Too young for life insurance? The debate over policies for children
Too young for life insurance? The debate over policies for children

Deciding whether to buy a life insurance policy for a child can be difficult, and there is strong disagreement over the benefits of such policies. Advocates assure you that life insurance policies for children are great financial tools as part of larger portfolios of savings…
Consumer advocates raise the roof over Allstate’s new home insurance rule
Consumer advocates raise the roof over Allstate’s new home insurance rule

Some homeowners soon may see their insurance-related costs go through the roof. Eventually, Allstate customers with roofs more than 10 years old won’t have the full cost of new roofs covered under their home insurance policies. Allstate’s House & Home program will pay the “actual…
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers

Any kind of disaster insurance can be very tricky. Fine print in a policy can mean the difference between having the money to rebuild – and having nothing. But, reports Julie Watts, of CBS station KPIX in San Francisco, a dispute over what caused a…
New York Probes Home Insurers
New York Probes Home Insurers

New York’s Department of Financial Services has been probing banks and insurance companies for allegedly obtaining excessive fees on homeowners’ policies that they force borrowers to pay for when their insurance lapses, said people familiar with the matter.Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky in the fall of…
After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on
After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on

The images of the tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires of 2011 remain seared in our memories. You might live in one of the areas battered by weather tragedies. Or you might have frantically checked on friends and relatives who were affected by natural disasters.…
Life… consider the alternative
Life… consider the alternative

If you’re thinking about buying or updating a life insurance policy, or supplementing one your employer provides, your first task should be to find a reputable, experienced broker. Even the most traditional life insurance policies can have a “catch” – be it premiums that skyrocket…
New rules help CA homeowners with insurance
New rules help CA homeowners with insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. KGO) — If a disaster strikes, is your home fully insured? New rules are now in effect to make sure you’re covered. 7 On Your Side’s Michael Finney explains. You pay for insurance for years, hoping to never need it. Then, there’s a…
Is your independent insurance agent truly an independent agent?
Is your independent insurance agent truly an independent agent?

It’s no secret that independent insurance agents — who sell auto, home and other types of coverage from more than one insurer — earn their keep through a commission each time a customer signs up for a policy. After all, they need to be compensated…
How to Do a “Needs Analysis” Before you Buy Life Insurance
How to Do a “Needs Analysis” Before you Buy Life Insurance

When buying life insurance, don’t choose a policy before you understand the financial needs of your beneficiaries. Damon Bates, a vice president at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., says most people’s thinking is backwards when it comes to life insurance. They decide on the product…
A Home-Insurance Trap?
A Home-Insurance Trap?

Home-insurance policies are pretty much the same, and carriers compete on the basis of price and service—right? Believe those two myths and you might wind up paying dearly. Homeowner policies have important differences that can affect whether claims are paid, according to a study scheduled…
Understanding endorsements and riders for home insurance policies
Understanding endorsements and riders for home insurance policies

In the insurance world, endorsements have nothing to do with celebrities promoting products, and riders have nothing to do with cowboys. “Endorsement” and “rider” are two interchangeable — and often misunderstood — terms referring to additions to a home insurance policy that alter the policy’s…
Workshops help Boulder County homeowners find out if they’re underinsured
Workshops help Boulder County homeowners find out if they’re underinsured

Once the last embers of the Fourmile Fire were extinguished, the owners of the 169 burned homes were left with another challenge — wrangling with their insurance companies. The results of their efforts may serve as a cautionary tale to other homeowners in Boulder County…
The Toll of the Tea Fire: Three years later, community struggles to rebuild
The Toll of the Tea Fire: Three years later, community struggles to rebuild

On November 13, 2008, a firestorm roared across the flanks of the Santa Ynez Mountains and changed many lives in Montecito forever. Lance and Carla Hoffman were enjoying an afternoon together when the fire, still in its infancy, suddenly flared up and over a hillside.…
Major Improvements Coming to Crestmoor Neighborhood
Major Improvements Coming to Crestmoor Neighborhood

The city is set to begin the next improvements to the Crestmoor neighborhood as part of the effort to rebuild the area damaged by the Sept. 9, 2010, PG&E pipeline explosion. Some of the rebuilding work has already taken place to bring the neighborhood some…
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold On!
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold On!

United Policyholders will be participating in The Great California ShakeOut, and we hope you will too. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterward. The ShakeOut is a statewide earthquake drill that will occur in houses,…
Sharp Disagreement At NAIC Session On Readability Of Consumer Information
Sharp Disagreement At NAIC Session On Readability Of Consumer Information

Industry representatives sharply disagreed with two law professors who argued personal lines policies should be posted online where they would be readily available to consumers who wanted to look at them prior to signing onto them. Spokesmen for the American Insurance Association and the National…
The cost of peace of mind
The cost of peace of mind

Local couple fight for their long-term-care insurance. Edwin Goldstein who has been with his long-term-care insurer since 1993 is being asked to reapply because of an alleged missed payment. Goldstein has turned to attorneys, his congressman, and state officials for help. At 83, and eight…
20 years after Oakland firestorm, insurance snags remain
20 years after Oakland firestorm, insurance snags remain

Reporting from Oakland— For months after the 1991 Oakland hills fire reduced his home to a charred heap, Howard Matis would return from work, then close his eyes and imagine the contents of every drawer, shelf, cupboard and closet of his two-story bungalow. His was…