Rep. Carter Introduces Bill to Retroactively Restore Flood Insurance Coverage and Retain Current Rates for Policyholders Impacted by Republican Shutdown
Rep. Carter Introduces Bill to Retroactively Restore Flood Insurance Coverage and Retain Current Rates for Policyholders Impacted by Republican Shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congressman Mike Ezell (R-MS), introduced H.R. 5848, theNFIP Retroactive Renewal and Reauthorization Act, legislation to backdate reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to September 30, 2025, while extending the program’s authorization until…
Where We Stand: A Homeowners Insurance Bill of Rights
Where We Stand: A Homeowners Insurance Bill of Rights

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, combined with the rising cost of repairs and building materials, has destabilized the home insurance market. Homeowners increasingly face skyrocketing premium prices, and many are losing coverage as insurance companies pull out of regional markets altogether. At the…
Kane County woman says Allstate threatened to drop insurance over Google Earth photos
Kane County woman says Allstate threatened to drop insurance over Google Earth photos

A woman in Kane County, Illinois, said Allstate threatened to drop her insurance coverage after reviewing pictures of her property that were taken without her knowledge. Roseanna Castillo said her insurer used Google Earth to snap aerial photos of her property. Then she received a…
Climate change, extreme weather are driving up homeowners’ insurance rates in Chicago and beyond
Climate change, extreme weather are driving up homeowners’ insurance rates in Chicago and beyond

Allstate customers in Illinois could see their homeowners’ policies go up more than 14% in a few months. Allstate representatives said these increases in the Chicago area are not specifically related to the wildfires in California — a subject for which concerns about insurance claims…
Climate change may have an impact on your homeowners’ insurance policy
Climate change may have an impact on your homeowners’ insurance policy

Amy Bach, Executive Director and co-founder of United Policyholders, joins Lisa Dent to explain how insurance companies are paying close attention to the uptick of severe weather, adapting to climate change, and applying it to insurance policy premiums when you file a claim. LISTEN
How will climate change and more severe weather affect homeowners’ insurance policies?
How will climate change and more severe weather affect homeowners’ insurance policies?

Climate change means more extreme weather—weather that could be like what the Chicago area saw last week with storms and tornadoes tearing through the area by the dozen. Experts say insurance companies are paying close attention, and the average person should be doing so too.…
Experts have guidance on getting repairs, filing claims, avoiding scams after storm damage
Experts have guidance on getting repairs, filing claims, avoiding scams after storm damage

With severe damage seen throughout the Chicago area as storms brought tornadoes both Sunday and Monday night, experts had some advice on filing insurance claims, and avoiding scams. As of Tuesday evening, a total of five tornadoes had been confirmed in the Chicago area from…
Illinois law leaves Chicago area homeowner with big repair bills after flooding that wasn’t her fault
Illinois law leaves Chicago area homeowner with big repair bills after flooding that wasn’t her fault

Many underground pipes that bring water into Illinois homes are getting old, which means more and more opportunities for the nightmare scenario faced by one Round Lake Beach homeowner. Things are more cozy at Marnia Chapai’s house, but it hasn’t felt like home in a…
Insurance consumer advocate group unveils state-by-state guide to insurance legal rights
Insurance consumer advocate group unveils state-by-state guide to insurance legal rights

For Immediate Release:  March 13, 2023 Contact: Amy Bach, Executive Director SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2023 – United Policyholders (UP), a national insurance consumer advocacy non-profit, today announced a major expansion of its services. Insurance company claim adjusters are required to know and follow the…
Most Americans uninformed about long-term care insurance
Most Americans uninformed about long-term care insurance
Superstorm spotlights home insurance
Superstorm spotlights home insurance

People whose homes were damaged by superstorm Sandy will soon find out whether or not they have enough and the right kind of insurance to rebuild. In other recent disasters, one-half to two-thirds of homeowners discovered after the fact that they were underinsured, often by…
Can mortgage lenders hold your insurance money hostage?
Can mortgage lenders hold your insurance money hostage?

If your home has been seriously damaged or destroyed, your insurance company will release a check made out to both you and your mortgage lender to pay for the necessary repairs. “Lenders have a substantial investment in the property, sometimes more than the homeowner, especially…
Consumer Reports Rates Home Insurers
Consumer Reports Rates Home Insurers

Homeowners buy insurance to protect against disaster. But when disaster strikes, your insurer might not live up to your expectations, especially if you have a large claim, according to our survey of 11,250 subscribers who filed claims in the past few years. The greater the…
Enough’ Insurance is Often Not Enough
Enough’ Insurance is Often Not Enough

In the past few weeks, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history claimed two lives, burned nearly 30 square miles and totally destroyed more than 350 homes. Like almost all homeowners everywhere in the United States, nearly everyone who lost their house to this massive…
RentSafe: Is it a safe choice for renter’s insurance?
RentSafe: Is it a safe choice for renter’s insurance?

About half of American renters don’t have insurance. Some of them probably don’t realize that it’s fairly cheap to buy coverage that’ll protect them if their place catches fire, their stuff gets stolen or even if the dog bites a neighbor. “Renter’s insurance is very…
Life insurers settle with regulators and agree to be more pro-active in seeking out beneficiaries
Life insurers settle with regulators and agree to be more pro-active in seeking out beneficiaries

The California Department of Insurance and six other states have negotiated a $17 million settlement with Prudential Insurance Co. to speed up payouts to life insurance beneficiaries.The settlement requires Prudential to regularly check the Social Security “Death Master” file to determine whether any of its…
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…
Vanishing Act: Your Home Insurance Coverage is Disappearing
Vanishing Act: Your Home Insurance Coverage is Disappearing

There’s a disturbing nationwide trend of insurance companies chipping away at coverage for homeowners, says Amy Bach, executive director of the nonprofit United Policyholders consumer group. She says she’s disturbed by what she sees as policies becoming less adequate. “We have been working on a…