A dark cloud over the Sunshine State
A dark cloud over the Sunshine State

UP weighed in today with a letter to Florida state lawmakers to urge their no votes on three bills that will gut policyholder protections in that state if enacted as written.  House Bill 301, Senate Bill 714,  House Bill 751. Honorable Florida lawmakers: Our non-profit…
Your assets – Your flood risk?
Your assets – Your flood risk?

After insurers began excluding coverage for flood damage in the 1960’s, most people’s homes became unprotected for that risk. The federal government and the lending and insurance industries created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and a requirement that homes with mortgages in high flood…
A coverage win for energy sector policyholders
A coverage win for energy sector policyholders

In a significant win for all policyholders in the energy sector, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed a lower appellate court ruling which allowed a consortium of Lloyd’s underwriters to limit their indemnity obligations to pay for defense expenses incurred by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and…
Government shutdown is delaying flood insurance needed for home sales
Government shutdown is delaying flood insurance needed for home sales

Some 40,000 homes could be left “unsold” for each month the government shutdown lasts, according to the National Association of Realtors NAR). And in its latest monthly housing report, the NAR predicted “slower economic growth” if employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA) remain…
As wildfires drive insurance premiums up, will homeowners be able to keep up?
As wildfires drive insurance premiums up, will homeowners be able to keep up?

At first, Lucy Reynolds was unnerved by the non-renewal notice from the insurance company two years ago. Mortgaged homes must have coverage so Reynolds and her husband needed to find a replacement, quick. She was turned down by her neighbor’s carrier and an insurance agent…
Hurry up and wait? What to do when your insurer goes “insolvent.”
Hurry up and wait? What to do when your insurer goes “insolvent.”

Disasters strain insurer’s claim-paying capacity in situations where they have alot of customers in the impacted region that all make claims at the same time. The vast majority of insurers have enough money on hand to pay their claims after disasters, thanks to regulations that…
Hurricane Florence Aftermath: The Best Financial Options for Repairing Your Home
Hurricane Florence Aftermath: The Best Financial Options for Repairing Your Home

More than two weeks after Hurricane Florence’s devastating crawl across the Carolinas and Virginia, many homeowners are assessing the damage and beginning to make repairs. According to real estate data provider CoreLogic, the storm affected 624,000 homes, the vast majority unprotected by flood insurance. Standard…
Trick or treat…what’s in yours?
Trick or treat…what’s in yours?

Make sure your policy has more treats than tricks! The only thing scarier than how devastating the last year has been with wildfires, lava, flooding and hurricanes is language we’ve been finding buried in some of the insurance policies that impacted people have been showing…
North Bay fire victims should be aware of deadlines to sue their homeowner insurers
North Bay fire victims should be aware of deadlines to sue their homeowner insurers

As the first anniversary of the North Bay wildfires approaches, people who lost their homes in the natural disasters should take steps to ensure they do not lose the ability to sue their homeowner insurers if they think they have been treated unfairly, according to…
How claims SHOULD be handled
How claims SHOULD be handled

Although this is an insurance company advertisement, and the policyholder is clearly reading from a script presumably written by the insurance company, it highlights how claims should be handled, and how they shouldn’t.  We at UP fully recognize that catastrophe claims put strains on insurance company resources, and…
Guest Blog: The Supreme Court of FL Rules in Favor of Policyholder on Application of Florida’s Bad Faith Law
Guest Blog: The Supreme Court of FL Rules in Favor of Policyholder on Application of Florida’s Bad Faith Law

By Molly Chafe Brockmeyer, Esq., Boyle & Leonard, P.A., Ft. Meyers, FL. UP Volunteer On September 20, 2018, in a case where UP weighed in as amicus curiae, the Supreme Court of Florida issued its opinion, affirming Florida’s long held bad faith precedent.  The state’s high…
Footing The Bill For Climate Change: ‘By The End Of The Day, Someone Has To Pay’
Footing The Bill For Climate Change: ‘By The End Of The Day, Someone Has To Pay’

By all accounts, Florence was a massive, wet monster of a storm — and an expensive one, too. Its historic deluge swelled inland rivers and wrecked homes across the Carolinas, racking up costs that early estimates set as high as $22 billion. When the floodwaters…
No flood insurance? You can still get help
No flood insurance? You can still get help

More than a million people in North and South Carolina have suffered from the flood waters driven ashore by Hurricane Florence. Nearly 750,000 of them were forced to evacuate, while others were trapped by a deluge of more than 30 inches of rain. Even when…
Guest Blog: Policyholder Victories Underscore Value of Crime Insurance for Cyber Fraud
Guest Blog: Policyholder Victories Underscore Value of Crime Insurance for Cyber Fraud

If you suffer a theft at the hands of a cybercriminal, promptly check your insurance protection — particularly your crime insurance. Two major federal court cases decided this summer reaffirm the protection many policyholders already have available to them for cyber scams. With cybercrime rampant,…
Slow as molasses in January? MS residents deserve insurance fairness
Slow as molasses in January? MS residents deserve insurance fairness

After Hurricane Katrina decimated communities in his home state of Mississippi, concerned citizen Kevin Buckel was outraged to learn that the average insurance payout to the victims was only $15,000 – far below what people needed to repair, rebuild and recover.  He looked around at…
UP to FEMA – Please extend Harvey and Irma deadlines
UP to FEMA – Please extend Harvey and Irma deadlines

On August 22, 2018, United Policyholders asked the top brass at FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program to give hurricane-impacted residents until the end of this year to fully document their 2017 Harvey and Irma damage claims and collect all flood insurance benefits owed…
Third Lava Lawsuit Filed Against Lloyd’s of London
Third Lava Lawsuit Filed Against Lloyd’s of London

Two homes are consumed by the massive flow and a third is threatened as the lava advances downslope. PC: Paradise Helicopters/ExtremeExposure/Bruce Omori Another lava lawsuit has been filed against Lloyd’s of London, according to Hawai‘i Attorney Jeffrey Foster, who is representing Susie Osborne, the founder…
Do you have enough homeowner insurance? Here’s how to find out
Do you have enough homeowner insurance? Here’s how to find out

Three of every five homes in America are underinsured by an average of 20 percent less than full value, according to analytics firm CoreLogic. Is yours one of them? Could you easily put your hands on $50,000 to help rebuild a house with a $250,000…