Wildfires Leave Toxins in Homes. Insurance Companies Can Do More About It
Wildfires Leave Toxins in Homes. Insurance Companies Can Do More About It

Wildfires Leave Toxins in Homes. Insurance Companies Can Do More About It “Throughout the U.S., there is a “lack of a standard for acceptable indoor air quality,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit that promotes insurance rights for homeowners. This has…
Trust Issues
Trust Issues

Putting your home into a Revocable Trust is an estate planning best practice. One of the many challenges in the spotlight since the recent LA wildfires are problems people are having because their destroyed home was held in a trust but the trust wasn’t named…
California Insurance: Intervening, Interfering
California Insurance: Intervening, Interfering

In insurance circles Florida and California have the dubious distinction of being perennial problem children for home and auto insurance. In both states insurance markets have been severely disrupted by unique factors unknown in any other state. In Florida, the disruptor was litigation gone wild.…
Your building survived the fire, but is it safe?
Your building survived the fire, but is it safe?

The massive fires destroyed entire communities, but even in these fire zones and nearby, some buildings survived. The question is – are they habitable? Dana from Pacific Palisades sent us her concerns through Ask 7: “My landlord is pushing for the tenants to move back…
How to make sure a home held in a trust is properly insured
How to make sure a home held in a trust is properly insured

Most people who own real estate and do estate planning put their homes in a Revocable Trust.  By doing this, people get incapacity protections, direct who they want to inherit their property and avoid probate at death. In California, probate is a court supervised process…
L.A. homeowners fight insurers over smoke damage coverage after fires
L.A. homeowners fight insurers over smoke damage coverage after fires

Clashes over covering smoke damage have become a growing issue in recent years as wildfires intensify and home insurance companies look for ways to limit their financial risks. Read more.
State: Home insurance companies can’t cancel policies based solely on aerial photos
State: Home insurance companies can’t cancel policies based solely on aerial photos

The department that oversees private insurance in New Hampshire has warned companies that it takes more than an aerial photo or two of a house to make decisions about issuing a policy. “The Department has received several complaints in recent months in which certain carriers…
Advocate answers questions about home insurance and wildfire recovery
Advocate answers questions about home insurance and wildfire recovery

After the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire destroyed and damaged thousands of homes across Los Angeles County, residents are being forced to navigate the complicated landscape of home and renter insurance. ABC7 Eyewitness News received dozens of questions about home insurance and wildfire recovery. Anchor…
NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications
NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications

While the North Carolina Supreme Court’s recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 comes too late for most insureds to benefit, it should nonetheless have coverage implications far beyond COVID-19 claims, say attorneys at Robinson Bradshaw.…
CA Wildfires Vol. 5 – California’s Insurance Crisis: How Did We Get Here?
CA Wildfires Vol. 5 – California’s Insurance Crisis: How Did We Get Here?

In this vital episode of The Legal Lens Podcast, Angela Reddock-Wright speaks with Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, about the California insurance crisis, wildfire recovery, and what homeowners need to know about filing claims. Amy and her organization, United Policyholders, have spent over…
Fire insurance woes
Fire insurance woes

How do I get my insurance to pay for testing of my home for toxins after the fires that raged through L.A. neighborhoods in January? What if my insurance adjuster says they won’t cover a long-term rental? How can I get help navigating the claims…
Your insurance might not cover everything you think it does: Here’s how to check how much coverage you have
Your insurance might not cover everything you think it does: Here’s how to check how much coverage you have

As many as 3 in 4 U.S. homeowners could be underinsured, claims a recent CBS News report with policy holders urged ensure they are fully aware of the details relating to their respective insurance policy. Paying attention to the small print is also highly advised…
Climate’s unsolicited payout
Climate’s unsolicited payout

Rising weather extremes is destabilising the insurance industry, driving up premium prices and pushing insurers out of high-risk markets. The crisis is also spurring re-invention of insurance sector Probability is business-critical for the insurance industry. The insurer applies the “probability” factor to assess and value…
California Bill Would Force Insurers to Pay Full Coverage Without Requiring Itemization
California Bill Would Force Insurers to Pay Full Coverage Without Requiring Itemization

California’s insurance commissioner joined with state legislators on Friday to propose a new law that would force insurers to pay homeowners 100 percent of the coverage for belongings inside destroyed homes, releasing them from the mentally taxing process of listing every object they lost —…
What Defines a Constitutional Crisis?; California Insurer Gets $1 Billion Bailout After LA Fires
What Defines a Constitutional Crisis?; California Insurer Gets $1 Billion Bailout After LA Fires

0:08 — John Nichols, National Affairs Correspondent for the Nation on the numerous unfavorable court rulings enjoining the Trump Administration and the defining characteristics of a constitutional crisis 0:34 — Joel Laucher, insurance expert and Program Specialist at United Policyholders explains the $1 Billion assessment…
Updated CalFire map shows increase in ‘very high’ fire hazard acreage in Northern California
Updated CalFire map shows increase in ‘very high’ fire hazard acreage in Northern California

CalFire released a new map this week, expanding hazardous fire zones in Northern California. It’s part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order after the Los Angeles fires. Updated for the first time since 2007, CalFire’s new fire hazard severity zone map offers a resource in…
Insurers, Homeowners on the Hook for $1 Billion California FAIR Plan Bailout
Insurers, Homeowners on the Hook for $1 Billion California FAIR Plan Bailout

California insurance regulators have approved a request from the California FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort, to get money from regular insurers to help pay customer claims from the Los Angeles Fires. The $1 billion will be collected from private insurance companies in…
After the Los Angeles Fires, Many Won’t Get Enough Insurance To Rebuild Their Homes
After the Los Angeles Fires, Many Won’t Get Enough Insurance To Rebuild Their Homes

Nobody likes to pay their monthly homeowners insurance premiums. Or at least, we haven’t met anyone who does. But the protection of an insurance policy is worth the annoyance. That is, provided it actually pays out enough. Unfortunately, however, amid the rise of skyrocketing insurance…