5 big home insurance mistakes that could cost you thousands
5 big home insurance mistakes that could cost you thousands

Seeing Hurricane Harvey’s devastation in Texas has left some people wondering if they have adequate home insurance. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, the answer is no, and that can end up costing thousands of out-of-pocket dollars if disaster strikes. Mistake No. 1: Considering only…
Be Prepared to Push Insurance Companies for Fair Treatment After Hurricane Harvey, UP Advises
Be Prepared to Push Insurance Companies for Fair Treatment After Hurricane Harvey, UP Advises

United Policyholders Offers Texans Free Home Inventory App, Provides Guidance to Residents for Before and After the Storm As Gulf Coast communities brace for Hurricane Harvey, the national insurance consumer non-profit United Policyholders UP) has a special message for Texans: “Be prepared to push for…
State Supreme Court affirms homeowner reimbursement protections supported by Commissioner Jones
State Supreme Court affirms homeowner reimbursement protections supported by Commissioner Jones

The State Supreme Court Wednesday ended a long legal battle between a Richmond homeowner and her homeowner insurance company when the court refused to consider the insurance industry’s petition to overturn a lower court’s precedent setting decision that insurers must pay to repair a home…
Delaware Governor Carney Signs Insurance Consumer Fairness Bill
Delaware Governor Carney Signs Insurance Consumer Fairness Bill

On Tuesday, August 1, 2017, Delaware Governor John Carney signed into law House Substitute 1 for House Bill 80 (HS 1 for HB 80), a consumer fairness bill that targets unfair discriminatory practices by automobile and homeowners insurance companies to determine premium costs. “Insurance rates…
Guest Blog: United Policyholders Amicus Project Scores Victory For Texas Homeowners and Businesses
Guest Blog: United Policyholders Amicus Project Scores Victory For Texas Homeowners and Businesses

The availability of insurance coverage for loss or damage can hinge on the smallest details.  Did your insurer record that it received your notice letter?  Did your insurer’s investigator take note of those small but critical facts you pointed out during the investigation?  Did you…
Insurance companies dropping homeowners in Nevada County
Insurance companies dropping homeowners in Nevada County

Ted Peach, a Nevada County resident who lives on Banner Mountain, said the rate for his home insurance policy recently went up from $1,200 to $3,800. “The house has cementboard siding, metal roof, ironwood deck and has very good vegetation clearance,” he said. “Our rates…
Your CLUE report could save you money on auto and home owners insurance
Your CLUE report could save you money on auto and home owners insurance

If your car is in an accident, or your house is damaged in a storm, the insurance claims you file will wind up in your CLUE report. The trouble is most people have never heard of a CLUE report, even though the data in it…
Meet Your New Claims Inspector: A Drone
Meet Your New Claims Inspector: A Drone

After an April windstorm tore roof shingles off his house, Nick Ragone of Rochester, New York, figured it would be a routine claim process. But then his insurance company asked if it could use a new tool to inspect the damage. Instead of a ladder,…
The Ultimate Guide to Home Insurance for Dog Owners
The Ultimate Guide to Home Insurance for Dog Owners

Shopping for home insurance can be a challenge if you have a dog–especially if its breed is seen as dangerous. This guide will help you get a policy and affordable rate) regardless. Sixty-five percent of US households have a pet, according to the 2015-2016 National…
Court rejects FAIR Plan’s policy of reduced insurance payments for homeowners in lower income neighborhoods
Court rejects FAIR Plan’s policy of reduced insurance payments for homeowners in lower income neighborhoods

FAIR Plan said the cost of repairing the lower income fire-damaged home wasn’t required, even though similar loss in a wealthy neighborhood would be covered. On Friday, May 26, homeowner Marlene Garnes won a legal victory against California FAIR Plan Association FAIR) when the California…
Don’t Be Blown Away By Your Hurricane Deductible
Don’t Be Blown Away By Your Hurricane Deductible

Hurricane season is fast approaching, but don’t be too focused on the official June 1 start date. This year, late April saw Arlene, the first named tropical storm of the season. Coastal storms are always unpredictable so it’s smart to get your homeowners insurance in…
As Hurricane Season Approaches, Review Your Insurance
As Hurricane Season Approaches, Review Your Insurance

The Atlantic hurricane season is a little more than two weeks away, so now is a good time for homeowners along the coast to check their insurance coverage. The annual hurricane season runs for six months, from June through November. “A good place to start…
This family lost everything in one of California’s worst wildfires. Now, they’re almost home
This family lost everything in one of California’s worst wildfires. Now, they’re almost home

COBB MOUNTAIN The wooded path between Maya Leonard’s house and the elementary school where she is a sixth-grader remains scarred and blackened, a reminder of the epic wildfire that stole so much from this community on a September afternoon in 2015. But as she has…
Poor Credit History Can Affect Homeowner’s Insurance Rates
Poor Credit History Can Affect Homeowner’s Insurance Rates

The impact of one’s credit history on homeowner insurance rates appears to be intensifying, a new analysis shows. If you have poor credit, your premium is more than double, on average, the rate for a homeowner with excellent credit, a report from the rate comparison…
Why Poor Credit Can Triple Your Homeowners Insurance
Why Poor Credit Can Triple Your Homeowners Insurance

It’s no secret that credit scores play an increasingly important role in our financial lives, determining everything from whether we qualify for a mortgage to what interest rate we’ll get on a new credit card. What still may surprise some, however, is how significant credit…
Gardening and Hardening
Gardening and Hardening

We think your insurance company should help and reward you for taking steps to make your property less likely to be damaged or destroyed in a wildfire. We are working hard to make that happen. This is the official start of wildfire season, and now…
Essential Property Insurance Coverage Information Withheld from Consumers
Essential Property Insurance Coverage Information Withheld from Consumers

An April 2017 report by United Policyholders reveals the state rankings of homeowner insurance protections that impact buying insurance. The research revealed that many major insurance companies and many states withhold coverage and policy provisions from consumers during the purchase. These same companies and states…
Rutgers Law School’s Essential Protections for Policyholders report recommends improvements by states to help homeowners buy insurance
Rutgers Law School’s Essential Protections for Policyholders report recommends improvements by states to help homeowners buy insurance

Coverage, quality, and price are the top issues consumers need to consider when buying or renewing a homeowners insurance policy, but a report by the Rutgers Law School in Camden finds that most states do not require insurance companies to provide adequate information to consumers…