Major Improvements Coming to Crestmoor Neighborhood
Major Improvements Coming to Crestmoor Neighborhood

The city is set to begin the next improvements to the Crestmoor neighborhood as part of the effort to rebuild the area damaged by the Sept. 9, 2010, PG&E pipeline explosion. Some of the rebuilding work has already taken place to bring the neighborhood some…
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…
The cost of peace of mind
The cost of peace of mind

Local couple fight for their long-term-care insurance. Edwin Goldstein who has been with his long-term-care insurer since 1993 is being asked to reapply because of an alleged missed payment. Goldstein has turned to attorneys, his congressman, and state officials for help. At 83, and eight…
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…
Model indicates coastal insurance rates should be lower, so why don’t they drop?
Model indicates coastal insurance rates should be lower, so why don’t they drop?

Are most residents of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts due big price cuts for homeowners insurance — maybe as much as 34 percent in Baldwin County, for example? That’s one of the findings suggested in an analysis presented by modeling firm Risk Management Solutions to…
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…
Fourmile Fire reveals snags in insurance claim process
Fourmile Fire reveals snags in insurance claim process

The frustrations of area residents who lost their homes last year in the Fourmile Fire could lead to changes in the way the state regulates insurance companies and how insurance agents work with clients. The Fourmile Fire, which started Sept. 6, 2010, burned more than…
Consumer alert: Allstate seeks premium hike
Consumer alert: Allstate seeks premium hike

If you’re a Pennsylvania resident with Allstate Property & Casualty homeowners insurance, you may face an unpleasant surprise this fall: a sizable boost in your insurance premium. You can just suck it up – as Allstate undoubtedly expects most policyholders to do – or you…
Settling an Insurance Claim: When to Hire a Professional
Settling an Insurance Claim: When to Hire a Professional

A few days ago I wrote about how to challenge the first offer your insurance company makes in respect to a claim you have filed. In that column, I stressed the importance of carefully reviewing the adjusters report and using the documentation you gathered to…
Where can Irene & Lee flood victims find assistance?
Where can Irene & Lee flood victims find assistance?

Listen to the Radio Broadcast Ben Lawsky, Superintendent of the Department of Financial Services joins us. Homeowners affected by recent floods are eligible for free legal consultation through the New York State Bar Association. Volunteer attorneys are available to answer questions about insurance, property disputes,…
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.…