Wildfire Relief Donations Distributed
Wildfire Relief Donations Distributed

Today the Austin Community Foundation is awarding more than $830,000 in grant money from the Central Texas Wildfire Fund. The money was donated by people from across the country and raised through the “Fire Relief” concert held last October. Nine organizations are receiving between $2,000…
Roofing Regulation Causes Last Minute Controversy
Roofing Regulation Causes Last Minute Controversy

A bill designed to protect homeowners when hiring a roofing company is on its way to Governor Hickenlooper’s office, but critics are spearheading an effort to get the measure vetoed. Their concern with the bill is the way it could be interpreted. Colorado’s historic hail…
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…
Insurers say EQ Insurance an affordable option in Ohio to cover fracking damage
Insurers say EQ Insurance an affordable option in Ohio to cover fracking damage

April 16, 2012 – Last year’s uptick in the state’s seismic activity may have some Ohioans rethinking about the overall risk for earthquakes and the need for earthquake (EQ) insurance coverage. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Geological Survey Ohio Seismic Network reports…
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…
One homeowner’s travails: Even after more than six years, family can’t move back into “new” house
One homeowner’s travails: Even after more than six years, family can’t move back into “new” house

By Bob Butler, Fellow, G.W. Williams Center for Independent Journalism, and Jessica Williams, The Lens staff writer |Each day, after wrapping up work as a streetcar operator, Kisa Holmes drives by to check on the house she bought in the Upper 9th Ward just weeks…
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim
Here’s the scoop: Bat poop leads to legal fight over home insurance claim

Homeowners worried about problems that their insurance policies might not cover can add one more item to the list: bat scat. That’s right, bat poop. In a case so strange that many insurance experts say they’ve never heard of a similar one, the Wisconsin Supreme…
Car repair shops getting squeezed by insurers: Consumers Beware
Car repair shops getting squeezed by insurers: Consumers Beware

Car repair shops across the country say insurance companies are controlling their prices by steering customers toward preferred businesses that do their bidding.Several business owners in Central Iowa took their complaint to the governor’s office in September, and state legislators will likely address the issue…
New York Insurance Department acts to protect consumers against unfair practices related to Retained Asset Accounts (Life Insurance policy features)
New York Insurance Department acts to protect consumers against unfair practices related to Retained Asset Accounts (Life Insurance policy features)

CUOMO ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO PROTECT INSURANCE BENEFITS OF NEW YORK SOLDIERS, VETERANS, AND THEIR FAMILIES Superintendent Lawsky Announces Life Insurers Should Pay Full Benefits Owed To Survivors And Not Hold Funds In Their Own Accounts Unless Soldiers And Their Families Expressly Choose That OptionBenjamin M.…
Allstate policy raises roof on prices in Oklahoma
Allstate policy raises roof on prices in Oklahoma

Insurance costs: Oklahoma homeowners could pay more under terms of a new Allstate policy, which no longer pays the full cost of repairing or replacing older roofs. A new type of homeowners’ insurance launched in Oklahoma by Allstate Corp. no longer pays for the full…
Insurers rethink homeowners policies in the wake of major disasters
Insurers rethink homeowners policies in the wake of major disasters

Phillip Berger insured his Maryland home through Allstate for 23 years. But a home disaster forced him to take his business elsewhere, he said. Berger, 58, is not new to property damage or insurer conflict. Years ago, a tornado swept over his home and damaged…
A Terrific Texas Tool
A Terrific Texas Tool

The quality of your insurance policy really does matter, but figuring out which company sells better protection is tricky. Ads are often misleading, and most insurance companies don’t show you a copy of their policy until after you’ve bought it. Then…good luck reading the fine…
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers
Flood disaster made worse by some insurers

Any kind of disaster insurance can be very tricky. Fine print in a policy can mean the difference between having the money to rebuild – and having nothing. But, reports Julie Watts, of CBS station KPIX in San Francisco, a dispute over what caused a…
New York Probes Home Insurers
New York Probes Home Insurers

New York’s Department of Financial Services has been probing banks and insurance companies for allegedly obtaining excessive fees on homeowners’ policies that they force borrowers to pay for when their insurance lapses, said people familiar with the matter.Superintendent Benjamin M. Lawsky in the fall of…
New rules help CA homeowners with insurance
New rules help CA homeowners with insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. KGO) — If a disaster strikes, is your home fully insured? New rules are now in effect to make sure you’re covered. 7 On Your Side’s Michael Finney explains. You pay for insurance for years, hoping to never need it. Then, there’s a…
David Baria celebrates victory after grueling campaign season
David Baria celebrates victory after grueling campaign season

I am happy to be a resident of one of the best communities in the entire world,” a jubilant David Baria said last night at his victory party at Bay St. Louis’ 100 Men Hall after his successful bid to succeed long-time state legislator J.P.…
Workshops help Boulder County homeowners find out if they’re underinsured
Workshops help Boulder County homeowners find out if they’re underinsured

Once the last embers of the Fourmile Fire were extinguished, the owners of the 169 burned homes were left with another challenge — wrangling with their insurance companies. The results of their efforts may serve as a cautionary tale to other homeowners in Boulder County…
The Toll of the Tea Fire: Three years later, community struggles to rebuild
The Toll of the Tea Fire: Three years later, community struggles to rebuild

On November 13, 2008, a firestorm roared across the flanks of the Santa Ynez Mountains and changed many lives in Montecito forever. Lance and Carla Hoffman were enjoying an afternoon together when the fire, still in its infancy, suddenly flared up and over a hillside.…