September 11, 2012 When it comes to home insurance, read the fine print Andi O’Conor has twice lost a home to fire: The first time she was 12, the second time was two years ago. It was Labor Day. She was kayaking hundreds of miles away, when a friend told her about a wildfire near O’Conor’s home on…
September 10, 2012 Insured see climbing rates, as coverage declines Hurricanes, wildfires, hail storms: all the wild weather the past few years is taking a toll on homeowners’ insurance rates. Many premiums are up 10 percent or more this year. And you may be getting less for your money. Merle Scheiber filed his first-ever hail…
August 27, 2012 Can mortgage lenders hold your insurance money hostage? If your home has been seriously damaged or destroyed, your insurance company will release a check made out to both you and your mortgage lender to pay for the necessary repairs. “Lenders have a substantial investment in the property, sometimes more than the homeowner, especially…
August 17, 2012 7 ways to fight rising home insurance premiums If your homeowner’s insurance policy is up for renewal, you may need to adjust your budget. According to the Insurance Information Institute, homeowners in many states will see rate increases in 2012 because of rising inflation, an increase in natural disasters and the lingering sour…
August 8, 2012 Consumer Reports Rates Home Insurers Homeowners buy insurance to protect against disaster. But when disaster strikes, your insurer might not live up to your expectations, especially if you have a large claim, according to our survey of 11,250 subscribers who filed claims in the past few years. The greater the…
August 2, 2012 Homeowners offered new earthquake policy options The California Earthquake Authority, hoping to increase the small percentage of people who have quake insurance, has introduced a line of policies called Choice that gives homeowners more coverage and premium options. For example, homeowners can pay a lower premium if they want to cover…
July 26, 2012 Enough’ Insurance is Often Not Enough In the past few weeks, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history claimed two lives, burned nearly 30 square miles and totally destroyed more than 350 homes. Like almost all homeowners everywhere in the United States, nearly everyone who lost their house to this massive…
July 26, 2012 Larimer County Holds Free Workshop for Fire Survivors on Insurance, Rebuilding & Recovery Larimer County will hold a public update meeting for High Park and Woodland Heights Fire survivors on Thursday, August 2 beginning at 6:30p.m. in the Hearing Room, 1st floor, Larimer County Courthouse Offices Building, 200 West Oak Street, Fort Collins for information on how to…
July 18, 2012 Family: State Farm Forced Us Into Tent, Onto Food Stamps Members of a Boulder County family whose home was damaged by smoke during the Four Mile fire say they’re now living in a tent because their insurance company stopped paying for repairs and stopped paying their temporary rent. Linda Tarr and her husband David Doherty…
July 11, 2012 Insurance Rates: Will Mother Nature Raise Yours? The wildfires raging out West and the freakish storms that ravaged much of the east have property insurers scrambling to keep up with all the claims. The current blitz of wildfires in Colorado is already the most destructive in the state’s history, and the blazes…
July 11, 2012 ConsumerWatch: Hospital Lab Tests May Lead To Expensive Results Even for those with health insurance, lab tests can end up costing a fortune if patients don’t ask some questions first. Pamela Campbell knows firsthand. Last year, Campbell’s six-year-old son needed a series of blood tests. The Oakland mother said her pediatrician gave her a…
July 11, 2012 More public meetings for fire survivors The recovery process for survivors of the High Park Fire, their homes and land continues. Several workshops are planned to assist in the process. A Colorado State Forest Workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, July 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Cache La Poudre Middle School, 3515…
July 6, 2012 Check Up on Your Home Insurance The national average premium for homeowners insurance will increase by 5% in 2012, according to forecasts by the Insurance Information Institute. That follows an increase of nearly 4% in 2011, and it will bring the average annual premium to an all-time high of $1,000. At…
July 6, 2012 Estes Park fire victims learn of help and insurance Estes Park town administrator Frank Lancaster told victims of the Woodland Heights fire that swept through the High Drive neighborhood June 23, turning 23 homes to soot and dust, that many organizations are available to help them. The burned-out residents attended an informational evening last…
July 3, 2012 Does your state insurance regulator make the grade? When it comes to insurance, every state handles regulation differently, and this plays a significant role in whether a company wants to do business there. That’s why the folks at the nonprofit public policy think tank R Street Institute thought it was important to produce…
June 28, 2012 U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act almost entirely On June 28th, 2012 the US Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) including its key requirement that all Americans purchase health insurance starting in 2014. This requirement – often referred to as the “individual mandate” will allow…
June 27, 2012 Larimer County officials begin to plan for High Park fire recovery work Larimer County will hire a disaster recovery manager for six months to help the county respond to the High Park fire, now at 83,262 acres, 248 homes lost and in its 18th day. As more than 2,000 firefighters continue to battle the blaze, now at…
