June 9, 2017 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,…
June 8, 2017 Flood Program Reauthorization: Why Congress Must Act As the clock ticks down toward expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the task ahead is clear. Congress must pass an on-time, multi-year reauthorization bill that simplifies the overly complicated NFIP, improves its financial stability and encourages private flood insurance before the NFIP…
June 8, 2017 NFIP extension pitch draws praise and concern A draft proposal floated by two U.S. senators to extend the National Flood Insurance Program for 10 years is drawing some initial positive feedback, but stakeholders caution that some provisions are potential causes for concern. The draft legislation released by Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Kirsten…
June 8, 2017 Lawmakers To FEMA: Flood Plan Overhaul Is ‘Too Little, Too Late’ The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making sweeping reforms to the nation’s flood insurance program in the wake of a series of critical reports on NPR and the PBS series Frontline. But lawmakers say this isn’t enough when private insurance companies are profiting millions of…
June 4, 2017 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…
June 1, 2017 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…
June 1, 2017 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…
May 25, 2017 Coverage Battle At 9th Circ. May Hobble Private D&O Policies Scottsdale Insurance Co. recently asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a ruling that an exclusion in an education technology company’s policy for claims related to professional services bars coverage for a False Claims Act suit, and attorneys say a decision in the insurer’s favor could…
May 17, 2017 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…
May 13, 2017 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…
May 11, 2017 Builder Gets Help In Insurance Fray At Calif. High Court A policyholder advocacy group and two Christian organizations urged California’s high court Wednesday to rule that an employer’s negligent hiring or supervision of a worker who intentionally injures a third party is an accidental “occurrence” under a general liability insurance policy, saying state precedent supports…
May 9, 2017 Ga. Justices Should Weigh $8M Bad Faith Case, 11th Circ. Told The Georgia Defense Lawyers Association has urged the Eleventh Circuit to seek the Georgia Supreme Court’s guidance on whether insurance carriers may be held liable for negligent, as opposed to bad faith, failure to settle a claim against a policyholder, saying the issue is key…
May 7, 2017 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…
May 4, 2017 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…
May 1, 2017 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…
April 28, 2017 Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have released draft legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 10 years. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017. The legislation, the Flood Insurance Affordability & Sustainability Act of…
April 23, 2017 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…
April 20, 2017 Delaware Ranks High Among States for Homeowners’ Insurance Protections Dover, DE – Delaware homeowners are among the most protected in the nation against having their homeowners insurance non-renewed or rates raised due to filing or even inquiring about a claim. This is according to a recent study by the Rutgers Center for Risk and…
