Insurance Policyholder Advocate Gets Sandy Grant
Insurance Policyholder Advocate Gets Sandy Grant

More than five months after superstorm Sandy hit the Jersey Shore, some owners of damaged homes, cars and businesses are still waiting for insurance settlements. Last week, a California-based advocacy group for insurance policyholders was awarded a small grant that could help them resolve their…
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…
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…
Most Americans uninformed about long-term care insurance
Most Americans uninformed about long-term care insurance
Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims: An exercise in exasperation, homeowners say
Hurricane Sandy Flood Insurance Claims: An exercise in exasperation, homeowners say

Meg Kelly uses three images when summing up her experience with Hurricane Sandy.First, the freight train: the thundering wind gusts that barreled through her Neptune neighborhood the night of Oct. 29.Then, the tsunami: the punishing surge that sprang from the surrounding bay and deluged the…
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…
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…
Class action lawsuit filed against 9 insurance companies over Hurricane Irene, Sandy claims
Class action lawsuit filed against 9 insurance companies over Hurricane Irene, Sandy claims

The definition of a basement is the focal point of a class action lawsuit that deals with insurance claims filed for damages caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011 and superstorm Sandy in late October. The lawsuit is one of the first to include both Sandy…
Sandy Victims Should Winterize Their Homes
Sandy Victims Should Winterize Their Homes

Coverage Can Exclude Frozen & Burst Pipes, If Precautions Aren’t Taken With winter’s freezing temperatures rapidly approaching, insurance experts are advising victims of Hurricane Sandy to act now to winterize their homes to avoid further damage that won’t be covered by their homeowners policies. Many…
Sandy’s Crash Course on Hurricane Deductibles
Sandy’s Crash Course on Hurricane Deductibles

An insurance industry that has taken its lumps from hurricanes has come to treat them differently. Today, homeowners insurance often comes with special and potentially steeper deductibles that kick in when claims are related to the punishing storms. Superstorm Sandy recently raised awareness about hurricane…
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…
A 12-step plan for your Sandy insurance claim
A 12-step plan for your Sandy insurance claim

Some consumers will be shocked to learn that superstorm Sandy devastated not only cities, coastal areas and transit systems — but their pocketbooks, too. “A lot of people are going to have a rude wake-up call after this storm and realize that flood damage isn’t…
Christie Administration Takes Action to Protect Storm-Impacted New Jersey Homeowners from Higher Insurance Deductibles
Christie Administration Takes Action to Protect Storm-Impacted New Jersey Homeowners from Higher Insurance Deductibles

Trenton, NJ – Taking action to save homeowners money following Hurricane Sandy, Governor Chris Christie signed Executive Order 107, prohibiting insurance companies from imposing costly hurricane deductibles on New Jersey homeowners. An important part of the recovery of New Jersey will be the influx of…
The overlooked benefits of renters insurance
The overlooked benefits of renters insurance

The storm damage is still be tallied up from Sandy, but lot of New York residents will have to cover their losses themselves. That’s because most households in New York city rent — nearly 70 percent — and renter’s insurance isn’t a very popular product.…
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…