Black Forest Fire victim advises Beulah Hill Fire victims
Black Forest Fire victim advises Beulah Hill Fire victims

Sherri Bertrand shares experience of losing home. A previous wildfire victim in El Paso County is offering advice to victims of a recent fire in Pueblo County. Sherri Bertrand of Black Forest said she was out of town the first week of the Beulah Hill…
Why the W.Va. floods were so deadly and destructive
Why the W.Va. floods were so deadly and destructive

Steep mountains, narrow valleys and a deadly train of storms came together in West Virginia to cause the horrendous flooding that killed 23 people last week, forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed or damaged thousands of homes and businesses. West Virginia got hit by a…
Disputing a Denied Life Insurance Claim in Pennsylvania
Disputing a Denied Life Insurance Claim in Pennsylvania

Losing a loved-one can be devastating. The situation can be even more devastating when the future that was supposed to be secured by a life insurance policy is denied. It doesn’t make sense. The policy was purchased by your loved-one so they could ensure you…
Fla. Law Favors Insured In Defense Row, 11th Circ. Told
Fla. Law Favors Insured In Defense Row, 11th Circ. Told

Insurance consumer group United Policyholders has urged the Eleventh Circuit to find that Auto-Owners Insurance Co. must defend Elite Homes Inc. in a construction defect suit, saying Florida law holds that insurers must provide a defense if there is any possibility of coverage. The consumer…
Insurance emergency bulletin issued for West Virginia flood victims
Insurance emergency bulletin issued for West Virginia flood victims

Flash floods are doubly devastating because they often hit areas that had not been classified as flood risk zones.  Because most people only buy flood insurance if they’re in a zone where mortgage lenders by law make them buy it, flash flood victims rarely have…
Aid may be available to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by April floods
Aid may be available to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by April floods

Texans whose vehicles were damaged or destroyed by this April’s flooding may be eligible to receive federal assistance to repair or replace the vehicle. “Those who may be eligible include not just residents of the designated counties, but also those who were working in or…
Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors
Angie’s List offers free service for Houston flood victims to connect with contractors

HOUSTON – Victims of flooding who need to make home repairs can benefit from a free service now being offered by Angie’s List, a review and rating website geared toward consumers. Angie’s List is offering KPRC viewers, who’ve experienced flood damage, free access to the…
Homeowners responsible for proper insurance
Homeowners responsible for proper insurance

It’s been nearly four years since an unknown source sparked one of the costliest wildfires in Colorado history. Waldo Canyon fire insurance claims totaled more than $350 million — almost $1 million for every home lost. That fire’s infelicitous record would stand less than a…
Nonprofit Says Travelers Wrong On Asbestos Exclusion
Nonprofit Says Travelers Wrong On Asbestos Exclusion

A nonprofit consumer rights and insurance education organization has told the Third Circuit that General Refractories Co. was correctly awarded $36 million in its suit accusing Travelers of improperly denying coverage for asbestos exposure claims, saying the insurer gets Pennsylvania insurance law wrong. United Policyholders,…
Flooded by winter storm? 5 steps you must take
Flooded by winter storm? 5 steps you must take

Many Jersey Shore residents had to mop up from flooding after the weekend blizzard — despite what Gov. Chris Christie initially said — and experts offer these five tips to residents and business owners looking to maximize their flood insurance claims. There was nearly $3…
Expert says Butte Fire homeowners should take time on insurance claims
Expert says Butte Fire homeowners should take time on insurance claims

An expert on wildfire insurance claims Wednesday night told a small group of property owners who lost buildings in the Butte Fire not to be in a hurry to settle with their insurance carriers. “Statistics show that the longer your claim remains open, the more…
Ready for El Niño? Here’s what many homeowners don’t know about flood insurance
Ready for El Niño? Here’s what many homeowners don’t know about flood insurance

LA Times – For the last several months, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have sounded a lot more like salesmen than bureaucrats. And their sales pitch for flood insurance — which harps on the dangers of El Niño while espousing the benefits of…
Earthquake authority offers new insurance options, rebates
Earthquake authority offers new insurance options, rebates

The California Earthquake Authority is offering new insurance policy options this year, including deductibles ranging from 5 to 25 percent, higher coverage limits for personal property and additional living expenses, and a bigger discount for homeowners who submit verified proof of retrofitting. Starting Jan. 20,…
Flood insurance program could be under water without Florida policies
Flood insurance program could be under water without Florida policies

The National Flood Insurance Program was in debt. Lots-of-zeroes kind of debt. So someone came up with the bright idea to raise flood insurance rates to more profitable levels. How were those levels determined? Well, explanations were kinda vague. All we knew was that some…
Connecticut bans use of price optimization for insurance rates
Connecticut bans use of price optimization for insurance rates

Insurance Commissioner Katharine L. Wade announced last week that the state’s Insurance Department has officially warned property and casualty insurance companies against using a controversial pricing method that relies more on consumer buying habits than sound actuarial and risk-based principles. Called “price optimization” or “elasticity…
Thousands of homes damaged by Sandy remain uninsured
Thousands of homes damaged by Sandy remain uninsured

Thousands of Long Island homes damaged by superstorm Sandy are still not covered by flood insurance, leaving much of the region dependent on government aid if another catastrophe hits, a Newsday analysis of federal data has found. Since the 2012 storm, the number of properties…
FEMA’s Sandy Flood Insurance Review Taking Longer Than Expected
FEMA’s Sandy Flood Insurance Review Taking Longer Than Expected

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s review of Superstorm Sandy flood insurance claims is taking longer than expected, with fewer than 200 checks issued. FEMA announced in March the review for as many as 142,000 claims after homeowners complained they were shortchanged. A FEMA official expected…
If you don’t have to buy flood insurance, should you?
If you don’t have to buy flood insurance, should you?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is encouraging Californians to buy flood insurance before El Niño hits, even if they live in low- to moderate-risk areas where it’s not required by lenders. “If there was ever a time to buy flood insurance, this is the time,”…