March 20, 2014 ConsumerWatch: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It? Despite the risk of earthquakes, an estimated 10 percent of California homeowners have earthquake insurance. KPIX 5 ConsumerWatch asks if the state’s earthquake insurance fund is healthy. Julie Watts reports.
January 16, 2014 Northridge Earthquake Anniversary: Despite retrofits, are homes any safer now? The 1994 Northridge earthquake — which shook Southern California 20 years ago Friday — caused $20 billion in damage, much of that to buildings. About 82,000 residential and commercial units were affected. Some homes were outright destroyed because they were not bolted to their foundations,…
August 27, 2012 Can mortgage lenders hold your insurance money hostage? If your home has been seriously damaged or destroyed, your insurance company will release a check made out to both you and your mortgage lender to pay for the necessary repairs. “Lenders have a substantial investment in the property, sometimes more than the homeowner, especially…
August 8, 2012 Consumer Reports Rates Home Insurers Homeowners buy insurance to protect against disaster. But when disaster strikes, your insurer might not live up to your expectations, especially if you have a large claim, according to our survey of 11,250 subscribers who filed claims in the past few years. The greater the…
August 2, 2012 Homeowners offered new earthquake policy options The California Earthquake Authority, hoping to increase the small percentage of people who have quake insurance, has introduced a line of policies called Choice that gives homeowners more coverage and premium options. For example, homeowners can pay a lower premium if they want to cover…
May 14, 2012 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…
April 23, 2012 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…
November 9, 2011 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,…
October 25, 2011 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…
October 25, 2011 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…
October 3, 2011 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…
August 23, 2011 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…
April 11, 2011 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…
April 4, 2011 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…
March 28, 2011 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…
March 23, 2011 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…
August 5, 2010 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…
July 7, 2010 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…
