United Policyholders to Hold Post Waldo Canyon Fire Insurance Meeting
United Policyholders to Hold Post Waldo Canyon Fire Insurance Meeting

El Paso County will host United Policyholders as it presents a “A Roadmap to Recovery: Workshop for Waldo Canyon Fire Survivors. The meeting is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at Centennial Hall Auditorium, 200 S. Cascade. Topics of the workshop include…
Flood insurance lawsuit aimed at ‘basement’ definition
Flood insurance lawsuit aimed at ‘basement’ definition

A federal lawsuit accusing insurance companies of unfairly denying flood claims could have broad ramifications for Long Islanders who were denied coverage because their first floors were classified as basements. The class-action suit, filed in Newark, says insurers are wrongly refusing to pay for flood-damaged…
Does Minnesota Have a Match Law?
Does Minnesota Have a Match Law?

We are constantly asked by our homeowner’s insurance paid renovation contractors whether Minnesota has a “match law” that requires an insurer to pay for a complete re-roof or re-siding of a customer’s improvement when a replacement match cannot be found. The short answer to the…
Sandy-struck homeowners face delay in cashing insurance checks
Sandy-struck homeowners face delay in cashing insurance checks

Homeowners across Long Island are struggling with the cost of rebuilding from superstorm Sandy as they wait for banks and mortgage companies to release their insurance settlements more than two months after the storm. Insurers began cutting checks weeks ago, but most people can’t simply…
Fire report’s release stirs residents’ emotions, memories
Fire report’s release stirs residents’ emotions, memories

Residents of northwest Colorado Springs had a mix of reactions last week to the city’s review of the fire, often focusing on issues and emotions that continue to sometimes overwhelm them. Their memories of the June fire are vivid: many choke with gratitude when they…
Progress on N.J. Sandy insurance claims concealed
Progress on N.J. Sandy insurance claims concealed

Thursday, March 21, 2013 BY RICHARD NEWMANSTAFF WRITERThe Record Since superstorm Sandy struck the Northeast last October, New York residents have been able to track the performance of insurance companies in response to the disaster by logging on to a state government website.Connecticut’s insurance regulator…
High Park Fire Insurance Payouts a Slap in the Face
High Park Fire Insurance Payouts a Slap in the Face

Wildfire victims say insufficient policies and unrealistic deadlines are impeding rebuilding efforts.Homeowner insurance protection: What would it do?• Expand the time allowed to submit an inventory of destroyed property to an insurer.• Require insurers to award claims for a percentage of destroyed property without submissoin…
Lessons for Staten Islanders navigating the insurance maze
Lessons for Staten Islanders navigating the insurance maze

As they stare down drawn-out battles over insurance settlements and uncertain coverage for the future, Staten Islanders might look to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina — a storm that cost insurance companies a record $41 billion — to hazard a guess at what’s to come.…
Bill to let Sandy victims sue insurers over claims handling sparks debate
Bill to let Sandy victims sue insurers over claims handling sparks debate

A piece of legislation that would give Hurricane Sandy victims more power to sue their insurer if they feel their claim was handled badly was tabled last week as lobbyists in Trenton battled over whether such a right would make for good public policy. The…
ConsumerWatch: Allstate Denies SF Homeowners’ Claims In Water Main Break
ConsumerWatch: Allstate Denies SF Homeowners’ Claims In Water Main Break

Watch the video A sinkhole caused by a broken water main in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood has put some homes in danger, and the response from one insurance company left some of the affected homeowners feeling left in the cold. Allstate Insurance has denied…
Tips for Sandy Victims on Mediating Insurance Disputes
Tips for Sandy Victims on Mediating Insurance Disputes

New Programs Announced in New York & New Jersey to Help Resolve Claim Disputes; Know What to Expect and Be Ready to Negotiate, Consumer Group Advises SAN FRANCISCO February 28, 2013 – With thousands of Superstorm Sandy victims frustrated by the slow process of settling…
Tap in…
Tap in…

People who’ve negotiated their way through an insurance claim can be an excellent source of success strategies. Many members of UP’s staff and volunteer corps fit that bill. If you find yourself underinsured after a loss or need help getting your lender to release an…
Watchdog: Sandy insurance complaints growing
Watchdog: Sandy insurance complaints growing

TRENTON — Sandy has created a superstorm of insurance complaints.Consumers are hounding state insurance regulators to combat slow action by insurers or for help on other claim matters.The state Department of Banking and Insurance has fielded 481 Sandy-related inquiries and complaints. Seventeen cases are formal…
Surviving Superstorm Sandy: One family’s story
Surviving Superstorm Sandy: One family’s story

After Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast, the Ingber family spent one night trapped in their dark apartment in Long Beach, N.Y., as the wind howled and rain beat against their windows. It was scary, but they thought their renter’s insurance would help them weather…
Thinking of hiring a law firm to fight your insurance company? Know what you’re getting into…
Thinking of hiring a law firm to fight your insurance company? Know what you’re getting into…

Todd Kaminsky, the author of this useful article, is a concerned citizen who is using his expertise as a lawyer to help his Long Island neighbors recover from Sandy’s devastation. Todd is a United Policyholders volunteer and we are one of the experts he references…
Christie, Schumer Blast NFIP and WYO Insurer Delays in Handling Sandy Claims
Christie, Schumer Blast NFIP and WYO Insurer Delays in Handling Sandy Claims

BY ARTHUR D. POSTAL, PROPERTYCASUALTY360.COMThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is coming under heavy fire for its handling of Superstorm Sandy flood claims in New York and New Jersey.The criticisms extended to Write-Your-Own companies that in many cases process flood claims for FEMA.The objections—outlined in a…
AFTER SANDY: CAN’T GET THE CASH;
AFTER SANDY: CAN’T GET THE CASH;

Homeowners across Long Island are struggling with the cost of rebuilding from superstorm Sandy as they wait for banks and mortgage companies to release their insurance settlements more than two months after the storm. Insurers began cutting checks weeks ago, but most people can’t simply…
Insider tells how some insurance companies rig the system
Insider tells how some insurance companies rig the system

Tony Bartelme Posted: Sunday, December 2, 2012 12:22 a.m. UPDATED: Sunday, December 2, 2012 12:29 a.m. Mark Romano, a former Allstate executive turned whistleblower, stands outside the fence circling Allstate’s massive guarded headquarters in Northbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Romano was in charge of…