June 30, 2014 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…
June 30, 2014 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…
June 16, 2014 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…
May 30, 2014 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…
May 16, 2014 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…
May 7, 2014 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…
April 29, 2014 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…
April 7, 2014 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…
March 26, 2014 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…
March 19, 2014 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…
March 18, 2014 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.…
March 7, 2014 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…
February 28, 2014 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…
October 3, 2013 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…
September 3, 2013 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…
July 23, 2013 Flood insurance law hurting Sandy victims A little-known provision in some Long Island homeowners’ flood insurance policies could stymie their claims to collect for superstorm Sandy damage. Advocates and lawyers for property owners say it’s a loophole for insurance companies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that is based on semantics.…
July 10, 2013 The Black Forest Fire has attracted insurance pros — for better and worse The flier called it a “Town Hall Meeting for Black Forest Fire Residents.” But this wasn’t a town hall in the traditional sense. No elected official or governmental staff member was scheduled to speak. El Paso County officials, in fact, say they had nothing to…
