Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim

Homeowners worried about problems that their insurance policies might not cover can add one more item to the list: bat scat. That’s right, bat poop. In a case so strange that many insurance experts say they’ve never heard of a similar one, the Wisconsin Supreme…
Car repair shops getting squeezed by insurers: Consumers Beware
Car repair shops getting squeezed by insurers: Consumers Beware

Car repair shops across the country say insurance companies are controlling their prices by steering customers toward preferred businesses that do their bidding.Several business owners in Central Iowa took their complaint to the governor’s office in September, and state legislators will likely address the issue…
New York Insurance Department acts to protect consumers against unfair practices related to Retained Asset Accounts (Life Insurance policy features)
New York Insurance Department acts to protect consumers against unfair practices related to Retained Asset Accounts (Life Insurance policy features)

CUOMO ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO PROTECT INSURANCE BENEFITS OF NEW YORK SOLDIERS, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES Superintendent Lawsky Announces Life Insurers Should Pay Full Benefits Owed To Survivors And Not Hold Funds In Their Own Accounts Unless Soldiers And Their Families Expressly Choose That OptionBenjamin M.…
Costs of long-term care insurance on the rise; policies also changing
Costs of long-term care insurance on the rise; policies also changing

By Christine Dugas, USA TODAYJust as aging Baby Boomers are realizing they may need long-term care insurance, the marketplace is shrinking, the cost of premiums is soaring, and providers are altering the policies they offer.Long-term care insurance helps cover expenses that typical health insurance doesn’t,…
Role of Producers Spurs Agreement Between Commissioner, Industry Advocate
Role of Producers Spurs Agreement Between Commissioner, Industry Advocate

In what marked an unusual moment of agreement between an insurance regulator and an insurance representative during a National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak and Dave Snyder of the American Insurance Association both said producers play a valuable role in…
Consumer Groups Denounce Attack on Consumer Watchdog
Consumer Groups Denounce Attack on Consumer Watchdog

Mercury Insurance is only beneficiary of smear campaign The latest attack on Consumer Watchdog proves that when you take on powerful corporate interests and beat them, you make enemies. Consumer Watchdog is a courageous and remarkably successful advocate for consumer rights. An attack dog website…
New York Probes Home Insurers
New York Probes Home Insurers

New York’s Department of Financial Services has been probing banks and insurance companies for allegedly obtaining excessive fees on homeowners’ policies that they force borrowers to pay for when their insurance lapses, said people familiar with the matter.Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky in the fall of…
Consumer Groups Speak Their Piece on Regulation to FIO
Consumer Groups Speak Their Piece on Regulation to FIO

Consumer representatives to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners say in a letter to the Federal Insurance Office that effective insurance regulation requires greater transparency and substantive regulation.The letter also says that insurance regulation through market competition “would be inadequate,” and adds that regulatory modernization…
Insurers setting the stage for rate hikes
Insurers setting the stage for rate hikes

Insurers stress ’11 a costly year, suggest rate hikes aheadBy ANITA LEE – calee@sunherald.comRecord insured losses globally in 2011 mean insurance companies will pay more for their own policies, called reinsurance, which is expected to lead to higher property insurance rates for policyholders.Representatives of Munich…
David Baria celebrates victory after grueling campaign season
David Baria celebrates victory after grueling campaign season

I am happy to be a resident of one of the best communities in the entire world,” a jubilant David Baria said last night at his victory party at Bay St. Louis’ 100 Men Hall after his successful bid to succeed long-time state legislator J.P.…
Sharp Disagreement At NAIC Session On Readability Of Consumer Information
Sharp Disagreement At NAIC Session On Readability Of Consumer Information

Industry representatives sharply disagreed with two law professors who argued personal lines policies should be posted online where they would be readily available to consumers who wanted to look at them prior to signing onto them. Spokesmen for the American Insurance Association and the National…
California Earthquake Authority CEO Praises Bipartisan Effort to Help Reduce Costs of Disaster Recovery
California Earthquake Authority CEO Praises Bipartisan Effort to Help Reduce Costs of Disaster Recovery

The California Earthquake Authority applauds California’s U.S. Rep. John Campbell R-48), who today introduced H.R.3125 – companion legislation to S.637 introduced by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein earlier this year. Both bills would strengthen the nation’s natural disaster recovery system by enacting the Earthquake Insurance Affordability…
Model indicates coastal insurance rates should be lower, so why don’t they drop?
Model indicates coastal insurance rates should be lower, so why don’t they drop?

Are most residents of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts due big price cuts for homeowners insurance — maybe as much as 34 percent in Baldwin County, for example? That’s one of the findings suggested in an analysis presented by modeling firm Risk Management Solutions to…
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…
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…
Homeowners insurance regulations take effect
Homeowners insurance regulations take effect

New statewide homeowners insurance regulations took effect Monday that, depending upon who you believe, either protect consumers against under being insured or restrict the ability of insurers to enlighten homeowners about their coverage. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the new regs Monday along with…
Insurance commissioner announces new regulations to protect homeowners from being underinsured
Insurance commissioner announces new regulations to protect homeowners from being underinsured

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, joined by Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, announced on Monday a series of new homeowners regulations aimed at enhancing the standards and training for estimating the replacement value on homeowners’ insurance in the event of a disaster. These new…
New rules aim to curb homeowner underinsurance
New rules aim to curb homeowner underinsurance

The devastating wildfires of 2007 burned twice for Janice and John Strizver. There was the the initial, horrific loss of their Ramona home consumed by fire. And then came the slow, angry burn on realizing that their insurance payout would fall far short of the…