Wildfire Relief Donations Distributed
Wildfire Relief Donations Distributed

Today the Austin Community Foundation is awarding more than $830,000 in grant money from the Central Texas Wildfire Fund. The money was donated by people from across the country and raised through the “Fire Relief” concert held last October. Nine organizations are receiving between $2,000…
Save big on homeowners insurance
Save big on homeowners insurance

Reviewing your homeowners policy may not rank high on our annual home-maintenance checklist. Yet following the five steps below will save you big bucks now and a lot of grief own the road. After the recent slew of natural disasters, average annual premiums are expected…
Parent Power
Parent Power

Parents’ options for insuring their kids, especially those with pre-existing conditions, have improved considerably in recent years, though more in some states than in others. An increasing number of states are now requiring insurers to cover treatment related to Autism. In the states that are…
Roofing Regulation Causes Last Minute Controversy
Roofing Regulation Causes Last Minute Controversy

A bill designed to protect homeowners when hiring a roofing company is on its way to Governor Hickenlooper’s office, but critics are spearheading an effort to get the measure vetoed. Their concern with the bill is the way it could be interpreted. Colorado’s historic hail…
RentSafe: Is it a safe choice for renter’s insurance?
RentSafe: Is it a safe choice for renter’s insurance?

About half of American renters don’t have insurance. Some of them probably don’t realize that it’s fairly cheap to buy coverage that’ll protect them if their place catches fire, their stuff gets stolen or even if the dog bites a neighbor. “Renter’s insurance is very…
Greater Expectations
Greater Expectations

If you weren’t thrilled with the way your insurer handled an auto accident claim, you’re not alone. Consumer satisfaction with auto claims is dropping, according to a recent study by J.D. Powers. Given how aggressively insurers compete for your auto business, you have the power…
NAIC P/C Committee Sets New Disaster Charge, Draws Fire on Transparency
NAIC P/C Committee Sets New Disaster Charge, Draws Fire on Transparency

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’Property and Casualty Insurance Committee voted at its spring meeting to hold a public hearing on whether the organization should create model guidelines for processing claims in the wake of a natural disaster. But in the process, the committee drew…
Allstate Doubles Profits in Q4
Allstate Doubles Profits in Q4

Allstate Corp. reported that its profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter thanks to lower catastrophe losses and improved homeowners business.The big insurance company posted a fourth quarter net profit of $724 million compared to a fourth quarter profit of $296 million a year…
Life insurers settle with regulators and agree to be more pro-active in seeking out beneficiaries
Life insurers settle with regulators and agree to be more pro-active in seeking out beneficiaries

The California Department of Insurance and six other states have negotiated a $17 million settlement with Prudential Insurance Co. to speed up payouts to life insurance beneficiaries.The settlement requires Prudential to regularly check the Social Security “Death Master” file to determine whether any of its…
One homeowner’s travails: Even after more than six years, family can’t move back into “new” house
One homeowner’s travails: Even after more than six years, family can’t move back into “new” house

By Bob Butler, Fellow, G.W. Williams Center for Independent Journalism, and Jessica Williams, The Lens staff writer |Each day, after wrapping up work as a streetcar operator, Kisa Holmes drives by to check on the house she bought in the Upper 9th Ward just weeks…
The 10 Biggest Insurance Mistakes Americans Make
The 10 Biggest Insurance Mistakes Americans Make

Insurance is the last thing most people want to think about. Your eyes are probably already glazed over just from reading this title. Who in their right mind wants to mull over their finances, sift through unfamiliar jargon, and face piles of insurance-related paperwork? This…
CFA: Insurers Becoming Experts at Risk-Avoidance
CFA: Insurers Becoming Experts at Risk-Avoidance

Insurers are shifting the cost of risk to consumers and taxpayers, side stepping their traditional role of risk-takers and becoming experts at risk-avoidance, according to a report from the Consumer Federation of America.The study titled, “The Insurance Industry’s Incredible Disappearing Weather Catastrophe Risk,” asserts that…
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim

Homeowners worried about problems that their insurance policies might not cover can add one more item to the list: bat scat. That’s right, bat poop. In a case so strange that many insurance experts say they’ve never heard of a similar one, the Wisconsin Supreme…
Car repair shops getting squeezed by insurers: Consumers Beware
Car repair shops getting squeezed by insurers: Consumers Beware

Car repair shops across the country say insurance companies are controlling their prices by steering customers toward preferred businesses that do their bidding.Several business owners in Central Iowa took their complaint to the governor’s office in September, and state legislators will likely address the issue…
New York Insurance Department acts to protect consumers against unfair practices related to Retained Asset Accounts (Life Insurance policy features)
New York Insurance Department acts to protect consumers against unfair practices related to Retained Asset Accounts (Life Insurance policy features)

CUOMO ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO PROTECT INSURANCE BENEFITS OF NEW YORK SOLDIERS, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES Superintendent Lawsky Announces Life Insurers Should Pay Full Benefits Owed To Survivors And Not Hold Funds In Their Own Accounts Unless Soldiers And Their Families Expressly Choose That OptionBenjamin M.…
Costs of long-term care insurance on the rise; policies also changing
Costs of long-term care insurance on the rise; policies also changing

By Christine Dugas, USA TODAYJust as aging Baby Boomers are realizing they may need long-term care insurance, the marketplace is shrinking, the cost of premiums is soaring, and providers are altering the policies they offer.Long-term care insurance helps cover expenses that typical health insurance doesn’t,…
10 signs that your insurance coverage is a turkey
10 signs that your insurance coverage is a turkey

Every Thanksgiving, Americans carve up and savor millions of pounds of turkey. When it comes to insurance, however, a turkey – coverage that doesn’t fit your needs – may leave a bad taste in your mouth. Here are 10 indicators that your current coverage can’t…
Roadmap to Preparedness – On the Road
Roadmap to Preparedness – On the Road

Our Roadmap to Preparedness program has expanded beyond the Bay Area and into Southern, California and most recently, the mountains outside Boulder, Colorado at the request of the United Way. UP staff members are increasingly in demand as featured speakers at events aimed at helping…