Oakland hills fire: homeowners in high-risk areas must make sure they have adequate coverage
Oakland hills fire: homeowners in high-risk areas must make sure they have adequate coverage

For months after the 1991 Oakland hills fire reduced his home on Sherwick Drive to a charred heap, Howard Matis would return from work, then close his eyes and imagine the contents of every drawer, shelf, cupboard and closet of his two-story bungalow. But how…
San Bruno fire victims struggle with insurance companies
San Bruno fire victims struggle with insurance companies

SAN BRUNO, Calif. KGO) — More than a year after the San Bruno pipeline explosion, recovering and rebuilding is slow-going. Homeowners are having a hard time getting what they need from their insurance companies. The intersection where a PG&E pipeline exploded over a year ago…
ConsumerWatch: Does Your Insurance Policy Protect?
ConsumerWatch: Does Your Insurance Policy Protect?

The next day, a larger storm came. Water came through sewers and manhole covers to flood the streets, turning Capitola into a lake. Home to many mom and pop shops already struggling to survive, dealing with the aftermath may have been even tougher than the…
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones Marks 20th Anniversary of Berkeley, Oakland Firestorm
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones Marks 20th Anniversary of Berkeley, Oakland Firestorm

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 19 — The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release: Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, joined by Assemblymember Nancy Skinner D-Berkeley) and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan will mark the 20th anniversary of the Berkeley, Oakland Firestorm and the 20th year of…
Hills fire fueled changes in insurance practices
Hills fire fueled changes in insurance practices

After surviving the 1991 firestorm, thousands of Oakland residents faced a new nightmare: fighting insurance companies that stalled on making payouts and tried to lowball the costs of rebuilding. “People don’t realize that you have the first disaster of the fire itself, then the disaster…
Quake near D.C. can help us prepare for the ‘Big One’
Quake near D.C. can help us prepare for the ‘Big One’

It’s been an interesting year as fellow Americans on the East Coast have faced more than their fair share of natural disasters. And the most shocking revelation was the false assumption that earthquakes are exclusive to the West Coast. But this summer’s earthquake centered in…
Fourmile Fire reveals snags in insurance claim process
Fourmile Fire reveals snags in insurance claim process

The frustrations of area residents who lost their homes last year in the Fourmile Fire could lead to changes in the way the state regulates insurance companies and how insurance agents work with clients. The Fourmile Fire, which started Sept. 6, 2010, burned more than…
Consumer alert: Allstate seeks premium hike
Consumer alert: Allstate seeks premium hike

If you’re a Pennsylvania resident with Allstate Property & Casualty homeowners insurance, you may face an unpleasant surprise this fall: a sizable boost in your insurance premium. You can just suck it up – as Allstate undoubtedly expects most policyholders to do – or you…
Fire survivors faced insurance headaches
Fire survivors faced insurance headaches

Karen Reimus slowly pilots an SUV through her Scripps Ranch neighborhood of large Tuscan-looking homes with red tile roofs and meticulously tended lawns. As kids play and adults stroll the streets greeting each other by name, she points out the homes that vaporized eight years…
Insuring your home – Make sure your coverage stands up in a worst-case scenario
Insuring your home – Make sure your coverage stands up in a worst-case scenario

The first six months of 2011 were a tough time to be a homeowner: wildfires in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas; damaging snow in the Midwest; floods in the Midwest and Plains; and tornadoes, hail, wind, or lightning almost everywhere east of the Rockies. Thank…
Be smart with claims
Be smart with claims

If you’ve opted for a high deductible, it won’t pay to make a claim for small losses. If a loss is only moderately greater than your deductible, you should also consider not filing a claim, because it could prompt a premium hike or flag you…
Settling an Insurance Claim: When to Hire a Professional
Settling an Insurance Claim: When to Hire a Professional

A few days ago I wrote about how to challenge the first offer your insurance company makes in respect to a claim you have filed. In that column, I stressed the importance of carefully reviewing the adjusters report and using the documentation you gathered to…
Where can Irene & Lee flood victims find assistance?
Where can Irene & Lee flood victims find assistance?

Listen to the Radio Broadcast Ben Lawsky, Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services joins us. Homeowners affected by recent floods are eligible for free legal consultation through the New York State Bar Association. Volunteer attorneys are available to answer questions about insurance, property disputes,…
One year after blast, San Bruno still isn’t whole
One year after blast, San Bruno still isn’t whole

Walk around Crestmoor, the San Bruno neighborhood where a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. natural gas pipe blew up one year ago today, and one thing is clear through the coastal mist and construction dust: What took minutes to ruin will take years to restore.…
Report: 64 percent of Fourmile fire victims underinsured
Report: 64 percent of Fourmile fire victims underinsured

A new survey shows that nearly two-thirds [2] of victims of last year’s Fourmile Canyon wildfire were underinsured by more than $200,000. The survey, conducted by United Policyholders [3], included responses from 51 residents who said their home was destroyed and seven who said their…
Fourmile Fire insurance claims require tenacity, patience
Fourmile Fire insurance claims require tenacity, patience

Tactful assertiveness. It’s what Andi O’Conor, who lost her house of 20 years to the Fourmile Fire, said it takes to make a successful insurance claim on losses from Colorado’s most costly wildfire. “You have to remember that they are working for you and you’ve…
One Year Later, Boulder Fire Victims Still Recovering
One Year Later, Boulder Fire Victims Still Recovering

One year ago this Labor Day Weekend, an errant spark from an unattended fire pit in Four Mile Canyon west of Boulder quickly became the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history burning 169 homes and damaging scores more. It was an emotional and stressful time…
Rising from the ashes – One year later, Fourmile Fire victims share tales of renewal
Rising from the ashes – One year later, Fourmile Fire victims share tales of renewal

For some victims of the Fourmile Fire that ravaged the hills of western Boulder County the week of Sept. 6, 2010, this has been the “year of the phoenix.” Others are still waiting to rise from the ashes. In honor of the one-year anniversary of…