How to find the replacement cost of your home for insurance
How to find the replacement cost of your home for insurance

When Herb Solomon changed his homeowners’ insurance this year, he was surprised to see that his new company estimated the replacement cost of his 2,600-square-foot North Berkeley home at roughly one-third less than the old one. Solomon’s policy last year, from Fireman’s Fund, had a…
You better not be reading this while driving!
You better not be reading this while driving!

Cell phones are powerfully addictive. People rarely put them down – even when driving. Insurance companies are citing an increase in distracted driving accidents and raising car insurance rates across the country. Buckle your seat belts – figuratively and literally, and be a savvy consumer:…
Do I Need Flood Insurance?
Do I Need Flood Insurance?

A megastorm has struck your house, leaving a pile of waterlogged wreckage in its wake. But you’re covered financially because you have homeowner’s insurance, right? Wrong. Although most homeowner’s and rental policies reimburse for damage caused by wind or fire, these policies generally exclude losses…
Which Insurance You Should Buy, Consider or Skip, According to an Insurance Salesman
Which Insurance You Should Buy, Consider or Skip, According to an Insurance Salesman

An anonymous agent reveals the dirtiest secrets of his profession, and the rules for building your personal safety net Remember Woody Allen? The movie director who married his ex-wife’s adopted daughter? Well, Woody once said, “There are worse things in life than death. Have you…
Credit Scores Can Impact Auto Insurance Renewals
Credit Scores Can Impact Auto Insurance Renewals

Trying to figure out how auto insurance companies set your rate can be a real head-scratcher. You’re unlikely to crack the formula, but you can be sure that your credit history is part of the equation, unless you live in one of the few states…
Trust but verify
Trust but verify

If an insurance company rep gives you a dollar figure – get a second opinion. Whether it’s an estimate to repair damage or a quote to insure your property – trust but verify that it’s accurate. This same adage applies to medical diagnoses for serious…
With Hurricane Season Here, Time to Check Home Insurance
With Hurricane Season Here, Time to Check Home Insurance

Bonnie, the tropical storm that drenched the Carolinas over Memorial Day weekend, did not reach hurricane status. But that storm, and the official start of the 2016 hurricane season on Wednesday, make this a good time for homeowners to check their insurance policies to see…
Mom, Baby Get $3,500 Ambulance Bill After Hospital Parking Lot Birth
Mom, Baby Get $3,500 Ambulance Bill After Hospital Parking Lot Birth

Baby Sawyer just couldn’t wait to enter the world when his mother Katie Moraida’s water broke a week before he was due. Katie recalls her husband Daniel shouting “‘What do I do, what do I do?’” “Get in the car!” Katie replied. The Moraida’s got…
FEMA Announces Reforms to National Flood Insurance Program
FEMA Announces Reforms to National Flood Insurance Program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced changes to the nation’s flood insurance program on Monday, responding to complaints from Superstorm Sandy survivors that the private insurers participating in the federally-backed program underpaid their claims and dragged out lawsuits. As FRONTLINE and NPR investigate in the…
Five Questions to Ask About Flood Insurance
Five Questions to Ask About Flood Insurance

In the aftermath of a flood, people may be unpleasantly surprised to find that their home insurance doesn’t cover the damage caused by rising storm waters. It hasn’t since insurance companies decided that floods were too risky to cover. “A lot of people think they…
ConsumerWatch: Travel Insurance
ConsumerWatch: Travel Insurance

Julie Watts talks about travel insurance with Amy Bach of United Policyholders 5-14-16)
Aid may be available to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by April floods
Aid may be available to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by April floods

Texans whose vehicles were damaged or destroyed by this April’s flooding may be eligible to receive federal assistance to repair or replace the vehicle. “Those who may be eligible include not just residents of the designated counties, but also those who were working in or…
Sandy advocate calls for investigation of FEMA
Sandy advocate calls for investigation of FEMA

TOMS RIVER — Saying the Jersey Shore’s recovery has been “cut off at the knees” because of lowball flood insurance payments, a Sandy advocate has repeated the call for an investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Sue Marticek, executive director of the Ocean County…
NY Allocation Ruling Speeds Policyholders’ Road To Recovery
NY Allocation Ruling Speeds Policyholders’ Road To Recovery

The New York high court’s Tuesday ruling that each excess insurance policy covering Viking Pump Inc. and Warren Pumps LLC can be held liable for an entire loss resulting from asbestos claims gives policyholders a faster, cost-efficient path to coverage for multiyear claims by allowing…
Insurance Check UP
Insurance Check UP

Yes the Internet makes it easy to insure your home or business without actually meeting the person who’s selling you the policy. But given how valuable your assets are to you, don’t you want to be confident in that person’s expertise and ethics? United Policyholders…
Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors
Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors

HOUSTON – Victims of flooding who need to make home repairs can benefit from a free service now being offered by Angie’s List, a review and rating website geared toward consumers. Angie’s List is offering KPRC viewers, who’ve experienced flood damage, free access to the…
Homeowners responsible for proper insurance
Homeowners responsible for proper insurance

It’s been nearly four years since an unknown source sparked one of the costliest wildfires in Colorado history. Waldo Canyon fire insurance claims totaled more than $350 million — almost $1 million for every home lost. That fire’s infelicitous record would stand less than a…
Nonprofit Says Travelers Wrong On Asbestos Exclusion
Nonprofit Says Travelers Wrong On Asbestos Exclusion

A nonprofit consumer rights and insurance education organization has told the Third Circuit that General Refractories Co. was correctly awarded $36 million in its suit accusing Travelers of improperly denying coverage for asbestos exposure claims, saying the insurer gets Pennsylvania insurance law wrong. United Policyholders,…