healthy Choices

The Health Insurance Marketplace that will kick in soon will give you new options. They will depend on what your current coverage, employment status and medical needs are, and whether your state is participating in the federal law that set up the new marketplace. Here’s…
Bucks for the bang
Bucks for the bang

It is much easier to save money on your car insurance than your home insurance. Insurers compete hard for auto customers. That’s because it’s easier for them to make a profit and the risks are much more predictable. So if you have a decent driving…
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…
Tap in…
Tap in…

People who’ve negotiated their way through an insurance claim can be an excellent source of success strategies. Many members of UP’s staff and volunteer corps fit that bill. If you find yourself underinsured after a loss or need help getting your lender to release an…