County has provided mental health services for victims of ’07 fires
County has provided mental health services for victims of ’07 fires

After his Fallbrook home was destroyed in the 2007 wildfires, Richard McDonnell realized that his friends didn’t understand his sense of loss, the grieving for destroyed heirlooms or the frustration over the the slow rebuilding process. Then McDonnell, 63, began attending the weekly group meetings…
Family Deals With Fire Aftermath, Insurance Issues
Family Deals With Fire Aftermath, Insurance Issues

SAN DIEGO — Lee and Shirley Taylor aren’t alone. They are victims of the October wildfires that destroyed their Ramona home. They’re also underinsured. “That was our request, insure us against total loss,” said Lee Taylor. He said his agent handed him a 108-page insurance…
Homeowners allege firms underinsured them for wildfires
Homeowners allege firms underinsured them for wildfires

San Diego County residents, saying they were misled into believing they had enough coverage, urge the state insurance commissioner to take action. Insurers say it’s not a severe problem. Reporting from Sacramento — As a wildfire sparked evacuations in Southern California on Wednesday morning, victims…
Insurance firms face fire probe: Poizner’s response to UP’s Oct. 23rd Press Conference
Insurance firms face fire probe: Poizner’s response to UP’s Oct. 23rd Press Conference

California’s insurance commissioner has ordered his auditors to examine how insurance companies handled claims from last year’s devastating wildfires amid allegations from homeowners that some insurers misled them about how much coverage they needed. “We’ll be looking for patterns of behavior by insurance companies, of…
Insurer Losses From Subprime Approach Katrina Claims
Insurer Losses From Subprime Approach Katrina Claims

March 14 Bloomberg) – The collapse of the subprime mortgage market will lead to record losses for insurance companies, overtaking Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. The amount of asset writedowns and credit losses reported by the industry has reached at least…
Insurers likely to weather California firestorm
Insurers likely to weather California firestorm

Industry observers say damage payouts shouldn’t pose any difficulty, but the weak global economy could lead to eventual premium increases. Once again, thousands of Southern Californians reeling from days of destructive wildfires have been forced to exercise the home insurance policies they hoped they would…
Many Struggle to Rebuild After Last Year’s Wildfires
Many Struggle to Rebuild After Last Year’s Wildfires

Victims of last October’s wildfires gathered for a news conference in Rancho Bernardo on Wednesday, asking for help from Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner. Many say they have not resolved their claims with their insurance companies because they were grossly underinsured. “He needs to follow through…
Most S.D. Wildfire Victims Still in Struggle with Insurance Companies to Rebuild
Most S.D. Wildfire Victims Still in Struggle with Insurance Companies to Rebuild

Even though it’s been six months since wildfires ravaged more than 1,600 homes in the San Diego area, only a handful have begun to rebuild. That’s because for many wildfire survivors, dealing with their insurance companies was like a second disaster. Reporter David Nogueras has…
Under-insured fire families in a tough spot
Under-insured fire families in a tough spot

Scores of Witch Creek fire victims are learning they do not have enough insurance to rebuild an equivalent home. Valerie Brown, RB United project coordinator, said at least 110 families she is helping navigate through the recovery process have discovered their homes were 30 to…
Wildfire victims demand help fighting insurance companies
Wildfire victims demand help fighting insurance companies

Homeowners’ policies not covering costs of rebuilding This story has been modified since its original posting. RANCHO BERNARDO —- Stan Newman and about two dozen others who lost their homes in last year’s Witch Creek fire complained Wednesday they had made almost no progress toward…
Wildfires heat up debate on rising rebuilding costs
Wildfires heat up debate on rising rebuilding costs

Are policies adequate to help make homeowners whole? Stan Newman figures it will cost him close to $400,000 to rebuild his three-bedroom home, which burned to the ground in the fall when a wildfire swept through his neighborhood in the San Diego County community of…
Q & A about fire insurance
Q & A about fire insurance

Group that learned from the ’91 Oakland blaze provides step-by-step help for rebuilding your life. Even though Southern Californians have endured countless disasters, they rarely are prepared when one hits them. Amy Bach, a San Francisco attorney, has spent her career helping people recover from…
Supreme Court Weighs Insurer’s Conflict of Interest in Claim Denial
Supreme Court Weighs Insurer’s Conflict of Interest in Claim Denial

The Supreme Court struggled last week with how much weight to give an insurance company’s potential conflict of interest when it denies an employee’s health or disability benefits claim. The lawyer representing the Ohio woman who sued MetLife Inc. over a disability claim argued that…
Gender can cost you in individual health insurance
Gender can cost you in individual health insurance

When it comes to health insurance, Valencia resident Tova Hack’s first problem is that she works part time and thus needs an individual policy for medical coverage because her employer doesn’t offer one. Her second problem is that she’s a woman. Hack, 22, a grad…
Insurance covers less this time
Insurance covers less this time

Policies scaled back after Katrina If Hurricane Gustav hits Louisiana, homeowners will discover that they have less insurance coverage than they did during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and they’ll be reaching into their own pockets to cover damage. In the past three years, the use…
Disaster Readiness in San Diego
Disaster Readiness in San Diego

Earthquake, typhoon, wildfire. “What I see from other parts of the world, even the nation, I think California could learn more,” reflected University of California, San Diego Professor José Restrepo. The director of Operations for the Charles Lee Powell Structural Laboratories lived through a 7.2…
Young Adults May Have To Wait For Health Coverage
Young Adults May Have To Wait For Health Coverage

Young adults are one of the largest groups that lack health care coverage in the United States. With the new health care reform bill going into effect in a few months, dependents under the age of 26 will be able to be added onto their…
California fires an insurance wake-up call
California fires an insurance wake-up call

Many homeowners in California have discovered that their homes that were destroyed by recent wildfires were underinsured. So who is to blame, the homeowners or insurance agents? When Dave Wilder and his wife, Lynn, surveyed the remains of their house after it burned to the…