Builder Gets Help In Fla. Defect Notice Coverage Battle
Builder Gets Help In Fla. Defect Notice Coverage Battle

A bevy of construction trade organizations and a nonprofit policyholder advocacy group urged the Florida Supreme Court on Monday to rule that a construction defect claim notice constitutes a suit triggering an insurer’s defense obligations, throwing their support behind a building contractor in its coverage…
25 years later: Oakland hills ripe for another firestorm
25 years later: Oakland hills ripe for another firestorm

Twenty-five years after a horrific firestorm killed 25 people and wiped out nearly 3,500 homes in the Oakland hills, the conditions are ripe once again for a similar — if not worse — disaster. The 1991 inferno led to improved policies and equipment for fire…
Oakland hills My Word: Preventing repeat of 1991 fire begins with you
Oakland hills My Word: Preventing repeat of 1991 fire begins with you

This month — Thursday of this week to be exact — is the 25th anniversary of the Oakland/Berkeley hills firestorm. Many of you were here that day. Some of you — like my husband and me — escaped the flames with just the clothes on…
What might be lurking inside your next homeowner’s policy
What might be lurking inside your next homeowner’s policy

Hurricane Matthew wreaked a lot of damage in a rather short time, but property insurers have long memories — and clever lawyers. So keep an eye on the changes that will almost certainly be part of your next homeowner’s policy. If hurricane history is any…
Black Forest Fire victim advises Beulah Hill Fire victims
Black Forest Fire victim advises Beulah Hill Fire victims

Sherri Bertrand shares experience of losing home. A previous wildfire victim in El Paso County is offering advice to victims of a recent fire in Pueblo County. Sherri Bertrand of Black Forest said she was out of town the first week of the Beulah Hill…
What Is Umbrella Insurance – and Do I Need It?
What Is Umbrella Insurance – and Do I Need It?

Like an umbrella that protects you from the elements on a rainy day, an umbrella insurance policy can shield your personal assets from large liability claims. Umbrella excess liability protection can help you avoid financial ruin if you’re found to be responsible for legal damages…
Go Short Or Long? How To Pick Your Life Insurance Term
Go Short Or Long? How To Pick Your Life Insurance Term

Among the decisions you must make when buying life insurance, one of the most important is: How long should the policy last? Choose wrong and it could cost you or your survivors. You can buy term life insurance that will cover you for five, 10,…
Auto insurance discounts to ask for: complete guide
Auto insurance discounts to ask for: complete guide

You don’t have to wait until your auto insurance policy is up for renewal to ask about discounts. Your carrier or agent may not take the time to alert you to all discounts for which you are eligible. Be your own advocate by reviewing this…
State Insurance Websites Ranked From Most to Least Helpful to Consumers
State Insurance Websites Ranked From Most to Least Helpful to Consumers

Analysis shows agency sites vary widely when it comes to providing people with useful, timely information. Insurance is a complex purchase — policies are hard to understand, the reputations of insurance companies can be difficult to determine, and what exactly you’re paying for isn’t always…
As fire danger grows, some homeowners are seeing coverage dropped
As fire danger grows, some homeowners are seeing coverage dropped

As California’s five-year drought continues, and with fire danger an ongoing threat to many homeowners, it comes as no surprise that insurance companies are feeling increasingly antsy about the risk of policyholders’ property going up in flames. But that doesn’t mitigate the kick in the…
Hope and heartache in the year of fire
Hope and heartache in the year of fire

Cobb Mountain – Maya Leonard sighed deeply as she stood between her parents on a sun-dappled morning in late spring, her freckled face somber. Her mother, Cindy, and father, David, each draped an arm around her shoulders. Maya watched as one of six men in…
Thanks To Fracking, Earthquake Hazards In Parts Of Oklahoma Now Comparable To California
Thanks To Fracking, Earthquake Hazards In Parts Of Oklahoma Now Comparable To California

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook Oklahoma on Saturday, tied for the strongest quake ever recorded in the state. Odds are it was triggered by fracking operations, specifically the subsurface injection of fracking wastewater. There is a direct connection between fracking and earthquakes in the central…
Family finances: Don’t get caught ‘undercovered’
Family finances: Don’t get caught ‘undercovered’

One-half to two-thirds of homeowners who experience a total loss don’t have enough insurance to rebuild their home and replace their belongings, according to post-disaster surveys of homeowners by United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group. Here’s how to be sure you’re covered. 1. Check the…
Six Years After Fourmile Canyon Fire, Cold Springs Fire Brings Up Insurance Claims
Six Years After Fourmile Canyon Fire, Cold Springs Fire Brings Up Insurance Claims

Recovery continues for folks impacted by the Cold Springs fire last month, which destroyed eight properties and led to evacuations of nearly 2000 others in the Nederland area. With the six year anniversary of the Fourmile Canyon fire on the horizon in September, experts from…
Closer look at flood insurance, FEMA’s reforms, lessons learned after Sandy missteps
Closer look at flood insurance, FEMA’s reforms, lessons learned after Sandy missteps

If the Federal Emergency Management Agency dealt itself a black eye with the poor job it did responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the horror stories that came out of the flood insurance claims process after Superstorm Sandy gave the agency another nasty shiner seven…
Document Flood and Fire Damage to Ease Insurance Claims
Document Flood and Fire Damage to Ease Insurance Claims

Victims of the recent flooding in Louisiana and wildfires in California should all do one thing: Document the damage to their property. Taking photos is crucial to help bolster an insurance claim, said Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit consumer advisory group,…
Day 10: Clayton Fire Hits 95% Containment
Day 10: Clayton Fire Hits 95% Containment

Community rebuilding efforts underway include an assistance center in Lower Lake and a public meeting on Wednesday. Containment on the Clayton Fire, now in its 10th day in Lake County south of Lower Lake, has hit 95 percent with 3,920 acres consumed, according to this…
Disputing a Denied Life Insurance Claim in Pennsylvania
Disputing a Denied Life Insurance Claim in Pennsylvania

Losing a loved-one can be devastating. The situation can be even more devastating when the future that was supposed to be secured by a life insurance policy is denied. It doesn’t make sense. The policy was purchased by your loved-one so they could ensure you…