January 28, 2014 Roof insurance: ACV versus replacement cost If you live in one of the states hardest hit by wind and hail damage these past few years, you may have a gaping hole in your roof insurance coverage without even knowing it. A string of unusually costly years for roof damage claims in…
January 16, 2014 Northridge Earthquake Anniversary: Despite retrofits, are homes any safer now? The 1994 Northridge earthquake — which shook Southern California 20 years ago Friday — caused $20 billion in damage, much of that to buildings. About 82,000 residential and commercial units were affected. Some homes were outright destroyed because they were not bolted to their foundations,…
January 15, 2014 How to Get Your Insurance Claim Paid When emergencies like car accidents, medical scares or house fires strike, filing an insurance claim may not be top of mind. But once the dust settles and the bills start pouring in, many consumers are relieved to know that insurance could help protect them against…
January 6, 2014 Buy, Rebuild or Cash Out To help all El Paso County residents with insurance questions United Policyholders, an experienced non-profit consumer group, will be hosting another one of its nationally recognized “Roadmap to Recovery” workshops from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9. This workshop is entitled “Buy, Rebuild…
January 6, 2014 When dents in your credit hit your car insurance rates You may or may not think it’s fair that your credit history could play a key role in setting your auto-insurance premiums – a long-running debate in insurance regulation, though a battle that insurers so far appear to have won. Only a handful of states…
December 27, 2013 Safety First For 2014: Do A Home Insurance Checkup Safety First For 2014: Do A Home Insurance Checkup By KATHLEEN DOLER, FOR INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY Posted 12/26/2013 06:25 PM ET View Enlarged Image Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires — some significant natural disasters made the news this year, from Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines to…
December 13, 2013 Flood insurance reform law – what it means to homeowners By Marjorie Musick The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 was passed in July and requires the National Flood Insurance Program NFIP) to raise insurance rates for some older properties in high-risk areas to reflect the true flood risk. Some homeowners have already received…
November 26, 2013 How Insurance Plays a Role in Disaster Recovery Each natural disaster reminds us of the value of insurance to protect our homes and businesses. But with the news filled with stories about homeowners still waiting to settle claims, or insurance covering less damage than expected, what is the role of private insurance in…
November 13, 2013 5 Factors That Could Raise Your Insurance Rates Insurers consider a dizzying number of factors in determining premiums, so it’s often challenging for consumers to understand why they’re paying higher rates than their neighbors or co-workers. “All the consumer can do is ask questions when they buy insurance and get comparison apples-to-apples quotes…
November 4, 2013 The Private Financial Information You Must Share Recently, my husband and I decided to make some money moves to reduce our taxes and diversify an investment holding. One of the steps required transferring funds from our online brokerage firm to our regular checking account with our credit union. See also: Benefits and…
October 22, 2013 Broken window? Think twice about a claim on home insurance You buy homeowners insurance hoping you’ll never need to use it. Then something happens. It’s not a big loss — maybe the neighbor’s kid throws a ball through the window or a falling branch damages the gutter. Do you file a claim? After all, that’s…
October 21, 2013 Auto insurance: Downshift with caution For the average driver, premiums are up 23% over five years vs. 7% for overall inflation. A 40-year-old man now typically pays $1,510 and up to $2,700, says Insure.com. Perhaps you’re thinking that if you just drive down your limits a bit, or switch to…
October 21, 2013 Consumer Watch: Renters Insurance Can Be A Good Buy Julie Watts reports on why it may be worth a few hundred dollars to insure your possessions.
October 21, 2013 For Some Sandy Victims, Insurance Falls Short NEW YORK — Many homeowners who got slammed by Superstorm Sandy are finding their flood insurance checks are nowhere near large enough to cover their repairs, and consumer advocates put some of the blame on errors by the multitude of adjusters who were hired in…
October 16, 2013 Free Workshop for Flood Survivors On Insurance Fort Collins, Colorado – Larimer County will hold a public meeting in Loveland on Thursday, October 24 at 1p.m. for Larimer Flood 2013 Survivors on Flood Insurance Basics with United Policyholders. The program, ‘Roadmap to Recovery’, at the Loveland City Council Chambers, 500 E. Third…
