Santa Rosa firm helps wildfire victims navigate battles with insurance companies
Santa Rosa firm helps wildfire victims navigate battles with insurance companies

Three years since the Tubbs fire, there have been some notable improvements for homeowners who are wrangling with their insurance carriers in the aftermath of a wildfire loss. The state Legislature enacted some reforms, such as boosting rental living expenses from a maximum of two…
Wildfire survivors facing total property loss struggle with insurance claims process
Wildfire survivors facing total property loss struggle with insurance claims process

With a destructive wildfire season still underway, Insurance Commissioner Lara is urging insurance companies to help wildfire survivors. CALIFORNIA, USA — California has had an incredibly destructive wildfire season, which have left many residences without a home or facing significant property damage. As a result,…
Gov. Newsom signs insurance bill providing quicker payments for wildfire losses
Gov. Newsom signs insurance bill providing quicker payments for wildfire losses

Wildfire victims who lose their home and possessions will be able to recoup money for their expenses faster, thanks to legislation that makes property insurance benefits easier to collect. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 872 into law Thursday, providing a suite of insurance protections…
California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Wildfire Property Losses Without Requiring a Home Inventory
California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Wildfire Property Losses Without Requiring a Home Inventory

October 3, 2020 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In response to California’s latest destructive fires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is requesting that insurance companies help wildfire survivors who are overwhelmed with the task of navigating the claims process by providing up to 100 percent of personal…
California wildfires: What you need to know about insurance for your losses
California wildfires: What you need to know about insurance for your losses

As still more wildfires rage in the Bay Area, many wonder how to handle the practicalities if they must evacuate — or worse, if their home is lost or damaged. Here are answers to common questions about insurance, money and real estate. Q: I had…
Sonoma County fire survivors embrace roles as guides and counselors to latest wave of disaster victims
Sonoma County fire survivors embrace roles as guides and counselors to latest wave of disaster victims

Vita Iskander had no intention of taking a leadership role when she walked into Santa Rosa’s Unitarian Universalist church on Oct. 25, 2017. Seventeen days earlier, her home in Hidden Valley Estates had burned in the Tubbs fire. Still in something of a daze, she…
‘It looked like a nuclear bomb went off:’ words of advice from a Tubbs fire survivor
‘It looked like a nuclear bomb went off:’ words of advice from a Tubbs fire survivor

PHOENIX, Ore. — Janet Reisner woke up to the smell of smoke on Oct. 8, 2017, when she looked out the window, she saw fireballs landing in her backyard. Her home of 20 years in Santa Rosa, Calif. was one of the 5600 structures lost in…
Dealing With Wildfire Damage? These Free Resources Can Help You File Your Insurance Claim
Dealing With Wildfire Damage? These Free Resources Can Help You File Your Insurance Claim

The trauma of a wildfire is compounded only by the stress of trying to figure out if you’re covered under your insurance and how to collect under those policies for any damage to your property. Fortunately, ample free help is available, from coverage information to…
California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Reimbursement Costs for Those Displaced During Wildfires
California Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurance Companies to Cover Reimbursement Costs for Those Displaced During Wildfires

September 7, 2020 – LOS ANGELES, Calif. – To assist Californians displaced by the current and recent wildfires throughout the state, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a Notice to all California property and casualty insurance companies urging them to cover Additional Living Expenses (ALE) for…
Statewide town hall to address wildfire assistance and insurance resources
Statewide town hall to address wildfire assistance and insurance resources

Join Cal OES Director, Mark Ghilarducci, CA Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and United Policyholders Executive Director, Amy Bach for a Statewide Virtual Town Hall on wildfires assistance and insurance resources available to renters and homeowners. With many communities experiencing evacuations, loss of homes and the…
Fire Victim Trust Funded July 1st
Fire Victim Trust Funded July 1st

SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — The PG&E Fire Victim Trust announced today that it has been funded effective today. The Trust received the Fire Victim Trust settlement proceeds from PG&E which includes 476,995,175 shares of PG&E Common Stock and the first installment of…
Most PG&E Fire Victims Won’t Be Able to Appeal Claim Decisions in Court … With Some Exceptions
Most PG&E Fire Victims Won’t Be Able to Appeal Claim Decisions in Court … With Some Exceptions

When the trustee overseeing the compensation fund for PG&E fire victims determines the values of some 80,000 claims, the vast majority of claimants won’t have the opportunity to appeal the decision in court. But the judge overseeing the utility’s bankruptcy case has granted exceptions to…
Tennessee Tornado Insurance Claim and Recovery Help
Tennessee Tornado Insurance Claim and Recovery Help

If your home or business was damaged or destroyed in the recent Nashville area tornadoes, we are here to give you reliable guidance during the recovery process.  UP recommends focusing on photographing and documenting damaged and destroyed property, getting a complete current copy of your…
Business interruption insurance falls short in a pandemic
Business interruption insurance falls short in a pandemic

When Salvatore Ferro saw his Commack-based home remodeling business plummet by more than half due to the coronavirus pandemic, he contacted his insurance broker to find out how to make a claim on his business interruption insurance. He was shocked to learn the policy –…
Can businesses rely on insurance to overcome COVID-19 losses?
Can businesses rely on insurance to overcome COVID-19 losses?

The short answer is, for many it will be a fight. Bottom line:  Don’t take no for an answer until you’ve exhausted all arguments and avenues for help.  And there are many of them. United Policyholders is hard at work curating solid guidance to arm businesses…
#Nashville Strong – Eyes on Roof Repairs
#Nashville Strong – Eyes on Roof Repairs

United Policyholders is providing Roadmap to Recovery services to people and businesses impacted by the recent Nashville Tornadoes.  Thanks to our newest volunteer, Nashville VOAD officer Gary Ward, our Guides are being distributed at official help centers in the region.  Our Roadmap to Recovery help library…
How to Get Your Insurer to Cover Treatment for an Eating Disorder
How to Get Your Insurer to Cover Treatment for an Eating Disorder

If you or a member of your family are suffering from an eating disorder, your insurer may balk at covering treatment by claiming it’s “not medically necessary” or that coverage is limited by plan terms. Knowledge is power when dealing with insurance companies. Their opinion…
State addresses insurance issues
State addresses insurance issues

Homeowners who have faced difficulty renewing home insurance policies can breathe a little easier for now. On Dec. 5, state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara issued a mandatory one year moratorium on insurance companies not renewing policyholders, helping at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster areas…