Property owners face important deadlines on second anniversary of wildfire
Property owners face important deadlines on second anniversary of wildfire

El Paso County, CO, April 29, 2015 – With the two year anniversary of the Black Forest Fire approaching El Paso County reminds property owners to keep in mind important insurance deadlines. “Residents impacted by the Black Forest Fire need to meet certain deadlines in…
AG lawsuit: State Farm enriched itself through Katrina homeowner program
AG lawsuit: State Farm enriched itself through Katrina homeowner program

Attorney General Jim Hood is suing State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. over millions of dollars he claims the state lost because the insurance company “maliciously” denied Hurricane Katrina claims for wind losses while the federally funded Homeowners Assistance Program picked up the tab.The lawsuit…
Tips to avoid being ripped off when property is damaged by storms
Tips to avoid being ripped off when property is damaged by storms

SAGINAW, MI WNEM) -It’s severe weather season, so Angie’s List has put together some tips about how to avoid being ripped off if your property is damaged in the storm. 1. Avoid door-to-door solicitors Drifter companies often rush to disaster areas where widespread damage has…
The Big One Is Coming: Should Californians Get Earthquake Insurance?
The Big One Is Coming: Should Californians Get Earthquake Insurance?

In disaster movies, California gets hit hard: The Golden Gate Bridge has fallen umpteen times. Los Angeles has been flattened by megaquakes and monstrous destruction. And let’s not even talk about the damage wrought by cyborgs sent back in time to ensure a nuclear holocaust.…
Insurance commissioner, consumer advocate split over Allstate rates
Insurance commissioner, consumer advocate split over Allstate rates

In the California insurance world, activist Harvey Rosenfield and Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones have been longtime collaborators. Until recently. Rosenfield, a feisty consumer advocate from Santa Monica, wrote Proposition 103, a landmark 1988 ballot measure that turned the insurance commissioner into an elected position. It…
Sandy insurance settlements won’t make homeowners whole
Sandy insurance settlements won’t make homeowners whole

The flood-insurance settlements being brokered for superstorm Sandy victims may be a victory for thousands of homeowners who have long waited for money to rebuild. Yet many, if not most, are still apt to come out behind. Federal law limits how much the National Flood…
Colorado disasters lead to home insurance spikes, cancellations
Colorado disasters lead to home insurance spikes, cancellations

Colorado is now one of the worst places in the United States for natural disasters. That’s if your measure is insurance claims filed by homeowners. The state is now second only to tornado-struck Oklahoma for catastrophic claims, according to new data from the Insurance Research…
The Storm after the Storm
The Storm after the Storm

The following is a script from “The Storm after the Storm” which aired on March 1, 2015. Sharyn Alfonsi is the correspondent. Oriana Zill de Granados and Michael Rey, producers.When Hurricane Sandy made its way towards the East Coast in the fall of 2012, residents…
Lawyers, FEMA in talks to settle Sandy insurance appeals
Lawyers, FEMA in talks to settle Sandy insurance appeals

By JOE RYAN joe.ryan@newsday.com After months of deadlock, lawyers for hundreds of homeowners suing over flood insurance claims from superstorm Sandy said they made significant progress in talks Tuesday with federal officials to design a broad framework to settle the cases.The attorneys spent more than…
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing
Insurance Commissioner notifies insurers to cease illegal pricing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones today issued a notice to all property and casualty insurers doing business in California advising them that so-called “price optimization” in ratemaking is unfairly discriminatory and violates the law.Price optimization is used by insurers to set rates based…
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered
Hurricane Sandy Victims Say Damage Reports Were Altered

When Frank Johnston’s insurance carrier rejected his claim that flooding from Hurricane Sandy had severely damaged the foundation of his Fire Island home, the company cited an engineering report that seemed to establish his problems were “unrelated” to the storm, and were caused instead by…
The largely unregulated service plan industry is booming in South Carolina
The largely unregulated service plan industry is booming in South Carolina

A new type of junk mail has been showing up in South Carolinians’ mailboxes over the past year. The one thing that makes it stand out from the pile of coupons, scams, and credit card offers? The logo of a public utility company, bought and…
N.Y. opens criminal probe into rejected Sandy claims
N.Y. opens criminal probe into rejected Sandy claims

New York’s attorney general has opened a criminal probe into accusations by Hurricane Sandy victims that insurance companies rejected claims for flood damage to their properties based on falsified engineering reports, a person familiar with the matter said.New York homeowners have filed at least three…
Dallas-area insurers see spike in calls about quake policies
Dallas-area insurers see spike in calls about quake policies

Earthquake insurance isn’t exactly a familiar product to Texas homeowners, unlike their counterparts in quake-prone California. But after a series of earthquakes were recorded in a swarm last week near State Highways 114 and 183 in Irving, insurance companies have started receiving calls from consumers…
Insurers accused of rigging Sandy flood claims with slanted reports, but evidence is elusive
Insurers accused of rigging Sandy flood claims with slanted reports, but evidence is elusive

By DAVID B. CARUSO and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated PressNEW YORK (AP) — When Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast, flood insurance companies working for the Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched an army of structural engineers to do some detective work.Their assignment: Find out how much…
FEMA says it is investigating allegations of falsified Sandy engineering reports
FEMA says it is investigating allegations of falsified Sandy engineering reports

By JOE RYAN joe.ryan@newsday.com An attorney for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Tuesday said the organization was investigating allegations that engineering reports were secretly rewritten after superstorm Sandy to deny claims on government-funded flood insurance policies.FEMA associate general counsel Jordan Fried told a panel of…
FEMA RESPONDS TO COMPLAINTS FROM SANDY VICTIMS, AGREEING TO CONSIDER REFORMS
FEMA RESPONDS TO COMPLAINTS FROM SANDY VICTIMS, AGREEING TO CONSIDER REFORMS

Agency announces plan of action, including new advocate, and will reopen nearly 300 closed claimsMonths of pressure from storm survivors and lawmakers in New Jersey and New York culminated Friday with the Federal Emergency Management Agency committing to reform key parts of the National Flood…
U.S. court panel: Why are Sandy flood claims still unpaid 2 years later?
U.S. court panel: Why are Sandy flood claims still unpaid 2 years later?

Thousands of property owners across the metropolitan area who thought their federally funded flood insurance would cover damage from superstorm Sandy were bitterly disappointed when it did not, and many sued for more money. So far, few of those cases have been settled or resolved,…