January 27, 2018 After losing homes in the Thomas Fire, the next challenge is insurance Carl Zaid wasn’t sure how to tell his wife their house had just burned to the ground, so he did it with the help of a flamingo. Her name was Miss Pink, and she was perched in her usual spot in the front yard the…
January 25, 2018 Advocates guide Napa Valley fire survivors seeking insurance payouts YOUNTVILLE — The North Bay wildfires obliterated homes, belongings and keepsakes within hours or even minutes. But for many survivors, the journey toward repayment for their losses is still in its early days – and advocates for policyholders are hoping to guide some of them…
January 24, 2018 Conversations Around the Fire’ Turns to Insurance Strategies for Resilient Rebuilding Yesterday, we heard a presentation from “Conversations Around the Fire” – an initiative hoping to guide local residents to greener, safer and more just ideas about rebuilding our community. One speaker at the conversation Monday night represented a group that helps answer questions about insurance,…
January 23, 2018 Cleanup and healing after Montecito mudslides According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, only 58 of the some 3,200 homes in Montecito have flood insurance. That means many homeowners will either be getting a lawyer to argue the Thomas Fire caused the mudslides and should be covered by fire insurance, or…
January 22, 2018 Life-Saving Baby Formula Denied By Insurance Company Heather Wiechert was very concerned that her daughter Mia was not growing. At 11 months old, she weighed just 14 pounds. “A mother’s desire to feed her child runs deep,” said Wiechert. Unable to keep food down, Mia started losing weight and ended up in…
January 17, 2018 California lawmakers propose bills to beef up disaster insurance coverage State legislators have introduced a package of bills that would beef up or extend insurance coverage to policyholders following declared disasters, but only one would be retroactive and apply to victims of the recent wildfires. Critics say the bills could drive up insurance premiums and…
January 17, 2018 Safe Houses – Rebuilding in fire zones requires new thinking Tragic losses from the October firestorms are still very fresh in our hearts and minds. Discussions about how to rebuild are difficult and sensitive. Dan Wade of United Policyholders says, “Rebuilding in a fire ecology can present unique challenges in the insurance process. Knowing how…
January 17, 2018 Lawmakers unveil bills to protect wildfire victims Local lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a flurry of bills that would strengthen consumer protections for homeowners in the aftermath of the North Bay wildfires, where local residents have found themselves underinsured and overly burdened attempting to itemize their personal property destroyed in the blazes. “Californians…
January 14, 2018 Gullixson: Having to relive the October fires — one pot at a time It’s hard enough thinking about what things we would, or did, grab when our houses were threatened. It’s another to have to remember everything — every pot, every package of food and every keepsake — that was left behind when our houses were lost. Then…
January 11, 2018 United Policyholders weighs in on insurance dispute between Office Depot and AIG As the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear arguments in a coverage dispute between Office Depot and AIG, an amicus curiae brief was filed by nonprofit United Policyholders. The dispute stems from AIG’s denial of coverage to Office Depot after a…
January 10, 2018 3 Key D&O Insurance Cases To Watch In 2018 Courts around the country are set to grapple with critical coverage issues under directors and officers insurance policies in 2018, including at what point a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation triggers coverage and when an insurer can withhold consent for a policyholder’s settlement. Here,…
January 8, 2018 Now that’s coverage — Insurers sent private fire crews to homes threatened by the Thomas Fire Debra Salem-Drake was packing to evacuate as a wildfire moved within a half-mile of her Ventura home when she got a surprising call. Her insurance company was offering to come spray her home with fire-blocking gel…for free. It was Dec. 5, the second day of…
January 7, 2018 Insurance Companies Require Written Inventory From Fire Victims’ Burned Homes When the overnight firestorm raged through Santa Rosa in October, nothing in the three-bedroom house at 1445 Starview Court survived. “Nothing,” said homeowner Holly Webb. “It’s all gone.” And so, Webb was stunned when State Farm told her that getting the full $237,000 listed on…
January 4, 2018 Insurance Cases to Watch in 2018 Courts across the country are primed to grapple with critical insurance issues in 2018, including whether email-based theft schemes trigger computer fraud coverage and whether policyholders must foot the bill for pollution claims in years insurance was unavailable for those risks. Here, Law360 breaks down…
January 4, 2018 Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones releases report addressing fire insurance availability issues: Nearly half of California counties have housing rated at high or very high fire risk California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today released a report on the growing problem of homeowners fire insurance availability and affordability in many areas throughout the state. The report recommends needed changes in law-the legislature should enact to effectively address the growing problem, which is likely…
January 2, 2018 Some homeowners lose insurance coverage as wildfire risks rise Two days before Christmas, Oakland hills resident Anil Prasad got a letter in the mail saying his longtime home insurance wouldn’t be renewed, citing his property’s location “in an ineligible brush area.” The company offered to reinstate his policy but said it wouldn’t cover damage…
December 21, 2017 State presses insurers to waive inventory requirement for North Bay fire victims State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Thursday urged insurance companies to provide North Bay fire victims up to 100 percent of their personal property coverage limits without requiring them to fill out a detailed inventory. Jones’ notice came as an increasing number of local fire…
December 18, 2017 As California fires blaze, homeowners fear losing insurance California homeowners and regulators have a new fear about wildfires ravaging the state: that insurers will drop coverage. Massive, out-of-season fires in northern and southern California are causing billions of dollars in claims and challenging expectations of when and where to expect blazes. State law…
