Few have flood insurance to help recover from devastating Midwest storms
Few have flood insurance to help recover from devastating Midwest storms

Many Midwestern homeowners hit by bad flooding this week do not have flood insurance Rick Satterwhite’s house backs up to the Missouri River, but flood insurance hadn’t really seemed necessary – until this week, when he had to pump water out of his basement after…
Complaints to MN Department of Commerce about homeowner insurance doubled since 2020
Complaints to MN Department of Commerce about homeowner insurance doubled since 2020

Homeowners insurance complaints to the Minnesota Department of Commerce have more than doubled since 2020, jumping from 569 in 2020 to 1,185 complaints in 2023. Many of those complaints are from homeowners concerned their claims were denied or they faced high out-of-pocket costs after damage…
Catch UP on roof damage with Alex Jadin
Catch UP on roof damage with Alex Jadin

In this Catch UP segment, Minnesota attorney Alex Jadin shares his insights and expertise on roof damage insurance claims in Minnesota.  
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…
Minnesota Insurance Commissioner Acts to Protect Drivers from Unfair Auto Insurance Prices
Minnesota Insurance Commissioner Acts to Protect Drivers from Unfair Auto Insurance Prices

Insurance giant Farmers has been ordered to refund money, pay a penalty, and change its pricing practices in Minnesota by Insurance Commissioner Mike Rothman after the state’s Commerce Department found that the company charged higher auto insurance premiums to drivers who did not own their…
Minneapolis Couple Has Insurance Warning For Homeowners
Minneapolis Couple Has Insurance Warning For Homeowners

A Twin Cities couple calls their experience with an insurance company a lesson that all homeowners should learn. David Hettlinger and his wife are still trying to recover from a storm two summers ago. Wind damaged the roof of their home in southeast Minneapolis, but…
Minnesota house insurance premiums leap after just one claim
Minnesota house insurance premiums leap after just one claim

Minnesota tops the nation in terms of how much the cost of a homeowners insurance policy jumps after a claim. Filing just one claim raises the annual premium cost in Minnesota an average of 21.2 percent, according to report out Wednesday by InsuranceQuotes.com, an online…
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…
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…
Storms push insurance rates sky-high
Storms push insurance rates sky-high

Insurers say they’re tired of rolling the dice with Mother Nature and losing, but critics say rate increases have gone too far. Homeowners insurance premiums are soaring in Minnesota, and consumers can expect more rate shocks ahead as insurance companies wager that a run of…
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…
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…
5 lies home insurance agents tell
5 lies home insurance agents tell

Sometimes insurance agents tell you what they think you want to hear in order to sell a home insurance policy and secure a commission. When misfortunes occur, homeowners who count on insurance to carry them through tough times sometimes get an unpleasant surprise: They don’t…