Roadmap to Recovery Program Update: March 2009
Roadmap to Recovery Program Update: March 2009

Wildfire relief work continues in San Diego, Arrowhead/Running Springs/ Fallbrook/Escondido and in Yorba Linda and Santa Barbara UP continues our work hosting meetings, insurance break-out group sessions and providing online resources to 2007 wildfire survivors in San Diego and San Bernardino counties.  Our recent meeting…
Know Thy Risks
Know Thy Risks

Californians can find out about potential hazards near your home or workplace through the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services here: http://myhazards.calema.ca.gov.  Once your hazards are identified, this website will give you action steps to make sure you and your family are better prepared when disaster strikes, no matter…
Amicus Project Update: March 2009
Amicus Project Update: March 2009

Since our last issue, UP went to bat in court for individual and business policyholders in New York, California and Florida and Mississippi. In New York we continued our work promoting full legal protection for policyholders who fall victim to unfair insurance practices, and in California we advocated for…
The beauty of insurance when it works, the ugliness when it doesn’t
The beauty of insurance when it works, the ugliness when it doesn’t

Taking property insurers’ financial temperature amidst the crisis There are varying opinions on how property insurers are faring in the current economic crisis as investment returns have plummeted. The Ernst & Young Global Insurance Center’s US property-casualty industry outlook for 2009 asserts that the property-casualty sector has…
Volunteer Spotlight: March 2009
Volunteer Spotlight: March 2009

Jan Rasmussen and David Shalinsky Prominent members of the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church, Jan Rasmussen and David Shalinsky serve as a bridge between the Church’s resources, UP’s Roadmap to Recovery program, and hundreds of fire families in need of support.  Both Jan and David lost their own homes…
How are insurance safety nets holding up six months after a major CA wildfire?
How are insurance safety nets holding up six months after a major CA wildfire?

At the six-month mark after wildfires destroyed 2,170 structures in Southern California last October, it’s a good time to look at how insurance safety nets are holding up for homeowners. Reasonably well for some, but for most, the nets have big holes. There is a…
AMA issues first report card on health insurers
AMA issues first report card on health insurers

Some health insurance companies rate doctors on their performance. Now doctors are turning the tables.The American Medical Association issued its first health insurance report card at the group’s annual meeting Monday. The primary focus is on how quickly and accurately doctors get paid.”Physicians are spending…
Firestorm: 4 Years Later
Firestorm: 4 Years Later

as posted at www.scrippsranch.org Just a few days shy of the four-year anniversary of the disastrous Cedar Fire, another horrific firestorm broke out in roughly the same area as in 2003. Through television coverage, the Internet, and email, Scripps Ranch residents kept a close eye on…
Short Cuts: The Peace of Mind of Home Insurance, Unless You Use It
Short Cuts: The Peace of Mind of Home Insurance, Unless You Use It

There is a saying among consumer advocates regarding homeowner’s insurance: “Use it and lose it.” It is not a phrase that insurance companies are particularly fond of. But it sums up how all too many people feel about their homeowner’s insurance: if you decide to…
What to look for in homeowners insurance
What to look for in homeowners insurance

NEW YORK CNN/Money) – Our homes are more than valuable assets. They’re safe havens, and protecting them with insurance is a must. How well you do that depends on the details of your policy. Here’s what to look for: Make sure you can rebuild The…
THE SOUTHLAND FIRESTORM : Tallying the Losses : Insurers Attempt to Make Amends for Criticism in Oakland Disaster
THE SOUTHLAND FIRESTORM : Tallying the Losses : Insurers Attempt to Make Amends for Criticism in Oakland Disaster

In the Oakland firestorm of October, 1991, the insurance industry’s reputation was blackened along with the hillsides. The industry–excoriated for insensitivity and foot-dragging in its claims handling in Oakland–is determined not to repeat its mistakes this time around. Consumer activists and regulators are watching closely…