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…
Storage woes: Do you need insurance for stuff in storage?
Storage woes: Do you need insurance for stuff in storage?

Whether you need a place to safeguard valuable artwork, stash your stuff while living with Mom and Dad or store unneeded items when you move into a smaller home, obtaining the proper amount of insurance for belongings in storage is a necessity. If an item…
Role of Producers Spurs Agreement Between Commissioner, Industry Advocate
Role of Producers Spurs Agreement Between Commissioner, Industry Advocate

In what marked an unusual moment of agreement between an insurance regulator and an insurance representative during a National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak and Dave Snyder of the American Insurance Association both said producers play a valuable role in…
Allstate policy raises roof on prices in Oklahoma
Allstate policy raises roof on prices in Oklahoma

Insurance costs: Oklahoma homeowners could pay more under terms of a new Allstate policy, which no longer pays the full cost of repairing or replacing older roofs. A new type of homeowners’ insurance launched in Oklahoma by Allstate Corp. no longer pays for the full…
The 102 best money websites
The 102 best money websites

Need information or help with a money matter? Chances are good you’ll find what you need at one of these sites, which rank among the best on the Web. This is an incredibly personal list. There are many other worthy sites out there, sites that,…
Insurers rethink homeowners policies in the wake of major disasters
Insurers rethink homeowners policies in the wake of major disasters

Phillip Berger insured his Maryland home through Allstate for 23 years. But a home disaster forced him to take his business elsewhere, he said. Berger, 58, is not new to property damage or insurer conflict. Years ago, a tornado swept over his home and damaged…
A Terrific Texas Tool
A Terrific Texas Tool

The quality of your insurance policy really does matter, but figuring out which company sells better protection is tricky. Ads are often misleading, and most insurance companies don’t show you a copy of their policy until after you’ve bought it. Then…good luck reading the fine…
How much would it cost to replace your home? We test two online estimator services
How much would it cost to replace your home? We test two online estimator services

When considering how much home insurance to buy, the main issue isn’t how much your house is worth on the real estate market. More important is how much it will cost to rebuild the dwelling if it is destroyed. Your home’s reconstruction cost may be…
Too young for life insurance? The debate over policies for children
Too young for life insurance? The debate over policies for children

Deciding whether to buy a life insurance policy for a child can be difficult, and there is strong disagreement over the benefits of such policies. Advocates assure you that life insurance policies for children are great financial tools as part of larger portfolios of savings…
What Type of Life Insurance Do I Need?
What Type of Life Insurance Do I Need?

About 11 million U.S. households with children under age 18 had no life insurance coverage as of 2010, according to LIMRA, a worldwide research and consulting organization for the insurance and financial services industry. Overall, less than half of U.S. households had individual life insurance,…
Consumer advocates raise the roof over Allstate’s new home insurance rule
Consumer advocates raise the roof over Allstate’s new home insurance rule

Some homeowners soon may see their insurance-related costs go through the roof. Eventually, Allstate customers with roofs more than 10 years old won’t have the full cost of new roofs covered under their home insurance policies. Allstate’s House & Home program will pay the “actual…
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers

Any kind of disaster insurance can be very tricky. Fine print in a policy can mean the difference between having the money to rebuild – and having nothing. But, reports Julie Watts, of CBS station KPIX in San Francisco, a dispute over what caused a…
Consumer Groups Denounce Attack on Consumer Watchdog
Consumer Groups Denounce Attack on Consumer Watchdog

Mercury Insurance is only beneficiary of smear campaign The latest attack on Consumer Watchdog proves that when you take on powerful corporate interests and beat them, you make enemies. Consumer Watchdog is a courageous and remarkably successful advocate for consumer rights. An attack dog website…
New York Probes Home Insurers
New York Probes Home Insurers

New York’s Department of Financial Services has been probing banks and insurance companies for allegedly obtaining excessive fees on homeowners’ policies that they force borrowers to pay for when their insurance lapses, said people familiar with the matter.Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky in the fall of…
After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on
After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on

The images of the tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires of 2011 remain seared in our memories. You might live in one of the areas battered by weather tragedies. Or you might have frantically checked on friends and relatives who were affected by natural disasters.…