Rainpocalypse
Rainpocalypse

If your property has been damaged due to a heavy rain and high winds, it can be tricky to collect insurance benefits to pay for repairs. Home and renters policies exclude some but not all types of water damage.  “Flood” damage (the policy should define…
The “Catch UP” webinar series: Surplus lines/non-admitted insurers
The “Catch UP” webinar series: Surplus lines/non-admitted insurers

Representing policyholders in litigation involving surplus lines/”non-admitted” insurance companies: “Surplus lines” (also known as “non-admitted”) insurers are a form of company set up in part to avoid the full spectrum of regulations, solvency and other oversight requirements that apply to “admitted” companies. Surplus lines companies often…
Here to help
Here to help

The insurance premiums you pay as an individual or business entitle you to benefits and good claim service in the event of a loss. You should not have to hire professional help to get your claim paid fairly, and often you don’t. But when you…
Press Release: United Policyholders Praises California Supreme Court Decision That Will Help Underinsured Wildfire Victims
Press Release: United Policyholders Praises California Supreme Court Decision That Will Help Underinsured Wildfire Victims

Insurance Companies now held to higher standard for setting homeowners policy limits; Court finds Insurance Commissioner has authority to regulate replacement cost estimates SAN FRANCISCO, CA – January 23, 2017 – United Policyholders (UP), a nonprofit insurance consumer organization, today praised a California Supreme Court…
United Policyholders Praises California Supreme Court Decision That Will Help Underinsured Wildfire Victims
United Policyholders Praises California Supreme Court Decision That Will Help Underinsured Wildfire Victims

Insurance Companies now held to a higher standard for setting homeowners policy limits; Court finds Insurance Commissioner has authority to regulate replacement cost estimates SAN FRANCISCO, CA – January 23, 2017 – United Policyholders (UP), a nonprofit insurance consumer organization, today praised a California Supreme…
Court backs rules to protect fire victims from being underinsured
Court backs rules to protect fire victims from being underinsured

California’s insurance commissioner has the authority to adopt rules that protect homeowners whose policies fall far short of the amounts needed to rebuild or replace homes destroyed by wildfires or other disasters, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. Insurance companies usually give homeowners estimates of…
Wildfire Risk Reduction and Insurability
Wildfire Risk Reduction and Insurability

In the age of big data and GPS mapping, insurers are increasingly using complicated and opaque models to set their rates. FireLine is one name brand model created and sold to insurers by Verisk/Insurance Services Office. FireLine looks at a number of criteria (slope, access,…
Consumer Watchdog collects millions, but does it lower your insurance rates?
Consumer Watchdog collects millions, but does it lower your insurance rates?

Nearly 30 years ago, consumer activist Harvey Rosenfield wrote and helped qualify Proposition 103, the November 1988 ballot measure that overhauled state regulation of home and auto insurance rates. The initiative, dubbed by supporters as the “Voter Revolt to Cut Insurance Rates,” also contained a…
Prepared, not scared
Prepared, not scared

No, we’re not talking about doomsday predictions… We’re talking about the simple things you can do to create your own financial safety net to prepare for extreme weather and what that weather can do to the roof over your head or your source of income.…
United Policyholders filed amicus briefs in four of the top five most important insurance cases of 2016
United Policyholders filed amicus briefs in four of the top five most important insurance cases of 2016

2016 was an outstanding year for the United Policyholders Amicus Project. Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers, UP was able to file briefs in four of the five most important insurance cases of 2016 (In re: Viking Pump and Warren Pumps Insurance Appeals, Cypress Point Condominium…
Court rules against insurer in property damage fight
Court rules against insurer in property damage fight

In a case watched by insurance-industry groups, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against an insurer in a dispute about paying for damage to a multimillion-dollar Naples home that had to be demolished after a combination of construction defects and water intrusion. The case…
Speaking UP works
Speaking UP works

Our final tip of the month this year is simple: When it comes to insurance, have a pro-active mindset. If you’ve had a loss, ask for a cash advance while your claim is being processed. If you’ve got property insurance, ask the agent or insurer…
Big Data and Privacy
Big Data and Privacy

In the past, insurance companies used straightforward objective criteria and actuarial science to evaluate risks and calculate how much to charge a consumer for an insurance policy. Age, address, income, claim history and education were the main factors. Today, insurers are using subjective factors such…
4 Homeowner’s Insurance Pitfalls
4 Homeowner’s Insurance Pitfalls

A home is perhaps the single largest investment of a person’s life. When someone takes out a mortgage, they are also required to take out a homeowners’ insurance policy that is acceptable to their lender. If they let the policy lapse for any reason, while…
5 Hidden Costs of Relocation
5 Hidden Costs of Relocation

If you’ve got your eye on a new city where you can buy a bigger house with an affordable mortgage payment, don’t be too quick to sign those closing documents. If you don’t do a little research first, you may get ambushed by unexpected costs…
Wise UP: The Savvy Consumers Guide To Buying Insurance
Wise UP: The Savvy Consumers Guide To Buying Insurance

Wise UP: The Savvy Consumers Guide to Buying Insurance, a United Policyholders’ publication This compact guide will give you the inside scoop on what really matters when buying or renewing insurance for your car, home and assets. It’s short, easy to read and gives you…
Big Data TMI and the impact on policyholders
Big Data TMI and the impact on policyholders

The terms “Big Data”, “Data Mining” and “Price Optimization” are all the buzz in insurance circles and among state insurance regulators.  They, non-profit consumer advocates, the private bar, and the Federal Insurance Office are all diving into whether the massive amount of personal data that’s…
Oakland hills My Word: Preventing repeat of 1991 fire begins with you
Oakland hills My Word: Preventing repeat of 1991 fire begins with you

This month — Thursday of this week to be exact — is the 25th anniversary of the Oakland/Berkeley hills firestorm. Many of you were here that day. Some of you — like my husband and me — escaped the flames with just the clothes on…