New York Regulator Says Sandy Complaints Show Need for Uniformity, Clarity in Policies
New York Regulator Says Sandy Complaints Show Need for Uniformity, Clarity in Policies

BY MARK E. RUQUET, PROPERTYCASUALTY360February 27, 2013 New York’s top insurance regulator says Superstorm Sandy has revealed glaring gaps in consumer knowledge about coverages, and has highlighted the need for uniformity and clarity in property-insurance policies.Addressing members of the State Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance…
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People who’ve negotiated their way through an insurance claim can be an excellent source of success strategies. Many members of UP’s staff and volunteer corps fit that bill. If you find yourself underinsured after a loss or need help getting your lender to release an…
Watchdog: Sandy insurance complaints growing
Watchdog: Sandy insurance complaints growing

TRENTON — Sandy has created a superstorm of insurance complaints.Consumers are hounding state insurance regulators to combat slow action by insurers or for help on other claim matters.The state Department of Banking and Insurance has fielded 481 Sandy-related inquiries and complaints. Seventeen cases are formal…
Surviving Superstorm Sandy: One family’s story
Surviving Superstorm Sandy: One family’s story

After Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast, the Ingber family spent one night trapped in their dark apartment in Long Beach, N.Y., as the wind howled and rain beat against their windows. It was scary, but they thought their renter’s insurance would help them weather…
Mississippi State Senate Fails Homeowners Again
Mississippi State Senate Fails Homeowners Again

Citizen activist Kevin Buckel continues to work tirelessly to reform the laws in his state to better protect consumers against unfair insurance practices. Despite many setbacks, Kevin has scored important victories: Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney now supports legislation to keep the burden of proof on…
Thinking of hiring a law firm to fight your insurance company? Know what you’re getting into…
Thinking of hiring a law firm to fight your insurance company? Know what you’re getting into…

Todd Kaminsky, the author of this useful article, is a concerned citizen who is using his expertise as a lawyer to help his Long Island neighbors recover from Sandy’s devastation. Todd is a United Policyholders volunteer and we are one of the experts he references…
How did a toddler have so much life insurance?
How did a toddler have so much life insurance?

AMONG THE haunting questions that need to be answered about the death of Prince McLeod Rams is one recently posed in a letter to this page. “What about the insurance companies,” Linda Cole wanted to know of the three firms that wrote policies totaling more…
Four costly homeowners insurance mistakes to avoid
Four costly homeowners insurance mistakes to avoid

This piece was written by Caroline Mayer, a consumer reporter who spent 25 years working for The Washington Post: With record-setting snows pounding the Northeast and tornadoes rocking the South, major weather events are sweeping the country. These storms and subsequent ones are likely to…
Christie, Schumer Blast NFIP and WYO Insurer Delays in Handling Sandy Claims
Christie, Schumer Blast NFIP and WYO Insurer Delays in Handling Sandy Claims

BY ARTHUR D. POSTAL, PROPERTYCASUALTY360.COMThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is coming under heavy fire for its handling of Superstorm Sandy flood claims in New York and New Jersey.The criticisms extended to Write-Your-Own companies that in many cases process flood claims for FEMA.The objections—outlined in a…
6 myths about buying life insurance
6 myths about buying life insurance

Let’s talk about your death. Not much of a sales pitch, is it? Yet that’s precisely the body under the sheet we’re delicately avoiding when we consider buying life insurance. “They call it life insurance but it’s really death insurance. After all, you’ll never live…
Call Kurtis: Overcharges At The Dentist
Call Kurtis: Overcharges At The Dentist

A state worker called Kurtis when her insurance statements didn’t match up with her dental bills. She’s a tax auditor, she crunches numbers for a living. So, when her recent insurance paperwork showed up, she soon found the math didn’t make sense. “Check your claim…
AFTER SANDY: CAN’T GET THE CASH;
AFTER SANDY: CAN’T GET THE CASH;

Homeowners across Long Island are struggling with the cost of rebuilding from superstorm Sandy as they wait for banks and mortgage companies to release their insurance settlements more than two months after the storm. Insurers began cutting checks weeks ago, but most people can’t simply…
Insider tells how some insurance companies rig the system
Insider tells how some insurance companies rig the system

Tony Bartelme Posted: Sunday, December 2, 2012 12:22 a.m. UPDATED: Sunday, December 2, 2012 12:29 a.m. Mark Romano, a former Allstate executive turned whistleblower, stands outside the fence circling Allstate’s massive guarded headquarters in Northbrook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Romano was in charge of…
Go Long?
Go Long?

We all want to be well cared for and comfortable in our old age without being a financial burden to our loved ones. Long Term Care insurance can make those wishes come true. But…if you have a LTC insurance policy or are thinking about buying…
Hurricane deductible reform legislation proposed in NY
Hurricane deductible reform legislation proposed in NY

http://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/uploads/file/S_%201760.pdf
Storm of Money: Small insurance reform groups along U.S. coast take on industry Goliaths
Storm of Money: Small insurance reform groups along U.S. coast take on industry Goliaths

Six years ago, a group of church volunteers in Gulf Shores, Ala., went door to door to “find out where the pain was,” said Michelle Kurtz, one of the leaders. They heard stories about drainage problems and drugs, but to their surprise, one concern generated…
3 Health Insurance Options That May Fail You
3 Health Insurance Options That May Fail You

If you lose of can’t find health insurance coverage, help is on the way. But you’ll have to wait awhile. Beginning in 2014, federal health care reform provisions kick in that will protect people who have pre-existing health conditions and others who are struggling to…
The dangers of letting your life insurance lapse
The dangers of letting your life insurance lapse

It’s one of the life insurance industry’s best-kept secrets – a great number of life insurance policies in the U.S. tend to lapse, meaning the coverage runs out and is not available if you die. Some studies claim as many as 80 percent of policies…