The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold On!
The Great Shake Out: Drop, Cover and Hold On!

United Policyholders will be participating in The Great California ShakeOut, and we hope you will too. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterward. The ShakeOut is a statewide earthquake drill that will occur in houses,…
Sharp Disagreement At NAIC Session On Readability Of Consumer Information
Sharp Disagreement At NAIC Session On Readability Of Consumer Information

Industry representatives sharply disagreed with two law professors who argued personal lines policies should be posted online where they would be readily available to consumers who wanted to look at them prior to signing onto them. Spokesmen for the American Insurance Association and the National…
20 years after Oakland firestorm, insurance snags remain
20 years after Oakland firestorm, insurance snags remain

Reporting from Oakland— For months after the 1991 Oakland hills fire reduced his home to a charred heap, Howard Matis would return from work, then close his eyes and imagine the contents of every drawer, shelf, cupboard and closet of his two-story bungalow. His was…
Is quake insurance worth it with little equity?
Is quake insurance worth it with little equity?

Q: Reader Clare S. of El Cerrito asks: “Are there any advantages to carrying earthquake insurance if we have little equity in our home?” A: Doug Heller, executive director of Consumer Watchdog, says earthquake insurance protects three things: your equity, the structure itself and your…
Oakland hills fire: homeowners in high-risk areas must make sure they have adequate coverage
Oakland hills fire: homeowners in high-risk areas must make sure they have adequate coverage

For months after the 1991 Oakland hills fire reduced his home on Sherwick Drive to a charred heap, Howard Matis would return from work, then close his eyes and imagine the contents of every drawer, shelf, cupboard and closet of his two-story bungalow. But how…
San Bruno fire victims struggle with insurance companies
San Bruno fire victims struggle with insurance companies

SAN BRUNO, Calif. KGO) — More than a year after the San Bruno pipeline explosion, recovering and rebuilding is slow-going. Homeowners are having a hard time getting what they need from their insurance companies. The intersection where a PG&E pipeline exploded over a year ago…
ConsumerWatch: Does Your Insurance Policy Protect?
ConsumerWatch: Does Your Insurance Policy Protect?

The next day, a larger storm came. Water came through sewers and manhole covers to flood the streets, turning Capitola into a lake. Home to many mom and pop shops already struggling to survive, dealing with the aftermath may have been even tougher than the…
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones Marks 20th Anniversary of Berkeley, Oakland Firestorm
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones Marks 20th Anniversary of Berkeley, Oakland Firestorm

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 19 — The California Department of Insurance issued the following news release: Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, joined by Assemblymember Nancy Skinner D-Berkeley) and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan will mark the 20th anniversary of the Berkeley, Oakland Firestorm and the 20th year of…
Hills fire fueled changes in insurance practices
Hills fire fueled changes in insurance practices

After surviving the 1991 firestorm, thousands of Oakland residents faced a new nightmare: fighting insurance companies that stalled on making payouts and tried to lowball the costs of rebuilding. “People don’t realize that you have the first disaster of the fire itself, then the disaster…
Quake near D.C. can help us prepare for the ‘Big One’
Quake near D.C. can help us prepare for the ‘Big One’

It’s been an interesting year as fellow Americans on the East Coast have faced more than their fair share of natural disasters. And the most shocking revelation was the false assumption that earthquakes are exclusive to the West Coast. But this summer’s earthquake centered in…
One year after blast, San Bruno still isn’t whole
One year after blast, San Bruno still isn’t whole

Walk around Crestmoor, the San Bruno neighborhood where a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. natural gas pipe blew up one year ago today, and one thing is clear through the coastal mist and construction dust: What took minutes to ruin will take years to restore.…
Homeowners insurance regulations take effect
Homeowners insurance regulations take effect

New statewide homeowners insurance regulations took effect Monday that, depending upon who you believe, either protect consumers against under being insured or restrict the ability of insurers to enlighten homeowners about their coverage. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced the new regs Monday along with…
Insurance commissioner announces new regulations to protect homeowners from being underinsured
Insurance commissioner announces new regulations to protect homeowners from being underinsured

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, joined by Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, announced on Monday a series of new homeowners regulations aimed at enhancing the standards and training for estimating the replacement value on homeowners’ insurance in the event of a disaster. These new…
New rules aim to curb homeowner underinsurance
New rules aim to curb homeowner underinsurance

The devastating wildfires of 2007 burned twice for Janice and John Strizver. There was the the initial, horrific loss of their Ramona home consumed by fire. And then came the slow, angry burn on realizing that their insurance payout would fall far short of the…
Nonprofit to Hold Workshop to Address Fire Survivors’ Legal, Insurance Questions
Nonprofit to Hold Workshop to Address Fire Survivors’ Legal, Insurance Questions

The workshop will provide tips and emotional support for those still struggling to recover from the Sept. 9 pipeline explosion. As the anniversary of the Sept. 9 pipeline explosion approaches, nonprofit United Policyholders wants to make sure survivors of the fire get all their legal…
State Officials Unveil New Insurance Regulations
State Officials Unveil New Insurance Regulations

Regulations Would Require Companies To Reveal Costs To Replace Homes After Disaster SAN DIEGO — Despite a lawsuit trying to stop it, state Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones implemented new regulations requiring insurance companies to reveal the true and complete costs to homeowner who want to…
Insurance Commissioner: Time to prepare for wildfires
Insurance Commissioner: Time to prepare for wildfires

With the advent of fire season, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones visited Rancho Bernardo Thursday to remind locals that they should prepare a home inventory list now. The list, along with doing an annual update of property insurance policies to reflect current rebuilding prices and…
Home replacement costs at center of California insurance dispute
Home replacement costs at center of California insurance dispute

In a move to prevent homeowners from being underinsured after disasters, the California insurance commissioner has imposed new regulations for estimating a home’s replacement value for insurance purposes. Some insurers have sued in response, saying the regulations overstep the commissioner’s legal boundaries and could harm…