September 22, 2015 Why Did My Car Insurance Rates Go Up? It’s that time of year again. Your car insurance policy is up for renewal and your fingers are crossed in hopes of a reduction. Even though you have been a safe driver, your insurance company raises your rates. “Why are my rates going up?” The…
September 18, 2015 Understanding Insurance Policies for Homes in Wildfire-Prone Areas The worst wildfire season in years is forcing many Californians from their homes and has caused the destruction of hundreds of houses, cars and other property. Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit group that assists consumers with insurance issues, urges homeowners who…
September 18, 2015 Insuring your car for storm damage Category 5 coverage: Is your policy hurricane-proof? No one expects to have their car float away in 12 feet of floodwater and end up perched atop a tree, or pinned under a house. But there were a lot of those kinds of insurance claims filed…
September 17, 2015 California reforms should ease fire victims’ insurance claims The hundreds of people whose homes were lost or damaged in devastating wildfires now ravaging California should have an easier time dealing with insurers, thanks to the Oakland hills fire of 24 years ago. Survivors of that fire and subsequent ones in Los Angeles and…
September 16, 2015 Car Repairs From Deer Collisions Will Cost More The latest insurance data show that the risk of hitting a deer with your car has not changed much from a year ago. But the cost of repairing your car if you’re unlucky enough to strike one is on the rise. State Farm reports that…
September 16, 2015 Non-profit offers insurance advice to fire victims Those who have been left homeless by the Valley Fire will now start the arduous task of getting their homes and lives rebuilt. If your house burns down you can count on at least a year before you are back in your place and for…
September 14, 2015 Free app aims to help you prepare for a major disaster During disasters we are often reminded of the things we should do to prepare just in case. One of the most important things anyone of us can do is to make a list of everything we own and there are many apps out there that…
September 9, 2015 Homeowners in high fire-risk areas are upset over soaring insurance rates Soaring insurance rates may accomplish what the Telegraph fire failed to do: drive the Stoffan family from their home of 10 years. The Stoffans’ Northern California house survived the 2008 blaze, which destroyed 30 homes and 100 other structures as it charred 53 square miles…
September 4, 2015 Price Optimization: Pennsylvania is the Latest State to Prohibit the Practice While the NAIC Works Towards a Final White Paper Published August 27, 2015, by Susan Stryker “Price optimization,” a long-established economic concept, generally refers to the application of mathematical techniques using data to address pricing at a more granular level. Price optimization in property and casualty insurance ratemaking, or what has been referred to…
August 31, 2015 Give it back? Homeowners who got Hurricane Sandy repair funds may have to repay ‘Build It Back’ money Sandy-ravaged homeowners who got “Build It Back” funds for repairs might have to repay the money because of Draconian HUD rules — even though federal bungling is what drove many to the program in the first place. As many as 3,000 homeowners — one-third of…
August 23, 2015 How much credit affects your home insurance rate may surprise you Credit is playing an increasingly important economic role in Americans’ lives these days, and according to a recent study, your credit history can be a major factor in what you pay for home insurance. For the second year in a row, a Quadrant Information Services…
August 20, 2015 Statement of California Health Advocates and United Policyholders Public Hearing: Minnesota Department of Commerce – Long-Term Care – Rate Increases and Policyholder Protections In late August, 2015, the Minnesota Department of Commerce convened a hearing to assist the Department’s fact-finding effort on long-term care insurance industry issues. The hearing provided consumers, insurance companies, and other…
August 20, 2015 A Disaster Damaged Your Home? How to File a Successful Insurance Claim The TV commercials make it look so easy: You experience a disaster and, like magic, your insurance company swoops in and solves all your problems. Unfortunately, say consumer advocates, it rarely works that way in real life. Instead, if a disaster such as a fire,…
August 18, 2015 What does my credit rating have to do with my driving? Most auto-insurance companies use your consumer credit rating as a significant factor in determining what rate to charge you.Who knew?Maybe you. But two-thirds of customers didn’t know, according to a Government Accountability Office survey. Spokesman Mike Barry of the Insurance Information Institute, an industry trade…
August 17, 2015 ServiceMaster and Water Damage Claims Couple Recalls ‘Leaky Toilet Nightmare’What started out as a leaky toilet turned into a local couple’s worst nightmare. They got into a battle with their insurance company and are now suing.It is a case their attorney says could affect hundreds of thousands of homeowners.Ora Tamir…
August 17, 2015 Homeowners Insurance and Common Natural Disasters No matter where you live in the United States, there’s a good chance you’ll have to deal with one or more natural disasters or severe weather events. After all, every part of the country experiences at least one peril or another—in some cases, it’s hurricanes…
August 12, 2015 5 ways to cut medical bills long before you stick out your tongue and say “ah” Medical costs can still be confusing and startling. But as transparency becomes the norm, we should be able to get a price quote before undergoing a medical procedure, know the amount our health insurance will cover, and even solicit a package price from the hospital.…
August 11, 2015 Springs renter hopes flooding nightmare can become lesson for others Annaleen DeHaan came home to a nightmare Monday evening. Her home on the east side of Colorado Springs was devastated by floodwater. “My mom calls me and is like, ‘So, the house flooded. I have a foot of mud and water,’” DeHaan said. “I kind…