Fire, flood, mud: insurance benefits can vary greatly
Fire, flood, mud: insurance benefits can vary greatly

An estimated 45 percent of people who lost homes or property in the wildfires had no insurance, including almost all the renters. But the rest — in the midst of cleaning up debris, figuring out where they will live, buying new clothes, and coping with…
6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Insurance Agent
6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing an Insurance Agent

Whether you’re in the market for insurance to cover your home, your car or your life, it can be a confusing process filled with jargon and exclusions. Perhaps that’s why many consumers enlist the help of an insurance agent to help them compare options and…
It’s worth boning up on homeowner insurance
It’s worth boning up on homeowner insurance

Mention the word insurance, even to people who pay attention to other consumer topics, and you’re likely to draw yawns. Trust me on that – it’s just the nature of the beast. After more than a dozen years of writing about everything from airfares to…
Colo. wildfire victims sue insurance companies
Colo. wildfire victims sue insurance companies

A group of nearly 20 Colorado fire survivors are suing more than 100 national insurance companies, corporations and nonprofits, alleging they conspired to defraud those who lost property to the High Park Fire and other wildfires.Thirteen Larimer County residents are named as plaintiffs in Snyder…
Look for loopholes in insurance policies before bad luck strikes
Look for loopholes in insurance policies before bad luck strikes

Hurricane season is starting slowly, and weather forecasters predict that El Niño may help spare us this year. But as Hurricane Sandy reminded our region, you never can predict when you’ll be in bad luck’s bull’s-eye. So it’s a good time to consider how to…
Protecting Your Home From Disasters
Protecting Your Home From Disasters
Double Check UP
Double Check UP

The recent wildfires in San Diego and Arizona are a chilling reminder of how long wildfire season has gotten in the west and with hurricane season fast approaching in the East and South, we encourage everyone to take a moment and do a quick insurance…
Wildfire Season Starts Early Amid Drought; Costs to Top $1 Billion
Wildfire Season Starts Early Amid Drought; Costs to Top $1 Billion

May 13, 2014By: Jennifer Oldham, Bloomberg NewsU.S. states plagued by historic drought are bracing for an early wildfire season with a cost that may rise as high as $1.8 billion, or almost $500,000 more than what’s available to control the blazes.Oklahomans fought seven fires 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…
Catastrophe insurance
Catastrophe insurance

Protections are available for local consumers in wake of floods, fires One draw of Colorado living, some would say, is the endless variety. The suburbs, the city, the country, the mountains and the plains; living here means there’s something for nearly everybody. But living in…
Black Forest Residents Still Healing, Rebuilding
Black Forest Residents Still Healing, Rebuilding

Ten months after the most destructive wildfire in state history, residents of Black Forest have made significant headway in the rebuilding process. Today, areas where charred remains once stood are now dozens of brand new homes at various stages of construction. One hundred and forty-two…
Taxing tasks
Taxing tasks

April 15th is right around the corner, and while filing for an extension is certainly an option, disaster survivors get no automatic exception to the tax filing deadline. The IRS did just announce, however, that Colorado flood victims have until October to decide which tax year…
Farmers Insurance Ordered to Pay Woodward Tornado Victims $15M
Farmers Insurance Ordered to Pay Woodward Tornado Victims $15M

Shelly Hobbie walks through the rubble left of her son’s mobile home in Woodward, Okla. on April 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)An Oklahoma judge has ordered Farmers Insurance and a subsidiary to pay a total of $15 million to three plaintiffs who filed property claims…
How mortgage servicers are strong-arming the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado among others)
How mortgage servicers are strong-arming the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado among others)

Unnatural Disaster: How mortgage servicers are strong-arming the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado among others) On May 20, a massive EF5 tornado whipped through heavily populated Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 and injuring nearly 400. That tragedy has now shifted into the drudgery of recovery.…
Fire victims battle with insurance companies
Fire victims battle with insurance companies

Nine months after the Black Forest fire, property owners are still fighting with insurance companies to pay for damages. To help fire victims file claims and handle disputes, United Policyholders hosted a “Roadmap to Recovery” meeting at Woodmen Valley Chapel in El Paso County Thursday…
Getting UP to business: Read ’em and leak
Getting UP to business: Read ’em and leak

UP helps home and business owners and the two sectors have a lot in common when it comes to insurance. Both pay quite a bit of money for the insurance protection they count on as a financial safety net. And though some businesses are experienced in nuances of policy…
Minnesota house insurance premiums leap after just one claim
Minnesota house insurance premiums leap after just one claim

Minnesota tops the nation in terms of how much the cost of a homeowners insurance policy jumps after a claim. Filing just one claim raises the annual premium cost in Minnesota an average of 21.2 percent, according to report out Wednesday by InsuranceQuotes.com, an online…
Oklahomans’ homeowners insurance will remain among nation’s most expensive
Oklahomans’ homeowners insurance will remain among nation’s most expensive

Residents of tornado-prone Oklahoma already pay some of the highest rates for homeowners insurance in the nation — and rates are only going up. It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to raise rates in a region after a catastrophe like the tornadoes that hit Oklahoma…