Policyholders limited in how low they can go with contents coverage
Policyholders limited in how low they can go with contents coverage

Keith Brannon has been living a minimalist’s life since Hurricane Katrina. Like many New Orleanians, Brannon dragged the entire contents of his house to the curb when his Broadmoor-Fontainebleau area home flooded and moldered in the storm. He has replaced only the bare essentials. “We…
State Negotiates Deal for Sayre Fire Victims
State Negotiates Deal for Sayre Fire Victims

Mobile home owners whose properties were destroyed by the 2008 Sayre Fire and who were insured by AIG will receive as much as an extra $125,000 from their policy under an agreement announced today by the state insurance commissioner. The Sylmar-area fire destroyed 485 mobile…
Suing for Benefits: A Dilemma for the Disabled
Suing for Benefits: A Dilemma for the Disabled

Will your disability insurance cover you if you become ill and unable to work? Many advocates say probably not. People like Melinda Carstens say they found out how difficult it can be to try to fight an insurance company over their disability payments. Carstens said…
Sylmar’s Sayre Fire Survivors Get Just Rewards from AIG
Sylmar’s Sayre Fire Survivors Get Just Rewards from AIG

Outstanding! The settlement reached this week by the California Department of Insurance and AIG provides additional insurance coverage to Sylmar wildfire survivors who lost their homes in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park last November. News reports say the CDI/AIG settlement amount is reportedly between $37…
UP named among 100 most useful money websites
UP named among 100 most useful money websites

Here are my favorite Internet destinations that deal with money. All are worth bookmarking. But I’d like your help in discovering other cool sites. I love stumbling across insanely useful new Web sites. I’ve highlighted some in my columns and blog posts, but there always…
Post fire claim advice: After the fire comes the adjuster
Post fire claim advice: After the fire comes the adjuster

In July, when fire tore through the Northwest mansion belonging to local activist and arts patron Peggy Cooper Cafritz, it set off what is likely to be a long journey toward rebuilding. Facing total loss, Cafritz hired a public insurance adjuster to estimate the dollar…
Allstate selling policies again along Alabama coast through lightly regulated company
Allstate selling policies again along Alabama coast through lightly regulated company

Allstate Corp., which has been dropping wind coverage from home insurance policies in Mobile and Baldwin counties, began in April to sell homeowner policies through a new unit called North Light Specialty Insurance Co. Because North Light is a lightly regulated surplus lines company, it…
Is AARP Looking Out for You? Auto and Homeowners Insurance
Is AARP Looking Out for You? Auto and Homeowners Insurance

The way insurance companies barrage you with television ads promising to save you money, you might think they were paying you instead of the other way around. In the case of the GEICO googly eyes or actor Dennis Haysbert hawking Allstate policies, at least it’s…
Natural Disaster Insurance: Do You Need It?
Natural Disaster Insurance: Do You Need It?

With the news media filled with stories lately about natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires, many consumers may be wondering when to purchase additional insurance to protect their homes from Mother Nature. My husband and I certainly have been concerned with the topic since…
New company could help Allstate keep agents and other business
New company could help Allstate keep agents and other business

Besides giving Allstate Corp. more control over prices, North Light Specialty Insurance Co. could help the parent company retain its agents and other insurance business. Unlike an independent insurance agent, who can sell policies from a number of different companies, Allstate employs what are called…
Southland homeowners at risk for mudslides have trouble finding insurance
Southland homeowners at risk for mudslides have trouble finding insurance

Some residents of areas burned by the Station fire are buying flood policies on top of fire and earthquake plans, hoping that at least one will accept mudslide damage claims. Charred slopes in the foothills towering above William Johnson’s La Cañada Flintridge home are now…
Three of the four largest homeowners insurance companies in the state are raising their rates
Three of the four largest homeowners insurance companies in the state are raising their rates

Three of Alabama’s four largest home insurers are raising rates, although State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., the state’s largest, is giving coastal residents something of a break. No. 1 State Farm, No. 2 Alfa Mutual group and No. 4 Farmers Insurance Group — the…
Tips on flood insurance
Tips on flood insurance

Contact your insurance agent to determine what exactly your current homeowner insurance policies cover and whether they’re up to date, then assess whether flood insurance is necessary. If you need flood insurance, act fast. Policies usually go into effect 30 days after purchase, and the…
Why Earthquake Insurance Is Tough Sell, Even In Bay Area
Why Earthquake Insurance Is Tough Sell, Even In Bay Area

Bill Clingan was around when the Loma Prieta earthquake sucker-punched the Bay Area 20 years ago. His Walnut Creek home suffered no damage, which is why he feels comfortable today not having earthquake insurance. “It’s very expensive. Deductibles are high. It’s just not worth it,”…
Make a human connection at your mortgage company
Make a human connection at your mortgage company

If your property has been damaged and you’ve filed an insurance claim, when your insurance company sends you a check to pay for the repairs, it will probably be made out to you and your mortgage company. You’ll need to negotiate with the mortgage company…
The high cost of quake insurance will rock your bank account
The high cost of quake insurance will rock your bank account
Press Release: United Policyholders Urges Homeowners to Reconsider Earthquake Insurance After 7.2 Temblor Shakes Mexico and San Diego
Press Release: United Policyholders Urges Homeowners to Reconsider Earthquake Insurance After 7.2 Temblor Shakes Mexico and San Diego

Consumer Group Supports Federal Legislation to Lower Cost of EQ Insurance For Immediate Release: SAN DIEGO – April 6, 2010- Sunday’s magnitude 7.2 earthquake, just 40 miles south of the USA-Mexico border, is a reminder to all Californians that the next big quake could happen…
Is Green Insurance Worth the Price?
Is Green Insurance Worth the Price?

Insurers are increasingly offering insurance discounts if you already own an environmentally friendly home or car as well as additions to standard policies that cover the costs of going green when renovating after a loss. According to the Insurance Information Institute, as of last December,…