September 30, 2020 California wildfires: What you need to know about insurance for your losses As still more wildfires rage in the Bay Area, many wonder how to handle the practicalities if they must evacuate — or worse, if their home is lost or damaged. Here are answers to common questions about insurance, money and real estate. Q: I had…
September 17, 2020 Dealing With Wildfire Damage? These Free Resources Can Help You File Your Insurance Claim The trauma of a wildfire is compounded only by the stress of trying to figure out if you’re covered under your insurance and how to collect under those policies for any damage to your property. Fortunately, ample free help is available, from coverage information to…
September 8, 2020 California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Reimbursement Costs for Those Displaced During Wildfires September 7, 2020 – LOS ANGELES, Calif. – To assist Californians displaced by the current and recent wildfires throughout the state, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a Notice to all California property and casualty insurance companies urging them to cover Additional Living Expenses (ALE) for…
August 31, 2020 Insurance increasingly unaffordable as climate change brings more disasters There was a moment in 2016, just after putting an offer on a house in the Oakland Hills in California, that Jamye Alexandra wondered if it was a mistake. Not because of the house itself, or the location, but because the insurance company the previous…
August 30, 2020 Statewide town hall to address wildfire assistance and insurance resources Join Cal OES Director, Mark Ghilarducci, CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and United Policyholders Executive Director, Amy Bach for a Statewide Virtual Town Hall on wildfires assistance and insurance resources available to renters and homeowners. With many communities experiencing evacuations, loss of homes and the…
August 12, 2020 Insurance Commissioner to Investigate Key Wildfire Insurance Issues Under Legislation Headed to Senate Floor, says Consumer Watchdog SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara would investigate and develop solutions to ensure affordable, accessible insurance for homeowners in wildfire areas and report back to the legislature, under amendments to AB 2167 adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday.…
July 14, 2020 6th Circuit Approves Class Action for Ky. Underpayments by State Farm A federal appellate court has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit to proceed against State Farm Fire and Casualty Insurance Co. that may force the insurer to correct underpayments paid to some 65,000 policyholders. A 6th Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed a district…
July 10, 2020 UP helping CA households struggling to find and afford home insurance Through our Roadmap to Preparedness and Advocacy and Action programs, United Policyholders is continuing to work hard to help the thousands of California households that are struggling to keep their homes properly insured at a price they can afford and with a company they can…
July 6, 2020 Sonoma County rebuilds two-thirds of homes lost in 2017 wildfires On the morning of her 34th birthday last July, Katrina Lassen woke up in her new house in Larkfield Estates, a suburban subdivision where all 163 homes had been incinerated by the Tubbs fire in 2017. “It was surreal,” she said. “I just felt at…
July 2, 2020 Fire Victim Trust Funded July 1st SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The PG&E Fire Victim Trust announced today that it has been funded effective today. The Trust received the Fire Victim Trust settlement proceeds from PG&E which includes 476,995,175 shares of PG&E Common Stock and the first installment of…
June 29, 2020 Join UP in opposing AB 2167 Californians are experiencing a challenging insurance marketplace and there are two bills we are watching that could make the affordability crisis worse. We are talking about AB 2167 and its companion SB 292. We OPPOSE these two bills and hope you will join us by writing to your…
June 23, 2020 As focus turned to coronavirus crisis, insurers pushed for a sneaky rate hike on homeowners It’s fair to say that most Americans see the coronavirus outbreak as an enormous and fearsome burden. Not the insurance industry. In California, the industry is using the crisis to bring about a sneaky change in insurance rules that could lead to massive increases in…
June 9, 2020 Calif. Insurance Commissioner opposes new wildfire bill; warns of unfair rates California Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara, alongside the California Department of Insurance and a host of other organisations, have stressed that a new wildfire bill set to be voted on this week would harm policyholders in the region with higher rates. Assembly Bill 2167 is scheduled…
May 13, 2020 Bach Talk – It’s time to restore insurance safety nets Insurance benefits should be the primary source of funds for people and businesses to make repairs after adversity strikes. Unlike government aid that’s contingent on submitting an application, meeting eligibility criteria, waiting/processing time and taxpayer dollars, insurance funds are paid-for benefits that can be collected…
May 11, 2020 Insurance Industry Pushes “Wildfire” Legislation to Increase Homeowners Insurance Rates While the rest of the state is sheltering at home, lobbyists for the insurance industry are busy promoting legislation, scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, that would allow them to boost insurance rates on homeowners and renters. The bill would derail voter-approved protections against insurance price-gouging…
April 3, 2020 Tennessee Tornado Insurance Claim and Recovery Help If your home or business was damaged or destroyed in the recent Nashville area tornadoes, we are here to give you reliable guidance during the recovery process. UP recommends focusing on photographing and documenting damaged and destroyed property, getting a complete current copy of your…
March 9, 2020 California lawmakers propose wildfire insurance bill to protect homeowners EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. — A bill introduced into the California Legislature on Tuesday would add protections to some homeowners at risk of nonrenewals. The “Renew California Bill” would require insurance companies to write or renew policies for existing homes in communities that meet state…
March 4, 2020 Working to keep the HOME in home insurance Consumers buy home insurance where legally required AND for the peace of mind of knowing that if adversity strikes, the policy will generate money to deal with whatever that adversity is. They don’t sit around thinking up doomsday scenarios of every possible event that could damage or…