Regulating financial practices is critical to a healthy economy
Regulating financial practices is critical to a healthy economy

Some leaders in the financial services community work hard to weaken consumer protection regulations and the agencies that enforce them.  But it clear from recent history (2008) that the American economy works much better when financial consumer protections are in place and being enforced. UP…
United Policyholders on KCBS-AM
United Policyholders on KCBS-AM

Listen to the radio clip Transcript …on that front trying to get various insurance company to do the right thing we’ve been dragging into mediation and you know ready to go House in one case according to the consumer advocacy group United Policy holders two…
A coverage win for energy sector policyholders
A coverage win for energy sector policyholders

In a significant win for all policyholders in the energy sector, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed a lower appellate court ruling which allowed a consortium of Lloyd’s underwriters to limit their indemnity obligations to pay for defense expenses incurred by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and…
This Paradise Couple’s Home Survived — But Their Insurer Dropped Them, Anyway
This Paradise Couple’s Home Survived — But Their Insurer Dropped Them, Anyway

Not all homes in Paradise were destroyed by November’s deadly Camp Fire. Approximately 10 percent of buildings in the town of Paradise are still standing, according to a rough estimate from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. But families who still have their…
Keeping home insurance available and affordable in our era of climate change and tech tools
Keeping home insurance available and affordable in our era of climate change and tech tools

Generally speaking, home insurance companies are free to pick which homes they want to insure and which they don’t.  There has been an explosion in tech tools that insurance companies can use to assess risks and decide who and what they are willing to insure…
California’s wildfire victims could be like most homeowners: underinsured
California’s wildfire victims could be like most homeowners: underinsured

As owners of the nearly 18,000 properties destroyed by California’s recent wildfires begin to file insurance claims, many of them will likely find they do not have enough insurance to cover the cost of rebuilding. Surveys from the research firm Marshall & Swift/Boeckh have found…
Insurance issues linger well after California North Coast wildfires are out
Insurance issues linger well after California North Coast wildfires are out

As the North Bay welcomed 2018, it was clear to survivors of October 2017’s wildfires that much of the year would involve dealing with post-fires insurance claims, which reached $9.5 billion, according to state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. And after another season of historic fires…
December Roadmap to Recovery Workshops
December Roadmap to Recovery Workshops

Through our Roadmap to Recovery program, United Policyholders is presenting an Insurance and Recovery Orientation workshop to help recent wildfire survivors understand insurance lingo, insurance rights and figure out next steps. Woolsey Fire Insurance and Recovery Orientation Saturday, December 15th 10am-12pm Malibu Public Library 23519 West Civic…
Wildfires may soon be uninsurable risks for homeowners
Wildfires may soon be uninsurable risks for homeowners

Homeowners in wildfire-prone areas of California and other Western states now have yet another worry: Insurers have issued an ominous warning that they could be facing a “wildfire deductible” in coming years or, even worse, the prospect of having their home insurance canceled altogether. The…
Camp, Woolsey and Hill wildfire property losses reach $9 billion
Camp, Woolsey and Hill wildfire property losses reach $9 billion

Insurance costs already rival last year’s nearly $12 billion in losses from wildfires This year’s wildfire season is already California’s deadliest and most destructive. On Wednesday, state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said it is also among the costliest in private property losses with claims totaling…
Insurer goes bust from Camp Fire with millions in claims unpaid. How will it affect Paradise homeowners?
Insurer goes bust from Camp Fire with millions in claims unpaid. How will it affect Paradise homeowners?

Millions of dollars in potential losses from the Camp Fire have ruined a small Merced County insurance company, providing another element of uncertainty for homeowners following the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history. A judge declared Merced Property & Casualty Co. of Atwater…
As wildfires drive insurance premiums up, will homeowners be able to keep up?
As wildfires drive insurance premiums up, will homeowners be able to keep up?

At first, Lucy Reynolds was unnerved by the non-renewal notice from the insurance company two years ago. Mortgaged homes must have coverage so Reynolds and her husband needed to find a replacement, quick. She was turned down by her neighbor’s carrier and an insurance agent…
Hurry up and wait? What to do when your insurer goes “insolvent.”
Hurry up and wait? What to do when your insurer goes “insolvent.”

Disasters strain insurer’s claim-paying capacity in situations where they have alot of customers in the impacted region that all make claims at the same time. The vast majority of insurers have enough money on hand to pay their claims after disasters, thanks to regulations that…
Here’s How to Help California Fire Victims, Now and Years Into the Future
Here’s How to Help California Fire Victims, Now and Years Into the Future

Keep your old clothes. Give cash to groups that help survivors deal, heal, and rebuild. People send used clothes. Stuffed animals. Canned goods. A fine sentiment. But these things are just not very useful and require too much work to sort through and distribute. If…
How climate change is changing your insurance
How climate change is changing your insurance

As victims of the California wildfires begin to think about rebuilding their homes, advocates and policymakers are warning that natural disasters, made more frequent and destructive because of climate change, could make home insurance unaffordable and force more Americans to rely on government insurance programs…
What to Know About Insurance If You Live in a Fire-Prone Area
What to Know About Insurance If You Live in a Fire-Prone Area

Your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance should cover the repairs. If you don’t yet have a policy, here’s what to do. The California Camp Fire has destroyed more than 12,000 homes as of Tuesday morning, and displaced more than 300,000 people. The damage will cost insurers…
How Wildfires Are Making Some California Homes Uninsurable
How Wildfires Are Making Some California Homes Uninsurable

California’s wildfires keep growing bigger, more frequent and more destructive. Of the 20 worst wildfires in state history, four were just last year, giving rise to a record $12.6 billion of insurance claims. It hasn’t gotten any better this year. The Mendocino Complex Fire in…
Maximizing Insurance Payouts After The California Fires
Maximizing Insurance Payouts After The California Fires

It is estimated that there are over 13.5 million homes in California and one-third of those are located in or near areas vulnerable to wildfires. Unfortunately, for those of us who live and work in California, wildfires are an annual occurrence that have, in recent…