Press Release: Wildfire-impacted households face emotions, decisions at the one-year mark: Help is available, survey underway
Press Release: Wildfire-impacted households face emotions, decisions at the one-year mark: Help is available, survey underway

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 6, 2018 – United Policyholders (UP), a nonprofit insurance consumer organization, will offer guidance to wildfire-impacted households on navigating deadlines, decisions and emotions at the one-year anniversary of their devastating losses at a free workshop. UP is also asking all…
California Legislature enacts homeowners insurance reforms regarding wildfires
California Legislature enacts homeowners insurance reforms regarding wildfires

Victims of the fires that destroyed thousands of homes in 2017 will not benefit from the changes. The California Legislature has approved homeowners insurance reforms designed to boost consumer protections. This is particularly important as Californians battle with wildfire risks for yet another year. Devastating…
Legislature enacts home insurance reforms without relief for 2017 wildfire victims
Legislature enacts home insurance reforms without relief for 2017 wildfire victims

The state Legislature has approved additional consumer protections for homeowner insurance to help Californians in the future as they grapple with greater statewide wildfire risks. The package of bills passed both chambers prior to summer adjournment on Saturday, despite resistance from the politically powerful property…
Is Your Financial Plan Future-Proof? 4 Quick Ways To Plan For The Unexpected
Is Your Financial Plan Future-Proof? 4 Quick Ways To Plan For The Unexpected

September is National Preparedness Month, making now the perfect time to update your disaster-preparedness kit and family plan or visit Ready.gov to learn how to put one together. It’s also a great time to revisit your financial plan, with special consideration to how prepared you…
Guest Blog: Policyholder Victories Underscore Value of Crime Insurance for Cyber Fraud
Guest Blog: Policyholder Victories Underscore Value of Crime Insurance for Cyber Fraud

If you suffer a theft at the hands of a cybercriminal, promptly check your insurance protection — particularly your crime insurance. Two major federal court cases decided this summer reaffirm the protection many policyholders already have available to them for cyber scams. With cybercrime rampant,…
California Wine Country Fires Leave Homeowners Struggling
California Wine Country Fires Leave Homeowners Struggling

SANTA ROSA, Calif. AP) – Nearly a year after California’s most destructive set of blazes in state history, only a fraction of nearly 2,700 single-family homes lost in Santa Rosa- the hardest-hit city – have been rebuilt. Santa Rosa City permitting data indicate only nine…
NJ flooding: With extreme rain more common, the appeal of flood insurance expands
NJ flooding: With extreme rain more common, the appeal of flood insurance expands

During a freakishly potent storm two weeks ago, rainwater three inches deep rushed into retiree Robert Ferris’s home in Brick’s Greenbriar senior living community. More than 200 homes in Brick were damaged, along with a couple dozen in Howell, by floodwaters that day. These kinds…
Guest Blog: Room for improvement in Michigan, Professor Jay Feinman
Guest Blog: Room for improvement in Michigan, Professor Jay Feinman

United Policyholders (UP) and the Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility are partners in an Essential Protections Project (EPP).  We compiled an extensive database of state law and made recommendations for reforms. The goal of EPP is to give lawmakers templates for legislation that will protect…
UP to FEMA – Please extend Harvey and Irma deadlines
UP to FEMA – Please extend Harvey and Irma deadlines

On August 22, 2018, United Policyholders asked the top brass at FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program to give hurricane-impacted residents until the end of this year to fully document their 2017 Harvey and Irma damage claims and collect all flood insurance benefits owed…
As Wildfire Costs Reach New Heights, Will Homeowners Get Socked on Insurance?
As Wildfire Costs Reach New Heights, Will Homeowners Get Socked on Insurance?

Last year’s California wildfires set benchmarks for costly destruction on a scale unheard of before, with the more than $12 billion in losses topping the combined tab for the state’s worst wildfires dating back decades. There are no estimates yet for losses from this year’s…
Third Lava Lawsuit Filed Against Lloyd’s of London
Third Lava Lawsuit Filed Against Lloyd’s of London

Two homes are consumed by the massive flow and a third is threatened as the lava advances downslope. PC: Paradise Helicopters/ExtremeExposure/Bruce Omori Another lava lawsuit has been filed against Lloyd’s of London, according to Hawai‘i Attorney Jeffrey Foster, who is representing Susie Osborne, the founder…
Lawmakers snuffing out aid to homeowners in wildfire country
Lawmakers snuffing out aid to homeowners in wildfire country

Jen Burt lives with her husband and two kids in the woods not far from Grass Valley, in a four-bedroom foothill house in a stand of black oak and cedar trees. Tucked away on a private road, the five-acre spread is a hallmark California dream…
As California Wildfires Rage, Insurance Policies Disappear
As California Wildfires Rage, Insurance Policies Disappear

Up to 1,000 homes are still at risk of being destroyed by the Mendocino Complex fire, which started in late July and has become the largest fire in California history. Now, experts warn that the increase in destructive wildfires may make it more difficult for…
As Fire Seasons Intensify, California Homeowners Struggle to Stay Insured
As Fire Seasons Intensify, California Homeowners Struggle to Stay Insured

A changing climate, increasingly destructive fires, and disappearing insurance policies have left homeowners wondering how much risk is too much. Sarah Fugate had already prepared a checklist for a moment like this one. Some of the items she grabbed were practical: a box of legal…
Wildfire victims among those stung by Trump’s trade war
Wildfire victims among those stung by Trump’s trade war

SANTA ROSA, Calif. AP) – Add this to the challenges facing California wildfire victims: Tariffs. The import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump are adding thousands of dollars to the cost of building homes. That especially squeezes homeowners who seek to rebuild quickly after losing…
A year of highs and lows for Coffey Park couple who lost home in wildfire
A year of highs and lows for Coffey Park couple who lost home in wildfire

Heather and Alex Apons are making their way back to Coffey Park, but the journey has been a roller coaster. The couple lost their Banyon Place home to October’s Tubbs wildfire. In March, they celebrated the birth of their first child, Etienne. In the days…
Most home insurance policies don’t cover flood losses
Most home insurance policies don’t cover flood losses

Within official flood hazard zones, flood insurance is mandatory in order to get a federally insured mortgage. But even when homeowners don’t live in a high-risk zone, they should consider getting flood insurance, experts say. That’s because standard policies don’t cover flood losses. That said,…
Roadmap to Recovery: Getting Results
Roadmap to Recovery: Getting Results

The North Bay wildfire recovery truly is a marathon – and we are all in it together.  We have passed the 6-month marker and are continuing on the road to recovery. Our six-month survey results show the pace of recovery: 80% of survey respondents have NOT settled…