Fracked! Are you covered for manmade earthquakes?
Fracked! Are you covered for manmade earthquakes?

If a man-made earthquake damages your home, would your home insurance cover your losses? The answer lies in the details of your policy. Standard homeowners and renters policies exclude damage from earthquakes, but you can typically purchase either an endorsement or a separate earthquake policy…
Insurers say EQ Insurance an affordable option in Ohio to cover fracking damage
Insurers say EQ Insurance an affordable option in Ohio to cover fracking damage

April 16, 2012 – Last year’s uptick in the state’s seismic activity may have some Ohioans rethinking about the overall risk for earthquakes and the need for earthquake (EQ) insurance coverage. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Geological Survey Ohio Seismic Network reports…
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold On!
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold On!

United Policyholders will be participating in The Great California ShakeOut, and we hope you will too. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterward. The ShakeOut is a statewide earthquake drill that will occur in houses,…
California Earthquake Authority CEO Praises Bipartisan Effort to Help Reduce Costs of Disaster Recovery
California Earthquake Authority CEO Praises Bipartisan Effort to Help Reduce Costs of Disaster Recovery

The California Earthquake Authority applauds California’s U.S. Rep. John Campbell R-48), who today introduced H.R.3125 – companion legislation to S.637 introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein earlier this year. Both bills would strengthen the nation’s natural disaster recovery system by enacting the Earthquake Insurance Affordability…
Is quake insurance worth it with little equity?
Is quake insurance worth it with little equity?

Q: Reader Clare S. of El Cerrito asks: “Are there any advantages to carrying earthquake insurance if we have little equity in our home?” A: Doug Heller, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, says earthquake insurance protects three things: your equity, the structure itself and your…
Quake near D.C. can help us prepare for the ‘Big One’
Quake near D.C. can help us prepare for the ‘Big One’

It’s been an interesting year as fellow Americans on the East Coast have faced more than their fair share of natural disasters. And the most shocking revelation was the false assumption that earthquakes are exclusive to the West Coast. But this summer’s earthquake centered in…
Unusual Earthquakes Leave Many Wondering: Is My Home Covered?
Unusual Earthquakes Leave Many Wondering: Is My Home Covered?

Debbie Saathoff, 62, of Bowie, Md., says she heard a giant cracking sound first. Then the pictures flew off the walls and vases on shelves came tumbling down and smashed as her home moved back and forth. “It was the scariest thing I have been…
Will Americans pay attention to earthquake insurance now?
Will Americans pay attention to earthquake insurance now?

The advice can’t get any simpler than this: “People who live near fault lines should have earthquake insurance,” says Amy Bach, executive director of the United Policyholders consumer organization. Will the disaster in Japan be the crisis that compels Americans in quake-prone areas to pay…
Shaken and Stirred
Shaken and Stirred

The horrific images and aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami should be a call to action for property owners and public officials, and not just in California. There are known (and unknown) faults in the mid-west and throughout the United States. Yet in California…
Are you insured for the Big One?
Are you insured for the Big One?

Just 12% of homes in the state with fire insurance also have earthquake coverage, according to the California Earthquake Authority. Here’s what consumers shopping for coverage need to know. Reporting from Sacramento— The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan will cost insurance companies billions…
New Zealand earthquake preparedness: Authorities battled complacency
New Zealand earthquake preparedness: Authorities battled complacency

Wellington, New Zealand New Zealanders have received a violent wake-up call: It’s past time to be prepared for the “Big One” – the long-feared major earthquake authorities have been warning about for years.As this small island nation picks up the pieces from the 6.3-magnitude earthquake…
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold-On!
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold-On!

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, United Policyholders is participating in The Great California Shake Out today at 10:15 AM! Find more information about this drill at shakeout.org and get ready to Drop, Cover and Hold On! The Great Misconception: Time…
Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?
Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?

Earthquakes are one of the natural disasters that are not typically covered under conventional homeowners insurance policies. And while many people think that Californians are the only ones who need to worry about earthquake insurance, the reality is that earthquake risk is far more widespread…
Disaster Readiness in San Diego
Disaster Readiness in San Diego

Earthquake, typhoon, wildfire. “What I see from other parts of the world, even the nation, I think California could learn more,” reflected University of California, San Diego Professor José Restrepo. The director of Operations for the Charles Lee Powell Structural Laboratories lived through a 7.2…
Is Earthquake Insurance Worth the Cost?
Is Earthquake Insurance Worth the Cost?

I am not much of a fan of “could it happen here” stories, but the earthquake in Haiti does remind us that much of the United States, in fact much of the world, lives along fault zones. In the last 110 years, quakes have shaken…
Residual market insurers under financial stress: Insurance Information Institute
Residual market insurers under financial stress: Insurance Information Institute
UP/FIRM Winter NAIC meeting presentation: “Toward greater efficiency in funding disaster recovery through private/public insurance” (ppt)
UP/FIRM Winter NAIC meeting presentation: “Toward greater efficiency in funding disaster recovery through private/public insurance” (ppt)

http://uphelp.org/pdfs/NAIC%20Dec%202009%20Mtg%20National%20Cat%20Presentation3.ppt
States Shed Reinsurance and ‘Run Naked’ Through Storm Risks
States Shed Reinsurance and ‘Run Naked’ Through Storm Risks