The Strip Mining of Legal Rights
The Strip Mining of Legal Rights

By: Ralph Nader and Theresa AmatoThe fine print in standard form contracts is undermining tort law, and it is not limited to mandatory arbitration. Corporations use it to insulate themselves and take away consumers’ tort law rights in other ways, including unfair choice of law…
Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for Long-Term-Care Insurance: How to Pick the Best the Policy for Your Needs and What to Avoid
Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for Long-Term-Care Insurance: How to Pick the Best the Policy for Your Needs and What to Avoid

It’s a decision many baby boomers are grappling with: Should I buy long-term-care insurance? The decision has never been more difficult. According to researchers at Georgetown University and Pennsylvania State University, about 70% of individuals 65 and older will need long-term care—whether at home or…
Pesky Gaps and Caps
Pesky Gaps and Caps

(No) thanks to past wildfires, many Scripps Ranch residents have as much insurance expertise as professional agents or brokers. During the vacation months when empty homes are a target for burglars, it’s worth checking your homeowner’s policy for those pesky “internal limits” that apply to…
Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It?
Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It?

By ANN CARRNSThe New York Times, MARCH 21, 2014Every day, Jesse Slome says, about a half-dozen people contact his office at the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a group for industry professionals, to complain about premium increases on their policies.Financial planners, too, are hearing…
Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution
Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution

For Release: April 8, 2014Media Calls Only: 916-492-3566Annuities are good retirement tools, but exercise caution SACRAMENTO, Calif. – In observance of National Retirement Planning week, the California Department of Insurance is reminding consumers about the importance of understanding what they are purchasing before signing on…
Black Forest Residents Still Healing, Rebuilding
Black Forest Residents Still Healing, Rebuilding

Ten months after the most destructive wildfire in state history, residents of Black Forest have made significant headway in the rebuilding process. Today, areas where charred remains once stood are now dozens of brand new homes at various stages of construction. One hundred and forty-two…
Calling your health insurer? Prepare to hold
Calling your health insurer? Prepare to hold

“All of our representatives are currently assisting other callers. Please remain on the line and the next available representative will assist you.” When Liz Scherer tried to confirm her enrollment in a new health insurance plan after her old policy was canceled under the Affordable…
Bank of America Settles Forced-Place Insurance Claims for $228M
Bank of America Settles Forced-Place Insurance Claims for $228M

Bank of America Corp. agreed to pay $228 million to settle claims the bank overcharged for insurance homeowners were forced to accept when their regular policies lapsed.The amount was disclosed in a document requesting approval for the accord filed yesterday in Miami federal court. Lawyers…
Roadmap to Recovery Workshop in Colorado Springs
Roadmap to Recovery Workshop in Colorado Springs

The United Policyholders, a nonprofit consumer group, will hold another of its “Roadmap to Recovery” workshops Thursday to help those who lost property in the Black Forest and Waldo Canyon fires and 2013 floods. The free workshop, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Woodmen…
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One
5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2014 Notice to Consumers5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big OneEarthquake insurance can help residents repair, rebuild, or replaceLOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 5.1 La Habra earthquake was significantly more powerful than the 4.4 magnitude…
3 Tax Prep Tips for Natural Disasters
3 Tax Prep Tips for Natural Disasters

Were you the victim of a tornado, flood, fire, hurricane or other natural disaster last year? According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, there were 62 declared disasters across the U.S. last year. Aside from direct relief from Uncle Sam usually via FEMA), there are…
Taxing tasks
Taxing tasks

April 15th is right around the corner, and while filing for an extension is certainly an option, disaster survivors get no automatic exception to the tax filing deadline. The IRS did just announce, however, that Colorado flood victims have until October to decide which tax year…
Resources: “Last Chance” Webinar Before April Sandy Deadline
Resources: “Last Chance” Webinar Before April Sandy Deadline

Thank you for attending the “Last Chance” Webinar Before April Sandy Deadline.  Here you will find the resources referenced in the webinar: Sandy NFIP Claim Help “Last Chance” Webinar: 3/26/14 at 12:30pm EST Presenters: Amy Bach, Executive Director, United Policyholders David Charles, Master Claims Consulting View the…
Storm Sandy Mediation Program: A Learning Experience
Storm Sandy Mediation Program: A Learning Experience

By: Dan Wade, Staff Attorney The government-sponsored Storm Sandy mediation programs in New York and New Jersey offered the promise of a low-cost easy access forum for disaster survivors to sit down face-to-face with their insurer to resolve claim disputes. A modest number of homeowners…
ConsumerWatch: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?
ConsumerWatch: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It?

Despite the risk of earthquakes, an estimated 10 percent of California homeowners have earthquake insurance. KPIX 5 ConsumerWatch asks if the state’s earthquake insurance fund is healthy. Julie Watts reports.
New York Federal Court Consolidates Pending Hurricane Sandy Cases
New York Federal Court Consolidates Pending Hurricane Sandy Cases

UPdate 7/18/14 At the request of insurers, three New York Magistrate Judges overseeing the Consolidated Case have asked plaintiffs to withdraw supplemental state law “bad faith” claims. The three-judge panel explained that plaintiffs have failed to address these claims in accordance with the Court’s discovery…
Farmers Insurance Ordered to Pay Woodward Tornado Victims $15M
Farmers Insurance Ordered to Pay Woodward Tornado Victims $15M

Shelly Hobbie walks through the rubble left of her son’s mobile home in Woodward, Okla. on April 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)An Oklahoma judge has ordered Farmers Insurance and a subsidiary to pay a total of $15 million to three plaintiffs who filed property claims…
How mortgage servicers are strong-arming the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado among others)
How mortgage servicers are strong-arming the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado among others)

Unnatural Disaster: How mortgage servicers are strong-arming the victims of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado among others) On May 20, a massive EF5 tornado whipped through heavily populated Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 and injuring nearly 400. That tragedy has now shifted into the drudgery of recovery.…