Top insurance cop?
Top insurance cop?

Every state has a top insurance cop (regulator) whose job includes protecting consumers and making sure the insurance companies doing business in their state are financially strong enough to pay claims. Each has his/her own view on what “protecting consumers” means and how far they…
Mason City restaurant owners seek ‘bad faith’ damages in lawsuit
Mason City restaurant owners seek ‘bad faith’ damages in lawsuit

MASON CITY – The owners of a Mexican restaurant destroyed in a fire in 2007 who were awarded $236,901 in breach of contract damages from their insurance company by a Cerro Gordo County jury earlier this year are now suing the company for bad faith…
Low-cost car insurance proposed in Michigan
Low-cost car insurance proposed in Michigan

Not being able to afford car insurance so you can legally drive to job interviews is a burden for unemployed residents of most states. And without a job, it’s hard to come up with the money for car insurance. In Michigan, state Sen. Virgil Smith…
Alabama insurance struggles: Disputes from tornadoes begin to gain traction
Alabama insurance struggles: Disputes from tornadoes begin to gain traction

Across tornado-affected areas of Alabama, thousands of property owners are grappling with insurers about how much money they are owed to rebuild. Already, nearly 500 people have contacted the state Insurance Department. State regulators now expect around 90,000 claims because of April’s storms, and even…
Insurance Commissioner: Time to prepare for wildfires
Insurance Commissioner: Time to prepare for wildfires

With the advent of fire season, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones visited Rancho Bernardo Thursday to remind locals that they should prepare a home inventory list now. The list, along with doing an annual update of property insurance policies to reflect current rebuilding prices and…
Home replacement costs at center of California insurance dispute
Home replacement costs at center of California insurance dispute

In a move to prevent homeowners from being underinsured after disasters, the California insurance commissioner has imposed new regulations for estimating a home’s replacement value for insurance purposes. Some insurers have sued in response, saying the regulations overstep the commissioner’s legal boundaries and could harm…
Insurance Commissioner Jones Announces New Regulations to Protect Homeowners From Being Underinsured
Insurance Commissioner Jones Announces New Regulations to Protect Homeowners From Being Underinsured

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, joined by Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, announced today 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 regulations…
Want to sue your insurance company? Here’s what will happen
Want to sue your insurance company? Here’s what will happen

If you’re angry enough to consider filing a lawsuit against your insurance company, make sure you do so only as a last resort, after all negotiations have failed. If there is an acceptable alternative, a courtroom is the last place you want to be. Peter…
California Trade Groups File Suit to Stop ‘Replacement’ Regulation
California Trade Groups File Suit to Stop ‘Replacement’ Regulation

Two California trade associations have filed court documents in an attempt to stop one aspect of regulations that were implemented June 27 by Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. The Association of California Insurance Companies ACIC) and the Personal Insurance Federation of California PIFC) say in a…
Catastrophe reveals insurance woes for homeowners
Catastrophe reveals insurance woes for homeowners

SAN BRUNO, Calif. KGO) — Most homeowners have insurance, but few ever find out if their coverage is adequate until disaster strikes. The San Bruno pipeline explosion is one example of a major catastrophe putting home owner’s insurance to the test. Tammy Zapata is a…
Tornado or other insurance beef? Chat with consumer advocate today at 2
Tornado or other insurance beef? Chat with consumer advocate today at 2

In a series of stories Sunday, the Birmingham News, Huntsville Times and Press-Register showed the insurance struggles scores of Alabama homeowners are going through in the wake of the April 27 tornadoes. And hurricane season, which regularly creates insurance questions along the coast, has only…
Vanishing Act: Your Home Insurance Coverage is Disappearing
Vanishing Act: Your Home Insurance Coverage is Disappearing

There’s a disturbing nationwide trend of insurance companies chipping away at coverage for homeowners, says Amy Bach, executive director of the nonprofit United Policyholders consumer group. She says she’s disturbed by what she sees as policies becoming less adequate. “We have been working on a…
5 lies home insurance agents tell
5 lies home insurance agents tell

Sometimes insurance agents tell you what they think you want to hear in order to sell a home insurance policy and secure a commission. When misfortunes occur, homeowners who count on insurance to carry them through tough times sometimes get an unpleasant surprise: They don’t…
At Workshop, Residents Learn How to Go Green When Rebuilding Homes
At Workshop, Residents Learn How to Go Green When Rebuilding Homes

Nonprofit United Policyholders offered presentations to residents interested in rebuilding their homes green after the Sept. 9 pipeline explosion and showed that there is help available. Jerry Guernsey was always talking about making his house more green. In fact, he has considered himself green for…
Missouri Storm Victims Battle for Insurance Payouts
Missouri Storm Victims Battle for Insurance Payouts

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI-FOX2Now.com)— Not quite two months after the good Friday tornado in St. Louis county, property owners report a wide variation in progress toward reconstruction. Some repair jobs are underway but dozens of property owners are still battling over insurance payouts. These three…
Nine tips for buying auto insurance online
Nine tips for buying auto insurance online

Just as more consumers are gravitating toward shopping sites like Amazon.com and Zappos.com, more auto insurance consumers are shopping online than ever before. According to a 2011 study by J.D. Power and Associates, 54 percent of auto insurance shoppers are getting quotes online. That’s up…
Wallow Fire: Property owners facing insurance issues
Wallow Fire: Property owners facing insurance issues

While consuming hundreds of thousands of acres of forest lands and meadows, the Wallow Fire has destroyed more than 50 structures in its path, with more than 5,000 still in danger. Whether the owners of destroyed or damaged buildings will be able to rebuild and…
No dental insurance? Here are 3 options
No dental insurance? Here are 3 options

Can’t get dental insurance coverage through your employer? If not, you may be tempted to skip dental cleanings and other treatments. But good basic care lowers your risk of suffering a major, expensive problem in the future. There are three ways to approach dental care…