February 1, 2017 Here to help The insurance premiums you pay as an individual or business entitle you to benefits and good claim service in the event of a loss. You should not have to hire professional help to get your claim paid fairly, and often you don’t. But when you…
January 30, 2017 Online DIY options to bolster your personal finances USA TODAY – Once the optimistic glow surrounding New Year’s financial resolutions wears off — hello, February! — it’s time to roll up your sleeves before losing momentum altogether. Whether you aim to save money or get stuff organized, many apps and websites are available…
January 25, 2017 Calif. Regulation Revival Boosts Home Coverage Confidence The California Supreme Court’s ruling Monday 2017) reviving the state insurance commissioner’s challenged regulation aimed at producing more accurate insurer estimates of home replacement costs provides greater certainty for homeowners on property coverage and should reduce litigation between policyholders and carriers, experts say. In a…
January 23, 2017 United Policyholders Praises California Supreme Court Decision That Will Help Underinsured Wildfire Victims Insurance Companies now held to a higher standard for setting homeowners policy limits; Court finds Insurance Commissioner has authority to regulate replacement cost estimates SAN FRANCISCO, CA – January 23, 2017 – United Policyholders (UP), a nonprofit insurance consumer organization, today praised a California Supreme…
January 23, 2017 Court backs rules to protect fire victims from being underinsured California’s insurance commissioner has the authority to adopt rules that protect homeowners whose policies fall far short of the amounts needed to rebuild or replace homes destroyed by wildfires or other disasters, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. Insurance companies usually give homeowners estimates of…
January 23, 2017 Justices Back Calif. Insurance Commissioner in Feud With Industry The California Supreme Court dealt property insurers a blow on Monday, reversing lower court rulings that had limited the state insurance commissioner’s authority and blocked a rule the industry had slammed as overly prescriptive and burdensome. The lawsuit by two state industry trade associations challenged…
January 13, 2017 Consumer Watchdog collects millions, but does it lower your insurance rates? Nearly 30 years ago, consumer activist Harvey Rosenfield wrote and helped qualify Proposition 103, the November 1988 ballot measure that overhauled state regulation of home and auto insurance rates. The initiative, dubbed by supporters as the “Voter Revolt to Cut Insurance Rates,” also contained a…
January 1, 2017 Prepared, not scared No, we’re not talking about doomsday predictions… We’re talking about the simple things you can do to create your own financial safety net to prepare for extreme weather and what that weather can do to the roof over your head or your source of income.…
December 22, 2016 Reforming Disability Claim Procedures Under ERISA On Dec. 19, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor published in the Federal Register sweeping reforms to the regulations it issues under Section 503 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, aimed at eliminating bias in the ERISA disability claims and review process. Despite ERISA’s…
December 21, 2016 Keeping “Affordable” in the ACA Before Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as “PPACA”) and President Obama signed it into law, Americans with pre-existing medical conditions were struggling mightily to find and pay for essential health insurance. The ACA solved that problem for a large number of…
December 14, 2016 Viking Pump Tops Biggest Insurance Decisions Of 2016 New York’s highest court sent shockwaves through the insurance industry this year when it ruled that Viking Pump and Warren Pumps could hold policies in a single year liable for their entire loss from scores of asbestos claims while other courts issued key guidance on…
December 3, 2016 Florida Supreme Court rejects shift in insurance claims law The Florida Supreme Court has overturned a lower-court ruling that would have made it harder for policyholders to collect on insurance policies when there is more than one cause for their losses. At issue in Sebo v. American Home Assurance Co. was competing doctrines for…
December 1, 2016 Speaking UP works Our final tip of the month this year is simple: When it comes to insurance, have a pro-active mindset. If you’ve had a loss, ask for a cash advance while your claim is being processed. If you’ve got property insurance, ask the agent or insurer…
November 17, 2016 Rutgers Law School in New Jersey Launches Project to Improve Homeowners’ Insurance Rutgers Law School’s Camden, N.J., location, in collaboration with United Policyholders, is seeking to improve homeowners’ insurance nationally through its recently launched project. The Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility at Rutgers Law School in Camden and United Policyholders have launched a national project that…
November 16, 2016 Window Maker Gets Support In Coverage Battle At 7th Circ. Nonprofit policyholder advocacy group United Policyholders on Tuesday asked the Seventh Circuit to order two insurers to cover window maker Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. Inc.’s costs to defend a class action over defective windows, arguing that the lower court’s ruling is contrary to Wisconsin…
November 14, 2016 4 Homeowner’s Insurance Pitfalls A home is perhaps the single largest investment of a person’s life. When someone takes out a mortgage, they are also required to take out a homeowners’ insurance policy that is acceptable to their lender. If they let the policy lapse for any reason, while…
November 12, 2016 Analysis: Shopping around could save patients thousands on medical procedures Shopping around at area hospitals and outpatient surgery centers for the cost of procedures could save patients thousands of dollars, a Sunday Times analysis found. Using an online cost estimator developed by Aetna insurance, the newspaper found significant price variations for several common medical procedures.…
November 8, 2016 5 Hidden Costs of Relocation If you’ve got your eye on a new city where you can buy a bigger house with an affordable mortgage payment, don’t be too quick to sign those closing documents. If you don’t do a little research first, you may get ambushed by unexpected costs…
