Colorado disasters lead to home insurance spikes, cancellations
Colorado disasters lead to home insurance spikes, cancellations

Colorado is now one of the worst places in the United States for natural disasters. That’s if your measure is insurance claims filed by homeowners. The state is now second only to tornado-struck Oklahoma for catastrophic claims, according to new data from the Insurance Research…
FEMA Seeks Thousands of Insurance Records
FEMA Seeks Thousands of Insurance Records

The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA) is beginning its probe into the allegedly lowballed Superstorm Sandy claims by asking flood insurance companies to turn over thousands of records by the end of the week. The data request includes the name of the engineering company and…
Climate change calls for non-profit insurance
Climate change calls for non-profit insurance

In This Changes Everything, author Naomi Klein raises the question of how capitalist societies will “adapt” to the people made homeless and jobless by increasingly intense and frequent natural disasters. One of the issues she focuses on is the reaction of insurance companies, pointing out…
Best Insurance Moves for March
Best Insurance Moves for March

Spring is just around the bend, but that doesn’t mean you’re finished with rough weather. In fact, depending on where you live, snowmelt can create a new hazard — one that’s not covered by standard homeowners insurance. That makes March an ideal time to look…
The Storm after the Storm
The Storm after the Storm

The following is a script from “The Storm after the Storm” which aired on March 1, 2015. Sharyn Alfonsi is the correspondent. Oriana Zill de Granados and Michael Rey, producers.When Hurricane Sandy made its way towards the East Coast in the fall of 2012, residents…
FEMA Sued Over Records Related To Superstorm Sandy Victims And Other Flood Insurance Claims
FEMA Sued Over Records Related To Superstorm Sandy Victims And Other Flood Insurance Claims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is facing a new lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization that wants a look at FEMA’s inner workings, especially the way its officials decide the fate of insurance appeals made by flood victims. United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based group that…
TOTALly worth the effort
TOTALly worth the effort

If your car is damaged in an accident to the point where repairs would cost more than the car is worth – it’s a “total loss.” Your, or the other driver’s insurance company, is supposed to offer you the actual cash value of your car.…
Nonprofit sues FEMA for records on disputed Sandy settlements
Nonprofit sues FEMA for records on disputed Sandy settlements

A nonprofit organization that helps disaster victims file insurance claims has sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying it ignored requests for documents related to disputed settlements from superstorm Sandy. United Policy Holders filed the federal lawsuit on Wednesday, accusing FEMA of violating the Freedom…
Good news for insured losses: 2014 was a relatively quiet year
Good news for insured losses: 2014 was a relatively quiet year

Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC, a global risk and reinsurance specialist, today released its annual Global Catastrophe Review, which reports that insured losses in 2014 were at the lowest level seen since 2009. According to the report, significant insured losses in 2014 totaled approximately $33…
Freedom of Information Act Request to DHS FEMA – WYOs and IAs
Freedom of Information Act Request to DHS FEMA – WYOs and IAs

On February 23, 2015, UP submitted a third Freedom of Information Act request to FEMA for information on the National Flood Insurenace Program. In this request, UP sough information on the contracts between Write-Your-Own insurers and Independent Adjusters in order to determine how payments and…
Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs Are Up but Vary Widely
Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs Are Up but Vary Widely

By ANN CARRNSRates for long-term care insurance, which can help pay for care in your own house or in a nursing home, rose this year an average of nearly 9 percent, a new industry report finds.Still, rates vary greatly depending on the insurer and the…
Lawyers, FEMA in talks to settle Sandy insurance appeals
Lawyers, FEMA in talks to settle Sandy insurance appeals

By JOE RYAN joe.ryan@newsday.com After months of deadlock, lawyers for hundreds of homeowners suing over flood insurance claims from superstorm Sandy said they made significant progress in talks Tuesday with federal officials to design a broad framework to settle the cases.The attorneys spent more than…
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today issued a notice to all property and casualty insurers doing business in California advising them that so-called “price optimization” in ratemaking is unfairly discriminatory and violates the law.Price optimization is used by insurers to set rates based…
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered

When Frank Johnston’s insurance carrier rejected his claim that flooding from Hurricane Sandy had severely damaged the foundation of his Fire Island home, the company cited an engineering report that seemed to establish his problems were “unrelated” to the storm, and were caused instead by…
The largely unregulated service plan industry is booming in South Carolina
The largely unregulated service plan industry is booming in South Carolina

A new type of junk mail has been showing up in South Carolinians’ mailboxes over the past year. The one thing that makes it stand out from the pile of coupons, scams, and credit card offers? The logo of a public utility company, bought and…
Divorce and auto insurance: Splits boost cost
Divorce and auto insurance: Splits boost cost

If your marriage or domestic partnership ends, get ready for a possible hike in your car insurance premium. People often get discounts of up to 5 percent just for being part of a couple, says Jim Armitage, an insurance agent in Arcadia, Calif. That’s because…
Just asking about an insurance claim can make your rate go up
Just asking about an insurance claim can make your rate go up

By: Jonnelle Marte, The Washington PostMost people know that filing frequent insurance claims can lead to a spike in what they pay for coverage.But many probably don’t realize that just asking an insurance agent about a potential claim can also affect rates — even if…
Dallas-area insurers see spike in calls about quake policies
Dallas-area insurers see spike in calls about quake policies

Earthquake insurance isn’t exactly a familiar product to Texas homeowners, unlike their counterparts in quake-prone California. But after a series of earthquakes were recorded in a swarm last week near State Highways 114 and 183 in Irving, insurance companies have started receiving calls from consumers…