Are home warranty policies worth the cost?
Are home warranty policies worth the cost?

A home warranty can protect your home’s heating, electrical, cooling and other systems from expensive problems that regular home insurance doesn’t cover. That means if your water heater fails, a home warranty – legally known as a service contract –could save you hundreds of dollars…
Umbrella Insurance?
Umbrella Insurance?

Q: What is an umbrella insurance policy, and under what circumstances should I have one? — Matthew M., Smithfield, N.Y. A: An umbrella policy is extra liability insurance that protects you if you are sued. Homeowners and auto policies offer personal liability coverage, but most…
Activist Seeks Insurance Complaints
Activist Seeks Insurance Complaints
New Orleans area deserves better insurance options, prices as hurricane season begins, officials say
New Orleans area deserves better insurance options, prices as hurricane season begins, officials say

Clad in hard hats and sturdy shoes, about 20 insurance executives from around the country tromped through the new state-of-the art concrete flood defenses fortifying the New Orleans area to decide for themselves whether the region is safer — and more insurable — than it…
Fourmile Canyon rebuilding slowed by claims disputes
Fourmile Canyon rebuilding slowed by claims disputes

Nearly nine months since a wildfire ripped through Fourmile Canyon, frames for new homes are beginning to dot the once ash-covered foothills west of Boulder. But for many victims, the rebuilding process is moving excruciatingly slowly, as they continue to grapple with insurance companies over…
inCREDITable
inCREDITable

It may surprise you to learn that your credit rating is probably impacting the amount you’re paying for insurance more than your driving record or the condition of your home. This is called “credit-based insurance scoring.” The worse your score, the higher your premium. There…
Property owners in the path of Mississippi River flooding are taking out mortgages to beat the 30-day waiting period on insurance
Property owners in the path of Mississippi River flooding are taking out mortgages to beat the 30-day waiting period on insurance

Cliff Merritt has taken applications for 300 loans in the past two weeks at his small Louisiana bank.It’s not that the economy or housing market in Vidalia has suddenly picked up. Rather, people worried about levees failing along the swollen Mississippi River have found a…
Shaken Awake Conference
Shaken Awake Conference

With the recent Japan and New Zealand earthquakes as a backdrop, we are mindful of the risk we face in the Bay Area from earthquakes. The close proximity of faults, coupled with a large population of older houses, puts a huge percentage of our housing…
New Rules for Surplus (“Non-Admitted”) Insurers
New Rules for Surplus (“Non-Admitted”) Insurers

With the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act July 21, 2011, implementation deadline looming, California is gearing up to comply with new surplus lines regulations.
Under My Umbrella
Under My Umbrella

No one wants to pay for insurance they don’t need. Most people go a lifetime without being sued, so the idea of buying more than basic insurance against lawsuits (“Liability Insurance”) may seem unnecessary. But the legal expenses you’ll incur if you ever are sued…
Tornadoes: Extreme Weather Revs Up Insurance Costs
Tornadoes: Extreme Weather Revs Up Insurance Costs

In the wake of more than 245 tornadoes that slammed into parts of North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and other southern states last weekend, leaving 45 people dead and leveling hundreds of homes, insurance companies have been flooded with thousands of claims, which ultimately could mean…
Got Insurance? Enough? You Sure?
Got Insurance? Enough? You Sure?

Many U.S. homeowners haven’t insured their homes against earthquakes and other disasters, but the devastating losses in the wake of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan may cause people to give their insurance policies another look. As well they should. Earthquakes have occurred in…
San Bruno victims get tax breaks on donations
San Bruno victims get tax breaks on donations

San Bruno victims get tax breaks on donationsSurvivors of the San Bruno gas line explosion won’t have to pay state taxes on donations received, state leaders decided this week.Gov. Jerry Brown late Wednesday signed a bill from Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, previously approved by…
Allstate faces whistle-blower suit
Allstate faces whistle-blower suit

Another whistle-blower lawsuit alleges fraudulent handling of federal flood claims after Hurricane Katrina.The case, filed against Allstate, has just been unsealed in Louisiana’s Eastern District. (H/T to slabbed) Policyholder attorney Johnny Denenea filed the lawsuit back in May 2007. He amended it in November 2009,…
Will Americans pay attention to earthquake insurance now?
Will Americans pay attention to earthquake insurance now?

The advice can’t get any simpler than this: “People who live near fault lines should have earthquake insurance,” says Amy Bach, executive director of the United Policyholders consumer organization. Will the disaster in Japan be the crisis that compels Americans in quake-prone areas to pay…
Maximizing Protection Against Disruptions to Your Supply or Distribution Chain
Maximizing Protection Against Disruptions to Your Supply or Distribution Chain

Focus as soon as possible on establishing the extent and scope of your insurance coverage in order to be able to present an insurance claim that will maximize recovery for any losses.Calculating Loss: Calculating the total loss for an interruption claim is not as easy…
Shaken and Stirred
Shaken and Stirred

The horrific images and aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami should be a call to action for property owners and public officials, and not just in California. There are known (and unknown) faults in the mid-west and throughout the United States. Yet in California…
What to know before you buy flood insurance
What to know before you buy flood insurance

SAN FRANCISCO CBS 5) – It will take some effort, but it is possible for San Francisco residents to buy flood insurance. According to Amy Bach of the consumer group United Policyholders, some San Francisco residents have been having a hard time buying policies. Bach…