April 2, 2010 Hurricane Headache – Insurance Costs Keep Climbing MOBILE, Ala. WALA) – If you own a home along the Gulf Coast, you learn to dread hurricane season. You worry about damage to your home and the damage to your wallet caused by ever increasing insurance rates. The problem is getting so bad, some…
February 13, 2010 The Big One and the Big Question UP has put together practical guidance for property owners who are torn over whether or not to buy earthquake insurance. We have gathered advice from financial planners, insurance agents, and damage repair experts. We have created a series of easy-to-follow tips, articles and home inventory aids.…
February 1, 2010 Amicus Project Update: February 2010 Last month UP helped score wins for business policyholders in New York and in Florida. In Griffith Oil Co. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York overturned a trial court and found indemnity…
February 1, 2010 Insurance Appraisals on the hotseat, Anthem’s breathtaking 39% rate hike The only good thing about the recent 39% rate increase by Anthem Blue Cross (California) is that it helped refocus attention on the crippling impact of spiraling health insurance premiums. Our February Tip of the Month offers practical tips for people who are getting hit with rising…
February 1, 2010 Buying Homeowner’s Insurance by David E. Young Buying homeowners insurance is one of the most important financial decisions a family can make. However, it is also an area in which many people lose by default. Many people do not know how much insurance is placed on their home,…
February 1, 2010 Earthquake Recovery Outreach The recent earthquake in Haiti raised awareness about the devastation that earthquakes can inflict on communities, and our hearts go out to all the victims. But the extensive media coverage of the Haiti quake overshadowed the fact that a 6.5 earthquake in Eureka, California also…
February 1, 2010 UP Holds News Conference With OC Wildfire Families Outreach Coordinator Karen Reimus coordinated a November 2009 press conference in Orange County with 2008 “Freeway Complex” wildfire families still struggling to settle with their insurers a full year after their losses. Six speakers shared personal stories of underinsurance, low-balling and poor claims handling. Insurance…
October 14, 2009 Roadmap to Recovery™ Update: October 2009 “Rebuild or Buy” educational program in Santa Barbara a success In July, United Policyholders organized a panel of experts and coordinated a free program with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services and the Mission Canyon Association for property owners impacted by the winter 2008…
October 1, 2009 Amicus Project Update: October 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…
October 1, 2009 Keeping health care reform (and hope) alive, Helping rebuild in beautiful Santa Barbara The health care reform debates in D.C. are painful to follow. The corrosive influence of money in politics…Americans’ unreasonable expectations of what one human being can accomplish in a short period of time with a deeply divided Congress. Then there’s that inescapable sense that reform…
October 1, 2009 On the Road(map) to Preparedness Every day consumers from around the country contact United Policyholders for help solving an insurance-related problem. UP staff and volunteers include professional experts as well as people who’ve personally experienced the loss of a home or a disabling illness or injury. Our Roadmap to Recovery™ program…
August 5, 2009 Don’t Let the Economic Crunch Bite Your Car Here’s a scenario that is going to become a lot more common: Joe Smith loses his job, and desperate to reduce expenses, drops his auto insurance. Distracted and nervous en route to a job interview, he hits your car. Guess whose insurance will be paying…
June 6, 2009 The Outrage of Offsets Imagine how you would feel if you suddenly became disabled and couldn’t work. If you were fortunate enough to have private disability insurance to replace some of your lost income, you would at least have the comfort of financial security. But what if you found…
June 1, 2009 Roadmap to Recovery™ Program Update: June 2009 Santa Barbara Wildfire Recovery UP is in Santa Barbara assisting homeowners impacted by the Jesusita fire, an unseasonably early wildfire that hit in May. Staffer Rebecca Huston manned a table at the Local Assistance Center the week after the fire. Volunteer and Roadmap Advisor Ken…
June 1, 2009 Justice for the innocently underinsured, Congrats to SB&E and AKO, Optional Federal Charter: A Bad Idea A San Bernardino County jury recently delivered justice for Bob Keller, a man who lost his home in a 2003 wildfire then found himself grossly underinsured. Hats off to Ricardo Echevarria, a partner with UP Sponsors Shernoff, Bidart, Darras & Echevarria. Ricardo fought an expensive five-year battle against…
June 1, 2009 Book Review: Polarizing the Case, by Rick Friedman Polarizing the Case by Rick Friedman This is a book for trial lawyers written by one of the most successful trial lawyers in the United States. But anyone who has ever been a victim of an insurance company’s tactics designed to deny or underpay a…
June 1, 2009 Board Update: June 2009 Shirley Roberson UP is thrilled to welcome non-profit executive Shirley Roberson to our Board of Directors. Shirley has been indispensable to United Policyholders since 1997 in various paid and volunteer capacities. Shirley brings a wealth of skills and dedication to the Board. She was a cofounder of…
June 1, 2009 Amicus Project Update: June 2009 Another victory for United Policyholders’ Amicus Project On March 9, 2009, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of a large policyholder – the State of California – in connection with the State’s insurance claim for the cost of cleaning up the Stringfellow acid pits…
