June 29, 2022 Breaking through indecision… When you’re under stress and need to make major decisions, it can be paralyzing. After Don and Lee Lehrman lost their home to a wildfire, they used a “forced-choice decision matrix” to decide how to replace it. You make a list of your wants, then…
June 27, 2022 Catch UP on Colorado Insurance Consumer Law with Brad Levin In this Catch UP segment, long time policyholder Attorney Brad Levin of Levin Sitcoff Waneka shares insights on the laws that govern insurance claims and consumer rights in the State of Colorado, and lawsuit logistics and costs to those who want a remedy for unfair…
June 27, 2022 Paradise rolls out new wildfire prevention standards available to all California homes A Paradise home received the state’s first Wildfire Prepared Home designation, kicking off a new program meant to reduce the damage from wildfires. The newly-constructed home is tucked in the burn scar of the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California’s history, on a road…
June 27, 2022 Paradise home becomes first in the U.S. to be designated a ‘wildfire-prepared home’ The designation is certified by the Insurance Institute for Home and Business Safety and provides proof that a homeowner has taken scientifically proven steps to mitigate risk for total loss in a fire. PARADISE, Calif. —As the town of Paradise continues the long rebuilding process…
June 14, 2022 Catch UP on Public Adjusting with Steve Severaid In this Catch UP segment, California Public Adjuster Steve Severaid, President at The Greenspan Co./ Adjusters International (Northern California) sits down with Amy Bach to talk about what a Public Adjuster can and can’t do for you if you have a property loss and want…
June 6, 2022 Advocacy Win! New Rights for Colorado Insurance Consumers (HB 22-1111) UP is pleased to share the great news that we succeeded in securing new rights for CO insurance consumers that will improve future disaster recovery when Governor Polis today signed CO HB 22-1111 into law. UP was instrumental in the negotiations and testimony that led…
May 6, 2022 Mind the Gap This is your friendly reminder that earthquake damage is NOT covered by your home or renters insurance policy unless you’ve paid extra for that protection. UP keeps tabs on earthquake insurance options and we recently moderated a National “Mind the Gap” Earthquake Insurance Forum in…
April 12, 2022 Taken to the Cleaners: The Importance of Insuring Environmental Pollution Cleanup and How Some Insurers Try to Avoid Coverage Accidental environmental pollution is virtually unavoidable in our industrialized society, and insurance coverage for liabilities and cleanup plays a critical role in the economic and environmental health of the country. Small, medium, and large businesses throughout the United States rely on their insurers to help…
April 1, 2022 First Steps After a Wildfire If you or someone you know has been affected by the fires, please read our First Steps After a Wildfire. We encourage you to visit our website throughout the recovery process. This checklist will help keep you on track during this stressful time. We’re rooting…
March 31, 2022 COVID: Year Two UPdate Have the conversation… As businesses across the nation learned the hard way when their pandemic interruption claims were summarily rejected by insurers…one can’t blindly trust paid-for property insurance to come through in the worst of times. Throughout the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began…
March 23, 2022 Catch UP on Additional Living Expense (ALE) Alternatives with Natasha O’Flaherty Colorado Attorney Natasha O’Flaherty has been assisting wildfire impacted households with insurance matters since a 2020 wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes in her community. In this Catch UP segment, she discusses approaches she took on behalf of clients who needed help finding temporary housing when…
March 4, 2022 Guest Blog: Fire Resistant Building Materials for New Home Construction With the climate crisis in full effect, it appears that wildfires are on the rise. Especially in states like California, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Montana, and others, wildfires are a huge issue. Every year there are multiple dangerous outbreaks of fire that spread across countries threatening…
February 28, 2022 Insuring Your Life If you have dependents or people whose financial security is important to you, then life insurance is a logical investment. Buying a policy that suits your goals and budget isn’t hard if you find a salesperson who is knowledgeable and ethical and doesn’t try to steer you…
January 31, 2022 We get it…risk reduction isn’t easy Here’s a New Year’s resolution that doesn’t involve depriving yourself of something you like to eat or drink: Do at least one thing in 2022 to make it less likely that your home could be damaged or destroyed due to a weather event or natural…
January 28, 2022 We get it…investing in risk reduction isn’t easy United Policyholders works hard to give people practical tips and guidance that’s realistic. The risk of wildfires is making insurance alot more expensive and hard to buy in many U.S. states. If you live in a wildfire-prone area, “hardening” your home and participating in community-wide risk…
January 5, 2022 Guest Blog: First Steps for Recovering Written by Bob Hunnes, Originally published as a Letter to the Editor in the Daily Camera This letter is intended to help anyone who was directly impacted by the Marshall Fire disaster. If this is not pertinent to you, please pass it on to someone…
December 28, 2021 There’s no place like home This is Susan Davis’ first holiday back in her rebuilt home. Read Susan’s story in her own words: “In the months after we lost our home (we escaped with our dog and the clothes on our backs) and our way of life to the 2018…
December 21, 2021 When the chips are down, there’s UP Educating, Advocating and Empowering through the Pandemic Years UP continues to innovate during the pandemic to provide Roadmap to Recovery® services in person where safe, and through virtual channels to support disaster-impacted households and communities and be a powerful advocate for consumers across the nation.…
