FEMA will allow 144,000 Sandy victims to reopen insurance claims after fraud charges
FEMA will allow 144,000 Sandy victims to reopen insurance claims after fraud charges

Updated March 25, 2015 10:04 PMBy JOE RYAN joe.ryan@newsday.com The National Flood Insurance Program plans to begin sending 144,000 letters in the coming weeks to homeowners from North Carolina to Maine to begin the complex job of reviewing claims for superstorm Sandy victims who suspect…
FEMA Seeks Thousands of Insurance Records
FEMA Seeks Thousands of Insurance Records

The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA) is beginning its probe into the allegedly lowballed Superstorm Sandy claims by asking flood insurance companies to turn over thousands of records by the end of the week. The data request includes the name of the engineering company and…
Best Insurance Moves for March
Best Insurance Moves for March

Spring is just around the bend, but that doesn’t mean you’re finished with rough weather. In fact, depending on where you live, snowmelt can create a new hazard — one that’s not covered by standard homeowners insurance. That makes March an ideal time to look…
The Storm after the Storm
The Storm after the Storm

The following is a script from “The Storm after the Storm” which aired on March 1, 2015. Sharyn Alfonsi is the correspondent. Oriana Zill de Granados and Michael Rey, producers.When Hurricane Sandy made its way towards the East Coast in the fall of 2012, residents…
FEMA Sued Over Records Related To Superstorm Sandy Victims And Other Flood Insurance Claims
FEMA Sued Over Records Related To Superstorm Sandy Victims And Other Flood Insurance Claims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is facing a new lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization that wants a look at FEMA’s inner workings, especially the way its officials decide the fate of insurance appeals made by flood victims. United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based group that…
Nonprofit sues FEMA for records on disputed Sandy settlements
Nonprofit sues FEMA for records on disputed Sandy settlements

A nonprofit organization that helps disaster victims file insurance claims has sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying it ignored requests for documents related to disputed settlements from superstorm Sandy. United Policy Holders filed the federal lawsuit on Wednesday, accusing FEMA of violating the Freedom…
Good news for insured losses: 2014 was a relatively quiet year
Good news for insured losses: 2014 was a relatively quiet year

Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist, today released its annual Global Catastrophe Review, which reports that insured losses in 2014 were at the lowest level seen since 2009. According to the report, significant insured losses in 2014 totaled approximately $33…
Freedom of Information Act Request to DHS FEMA – WYOs and IAs
Freedom of Information Act Request to DHS FEMA – WYOs and IAs

On February 23, 2015, UP submitted a third Freedom of Information Act request to FEMA for information on the National Flood Insurenace Program. In this request, UP sough information on the contracts between Write-Your-Own insurers and Independent Adjusters in order to determine how payments and…
Lawyers, FEMA in talks to settle Sandy insurance appeals
Lawyers, FEMA in talks to settle Sandy insurance appeals

By JOE RYAN joe.ryan@newsday.com After months of deadlock, lawyers for hundreds of homeowners suing over flood insurance claims from superstorm Sandy said they made significant progress in talks Tuesday with federal officials to design a broad framework to settle the cases.The attorneys spent more than…
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered

When Frank Johnston’s insurance carrier rejected his claim that flooding from Hurricane Sandy had severely damaged the foundation of his Fire Island home, the company cited an engineering report that seemed to establish his problems were “unrelated” to the storm, and were caused instead by…
Insurers accused of rigging Sandy flood claims with slanted reports, but evidence is elusive
Insurers accused of rigging Sandy flood claims with slanted reports, but evidence is elusive

By DAVID B. CARUSO and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) — When Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast, flood insurance companies working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched an army of structural engineers to do some detective work.Their assignment: Find out how much…
FEMA RESPONDS TO COMPLAINTS FROM SANDY VICTIMS, AGREEING TO CONSIDER REFORMS
FEMA RESPONDS TO COMPLAINTS FROM SANDY VICTIMS, AGREEING TO CONSIDER REFORMS

Agency announces plan of action, including new advocate, and will reopen nearly 300 closed claimsMonths of pressure from storm survivors and lawmakers in New Jersey and New York culminated Friday with the Federal Emergency Management Agency committing to reform key parts of the National Flood…
Nearly 1,000 NJ Sandy victims have sued flood insurance providers
Nearly 1,000 NJ Sandy victims have sued flood insurance providers

Nearly 1,000 Hurricane Sandy victims in New Jersey have filed lawsuits against their flood insurance providers since late 2013, and that number is expected to double in the next year, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.The U.S. District Court Clerk’s Office said there have been…
Doubt Lingers for New Yorkers Devastated by Hurricane Sandy
Doubt Lingers for New Yorkers Devastated by Hurricane Sandy

NEW YORK – Edith Harris was cornered in her living room, inside her brick house, deep in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Volunteers in green t-shirts swarmed around her. They banged away at new appliances in the bathrooms, studied the interior supports that held up her fragile basement…
Flood insurance: Make sure you are covered
Flood insurance: Make sure you are covered

After devastating the East Coast and causing an estimated $20 billion in property damage, a storm like Sandy should serve as a reminder to homeowners everywhere — and especially those near the coasts — to make sure they have the right kind of coverage in…
United Policyholders has been with us through three disasters: Lean on me
United Policyholders has been with us through three disasters: Lean on me

Leigh Candelas was one of the lucky ones. When the Black Forest Fire consumed much of her neighborhood last summer, her house survived. But the situation wasn’t as rosy as it appeared. There was significant damage to her home, and after her insurance company paid…
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 money doesn’t pour in for Manitou business owners seeking insurance payouts
The money doesn’t pour in for Manitou business owners seeking insurance payouts

Though the mud and debris from last summer’s floods was long ago cleared from the streets of Manitou Springs, business owners say they’ve been left with a financial mess instead. Just ask Chuck Murphy, owner of the Spa Building, best known as the home of…