April 2, 2021 It’s severe weather season in Texas — do you know where your homeowners insurance policy is? If you tend to stuff your insurance policy away in a drawer or a file and not look at it for a year or more, it could cost you big. DALLAS — Wed., March 24 is an important date if you are eligible for a…
March 31, 2021 Covid-versary…Is there cake? COVID-19 has challenged Americans over the past year in ways that are reminiscent of war times past. There has been much stress and suffering. Sunnier skies lie ahead, but the one year anniversary is far from the end of the recovery work that needs to…
March 22, 2021 Rep. Marsh hosts insurance webinar, legal clinic for fire survivors Those who lost homes in the Almeda and South Obenchain fires could find advice handling their insurance in a webinar this week and an online clinic next week. Oregon Rep. Pam Marsh of Ashland will host a free online workshop with an insurance focused nonprofit…
March 12, 2021 Fire Victim Trust to Begin Making First Pro Rata Payments to Fire Victims March 12, 2021, San Francisco – On Monday, March 15, the Fire Victim Trust (FVT) will begin distributing the first round of pro rata payments toward satisfying the claims of individuals and families who suffered losses in the 2015 Butte Fire, 2017 North Bay Fires…
March 10, 2021 Why You Should Buy Renters Insurance: 5 Things to Know The coverage is affordable and easy to buy, and provides a safety net if something goes wrong When the deep freeze hit Texas in February, Amani Elsawah was among the millions of residents who lost power and suffered water damage from burst frozen pipes. The…
March 9, 2021 Proposed insurance rules would give property owners access to wildfire risk score Under new rules proposed by California’s insurance commissioner, home and business owners will have open access to their wildfire risk scores that companies use to determine rates and renew coverage. Commissioner Ricardo Lara said he has heard the frustration and confusion from residents over how…
February 26, 2021 Commissioner Lara proposes new transparency rules to help consumers better prepare for wildfires LOS ANGELES, Calif. – After hearing from many Californians about their frustration and confusion over how insurance companies rate properties for wildfire risk, on Tuesday State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara proposed new rules to give homeowners and businesses open access to their properties’ wildfire risk…
February 25, 2021 Step away from the blowtorch… The extreme cold, snow, and ice that swept across the U.S. in February 2021 is proof positive that closing the door on 2020 wasn’t a cure-all. If your home or business suffered damage due to freezing or bursting pipes or the weight of snow and ice on the…
February 25, 2021 First theft claim in 20 years leads to policy cancellation in what consumer groups call ‘use and lose’ SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — An untold number of Californians lost their fire insurance due to increased wild fire risk in recent years. Now there’s yet another reason to lose your insurance, and it has nothing to do with climate change. Layla Dreyer loves to…
February 12, 2021 “Hardening” Homes Against Wildfires In California Has Been An Uphill Battle Hardening your home against wildfires is a necessity if you live in a state like California. Over the past four years, dark clouds of ash and smoke from hundreds of out-of-control blazes have blanketed the Golden State. “Every year we make records in terms of…
February 9, 2021 California seeks to establish new fire-safe standards for homes, insurers California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday announced an effort to establish home-hardening standards that could protect participating homeowners from canceled policies and soaring rates while providing a mechanism to encourage fire-safe retrofits that could save lives and property. The effort, which will begin this month with…
January 28, 2021 Few California court wins for pandemic business-interruption claims As North Coast businesses grapple with insurance claims from the 2020 wildfires on top of ongoing issues with coverage for the coronavirus lockdowns of a number of economic activities, a major advocate for policyholders said those types of losses differ but they’re connected by promises…
January 28, 2021 Why Your Education and Job Could Mean You’re Paying Too Much for Car Insurance Cuqui Rivera bought car insurance from Liberty Mutual for almost a decade before she started shopping around for a cheaper policy in December. She hadn’t planned to look elsewhere—she liked the customer service at Liberty—until she heard something that made her think again: An acquaintance…
January 27, 2021 Why You Should Consider Flood Insurance Even if You Don’t Live in a Flood Zone Most homeowners who carry flood insurance have little choice in the matter; they live in a high-risk area where their mortgage lender requires coverage. But flood protection is worth a look even if your bank doesn’t demand you have it. The insurance industry sees the…
January 26, 2021 High Car Insurance Rates? Bad Credit May Be to Blame If you can’t afford to pay all your bills right now, the last thing you need is overpriced car insurance. But that’s exactly what can happen if your credit dips low enough (and you live in a state where insurers can charge you more for…
January 25, 2021 Life (insurance) Lessons Pandemic-related layoffs, furloughs and business closures have forced many Americans to tap retirement accounts and cut non-essential expenses to get by. If you’re experiencing financial hardship but don’t want your auto, home or life insurance to lapse, check the website of the agency that oversees…
January 15, 2021 Buying homeowners insurance? Ask these 4 questions first Purchasing insurance may not be as fun as choosing new furniture and paint colors, but it’s a critical part of the homebuying process. Your homeowners insurance policy is a financial safety net in case of a disaster, so you’ll want to ask a few important…
January 13, 2021 Insurance questions following Colorado’s devastating wildfires? There’s a nonprofit that can help The nonprofit group United Policyholders is helping fire-affected residents in Grand, Boulder and Larimer counties navigate insurance claims to ensure they get the most out of their policies. “We will walk them through their policy and teach them how to work with their insurance company…
