Holding the line: The Standard Fire Policy remains a useful floor (Guest blog)
Holding the line: The Standard Fire Policy remains a useful floor (Guest blog)

Most homeowner’s property insurance policies contain “intentional loss” and “concealment and fraud” provisions that exclude or bar coverage if any person who qualifies as an “insured” (typically defined to include the named insured and residents of the named insured’s household who are his or her…
Guest Blog: Flood Claim Guide – A Look Under the Hood
Guest Blog: Flood Claim Guide – A Look Under the Hood

Your flood adjuster arrives with a few forms for you to fill out.  Typically, you will be asked some questions about when the water entered the building, how long it stayed, and that sort of thing.  He/She will also ask some questions to update your…
8 Ways to Help after a House Fire
8 Ways to Help after a House Fire

Here are the top items survivors may need for health, safety and comfort A family whose home goes up in flames may lose everything — but simple items from friends, neighbors and relatives can help them make it safely and comfortably through the next days,…
Connecticut bans use of price optimization for insurance rates
Connecticut bans use of price optimization for insurance rates

Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade announced last week that the state’s Insurance Department has officially warned property and casualty insurance companies against using a controversial pricing method that relies more on consumer buying habits than sound actuarial and risk-based principles. Called “price optimization” or “elasticity…
Thousands of homes damaged by Sandy remain uninsured
Thousands of homes damaged by Sandy remain uninsured

Thousands of Long Island homes damaged by superstorm Sandy are still not covered by flood insurance, leaving much of the region dependent on government aid if another catastrophe hits, a Newsday analysis of federal data has found. Since the 2012 storm, the number of properties…
Valley Fire Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 12/3/15
Valley Fire Roadmap to Recovery Workshop 12/3/15

UP is hosting a Roadmap to Recovery workshop for Valley Fire survivors Thursday, December 3rd at 6pm at Middletown High School. This workshop will cover how to effectively communicate with your insurance company, underinsurance, and your insurance legal rights in California.  There will be a Q&A…
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Filing an Insurance Claim
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Filing an Insurance Claim

The biggest insurance mistake you can make is not having insurance. That sounds like an advertisement for an insurance company, but generally, it’s true. If you’re driving without car insurance, you’re breaking the law. If you don’t have health insurance, you’ll likely pay a fee…
Appy Holidays!
Appy Holidays!

To wrap up the useful tips we’ve given you in 2015, here are three free apps you can use and pass on as gifts to others: UPHelp Home Inventory: Download this free and fast tool for protecting your assets today. After you’ve unwrapped your presents,…
Challenging insurers’ hired guns – Bach Talk
Challenging insurers’ hired guns – Bach Talk

When you buy insurance, you pay for coverage and good service if and when you file a claim.  Good claim service includes estimating the extent and value of your claim fairly and promptly. Insurance company claim adjusters often bring in outside experts to inspect and give their…
Unscrupulous Insurers Are Stalling Sandy Recovery
Unscrupulous Insurers Are Stalling Sandy Recovery

Three years ago, New York City was devastated by Superstorm Sandy. While we are making progress in the post-Sandy rebuild and recovery, too many New Yorkers are still fighting with their insurance companies about what type of damage is covered. And many have simply given…
Thanks Mom and Dad!
Thanks Mom and Dad!

One of the first pieces of the Affordable Care Act to take effect was the rule that lets young adults stay insured under their parent’s health plan until they turn 26. This has been a huge help to many families. But when a dependent ages…
FEMA’s Sandy Flood Insurance Review Taking Longer Than Expected
FEMA’s Sandy Flood Insurance Review Taking Longer Than Expected

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s review of Superstorm Sandy flood insurance claims is taking longer than expected, with fewer than 200 checks issued. FEMA announced in March the review for as many as 142,000 claims after homeowners complained they were shortchanged. A FEMA official expected…
If you don’t have to buy flood insurance, should you?
If you don’t have to buy flood insurance, should you?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging Californians to buy flood insurance before El Niño hits, even if they live in low- to moderate-risk areas where it’s not required by lenders. “If there was ever a time to buy flood insurance, this is the time,”…
Gulf Coast Insurance UPrising
Gulf Coast Insurance UPrising

Vacant homes, “For Sale” signs, public protests, and media coverage over the past ten years are the visible signs that home and business owners in Eastern and Southern coastal areas are really struggling to pay their rising insurance premiums.  The cost of home insurance in…
El Niño El Uh Oh
El Niño El Uh Oh

East Coasters and Mexican citizens breathed sighs of relief at Joaquin and Patricia’s relatively moderate impact, but West Coast residents continue to brace for predicted heavy El Niño rains this winter. Recent mudflows stranded hundreds of cars in the Los Angeles area. Buy sandbags and…
Host of factors contributed to Hurricane Sandy claims fallout
Host of factors contributed to Hurricane Sandy claims fallout

The lawsuit and judge’s remarks made the headlines, but a deeper investigation into the issues involved in many Hurricane Sandy claims finds that while there may have been underpaid claims, a host of factors contributed to the underpayments. “Many homes were damaged by Sandy and…
What’s the point? A “use it and lose it” UPdate
What’s the point? A “use it and lose it” UPdate

Most people pay their home, business, and renters insurance premiums for years and years without ever having a loss or using the policy they’re paying for.  Yet even people who’ve had a long claim-free record are finding that after they do suffer a loss and…
Insurance expert offers tips to Butte Fire survivors
Insurance expert offers tips to Butte Fire survivors

Property owners should keep daily journals Property owners who lost homes in the Butte Fire should keep their own records and not rely solely on insurance company claim adjustors to determine the value of their losses, an expert on the industry said Wednesday in Mountain…