Trust but verify
Trust but verify

If an insurance company rep gives you a dollar figure – get a second opinion. Whether it’s an estimate to repair damage or a quote to insure your property – trust but verify that it’s accurate. This same adage applies to medical diagnoses for serious…
Insurance Check UP
Insurance Check UP

Yes the Internet makes it easy to insure your home or business without actually meeting the person who’s selling you the policy. But given how valuable your assets are to you, don’t you want to be confident in that person’s expertise and ethics? United Policyholders…
Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors
Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors

HOUSTON – Victims of flooding who need to make home repairs can benefit from a free service now being offered by Angie’s List, a review and rating website geared toward consumers. Angie’s List is offering KPRC viewers, who’ve experienced flood damage, free access to the…
Homeowners responsible for proper insurance
Homeowners responsible for proper insurance

It’s been nearly four years since an unknown source sparked one of the costliest wildfires in Colorado history. Waldo Canyon fire insurance claims totaled more than $350 million — almost $1 million for every home lost. That fire’s infelicitous record would stand less than a…
Staying protected after a loss without wasting $$
Staying protected after a loss without wasting $$

New Publication – We have updated our Claim Guidance Library to include a new publication: Updating Your Insurance After a Loss. If your home and property were severely damaged or destroyed, you may be thinking about adjusting your insurance coverage to avoid wasting money insuring things that no longer…
How to Save by Bundling Auto and Home Insurance
How to Save by Bundling Auto and Home Insurance

When it comes to insurance, we all look for ways to save money. One of the easiest and most common ways to save is by bundling auto and home insurance with one company. Insurance companies typically offer discounts in exchange for carrying more than one…
Income tax tips workshop for Butte Fire survivors
Income tax tips workshop for Butte Fire survivors

United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based nonprofit agency that assists insurance holders after disasters, will host a workshop offering tax tips for Butte Fire victims at 6 p.m. Friday in the Mountain Ranch Community Club, 8049 Washington St., Mountain Ranch. United Policyholders Executive Director Amy Bach…
Dam Ice!
Dam Ice!

With spring around the corner, home and business owners in snow-prone areas should be on the lookout for damage from ice dams. Extreme cold and unseasonably warm winter weather has caused ice dams to form on building roofs from New England to Minnesota. Trapped water…
For Blizzard Damage, Turn to Your Homeowner’s Policy
For Blizzard Damage, Turn to Your Homeowner’s Policy

Atlantic Coast residents digging out from last weekend’s blizzard may be relieved to know that a standard homeowner’s insurance policy covers most types of damage caused by winter storms. “We pay for most things that are the result of a snowstorm,” said Don Griffin, vice…
Expert says Butte Fire homeowners should take time on insurance claims
Expert says Butte Fire homeowners should take time on insurance claims

An expert on wildfire insurance claims Wednesday night told a small group of property owners who lost buildings in the Butte Fire not to be in a hurry to settle with their insurance carriers. “Statistics show that the longer your claim remains open, the more…
Butte Fire Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 1/13/16
Butte Fire Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 1/13/16

UP is hosting a Roadmap to Recovery workshop for Butte Fire survivors on Wednesday, January 13th at 6pm at Mountain Ranch Town Hall.  This workshop will focus on the dwelling portion of your insurance claim and will discuss how to document and value the damage…
Holding the line: The Standard Fire Policy remains a useful floor (Guest blog)
Holding the line: The Standard Fire Policy remains a useful floor (Guest blog)

Most homeowner’s property insurance policies contain “intentional loss” and “concealment and fraud” provisions that exclude or bar coverage if any person who qualifies as an “insured” (typically defined to include the named insured and residents of the named insured’s household who are his or her…
8 Ways to Help after a House Fire
8 Ways to Help after a House Fire

Here are the top items survivors may need for health, safety and comfort A family whose home goes up in flames may lose everything — but simple items from friends, neighbors and relatives can help them make it safely and comfortably through the next days,…
Connecticut bans use of price optimization for insurance rates
Connecticut bans use of price optimization for insurance rates

Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade announced last week that the state’s Insurance Department has officially warned property and casualty insurance companies against using a controversial pricing method that relies more on consumer buying habits than sound actuarial and risk-based principles. Called “price optimization” or “elasticity…
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Filing an Insurance Claim
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Filing an Insurance Claim

The biggest insurance mistake you can make is not having insurance. That sounds like an advertisement for an insurance company, but generally, it’s true. If you’re driving without car insurance, you’re breaking the law. If you don’t have health insurance, you’ll likely pay a fee…
Challenging insurers’ hired guns – Bach Talk
Challenging insurers’ hired guns – Bach Talk

When you buy insurance, you pay for coverage and good service if and when you file a claim.  Good claim service includes estimating the extent and value of your claim fairly and promptly. Insurance company claim adjusters often bring in outside experts to inspect and give their…
Unscrupulous Insurers Are Stalling Sandy Recovery
Unscrupulous Insurers Are Stalling Sandy Recovery

Three years ago, New York City was devastated by Superstorm Sandy. While we are making progress in the post-Sandy rebuild and recovery, too many New Yorkers are still fighting with their insurance companies about what type of damage is covered. And many have simply given…
What’s the point? A “use it and lose it” UPdate
What’s the point? A “use it and lose it” UPdate

Most people pay their home, business, and renters insurance premiums for years and years without ever having a loss or using the policy they’re paying for.  Yet even people who’ve had a long claim-free record are finding that after they do suffer a loss and…