New regulations introduced to improve wildfire safety and drive down cost of insurance
New regulations introduced to improve wildfire safety and drive down cost of insurance

On Friday, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced new regulations intended to improve wildfire safety and drive down the cost of insurance for homeowners and businesses. Under the proposed regulations, which could be in effect by this summer, insurance companies would be required to factor consumers’…
‘There should have been a failsafe’: Marshall Fire victims say they are massively underinsured
‘There should have been a failsafe’: Marshall Fire victims say they are massively underinsured

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — All that rises from the charred landscape after the Marshall Fire in Boulder County are decades of memories and what’s left of suburban homes that once seemed sheltered from wildfire. Cindy White, who lost her Louisville home, said she was “totally unprepared…
10 Ways To Protect Your Home From Wildfires
10 Ways To Protect Your Home From Wildfires

Thanks to climate change, wildfires are more frequent, bigger and of greater intensity, according to the 2021 Wildfire Report by CoreLogic, a property data research firm. Taking steps to protect your home is more important than ever, as is having enough insurance. Climate change contributes…
“It’s a gut punch”: Marshall fire survivors fear their homes were underinsured and they can’t afford to rebuild
“It’s a gut punch”: Marshall fire survivors fear their homes were underinsured and they can’t afford to rebuild

Colorado’s insurance commissioner, other experts worry underinsurance of homes is a statewide problem When Dave Baron and his wife Kim Meyer closed on their new home on Mulberry Street in Louisville on Aug. 31, they believed they had all the insurance they would need should…
People who lost homes in the Marshall Fire are trying to begin rebuilding. Their insurance coverage might stand in the way
People who lost homes in the Marshall Fire are trying to begin rebuilding. Their insurance coverage might stand in the way

Craig Swift was getting ready to install a charger for an electric vehicle at his home in Louisville, so he called his insurance agent at State Farm. Swift and his wife, Cynthia, had just spent about $45,000 to upgrade the siding on their home. The…
Keep home insurance up to date
Keep home insurance up to date

I read an article on how a wildfire in Colorado destroyed 1,000 homes. The article claimed the losses would exceed $1 billion dollars. United Policyholders, a national nonprofit consumer-advocacy group based in California, claims two-thirds of fire victims are underinsured based on their surveys. That…
Regulators unveil wildfire safety plan. Will it fix rural California’s insurance crisis?
Regulators unveil wildfire safety plan. Will it fix rural California’s insurance crisis?

State regulators rolled out a “Safer from Wildfire” program Monday to encourage rural residents and business owners to gird their properties as a way of fixing the insurance crisis that’s plagued the Sierra foothills and other fire-prone areas of California the past few years. The…
If you live in a fire-prone part of California, this roadmap can help you save on insurance
If you live in a fire-prone part of California, this roadmap can help you save on insurance

With the fire season growing longer and wildfires increasing in intensity, Californians living in fire-prone areas are having a harder time finding affordable insurance for their homes — if they can find coverage at all. With that in mind, state officials unveiled a “Safer from Wildfires” framework this week for…
California Insurance Commissioner Lara and State Emergency Agencies Issue “Safer From Wildfires” Framework to Protect Existing Homes and Communities
California Insurance Commissioner Lara and State Emergency Agencies Issue “Safer From Wildfires” Framework to Protect Existing Homes and Communities

Drawing on the direct experience of first responders, fire safety experts, and the latest research on wildfires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and emergency management leaders in Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration today announced “Safer from Wildfires,” a new insurance framework that incorporates wildfire safety measures to…
Insurance Companies Are Abandoning Homeowners Facing Climate Disasters
Insurance Companies Are Abandoning Homeowners Facing Climate Disasters

Insurance companies are leaving homeowners at the mercy of climate catastrophes they helped create. Major insurance companies are choosing to protect the fossil fuel industry while abandoning homeowners whose safety and livelihoods are being threatened by the industry’s carbon emissions. Insurance giants Chubb, Liberty Mutual,…
Should wildfire victims get more insurance money up front? Some lawmakers think so.
Should wildfire victims get more insurance money up front? Some lawmakers think so.

When wildfire struck Grand County, Marjorie Cranston and her husband lost their home of 15 years. The loss was hard enough, Cranston said, without spending months scouring her brain to remember every single item lost in the flames. The 2020 East Troublesome Fire destroyed an estimated 366…
California wildfire survivor helps residents impacted by Marshall Fire navigate insurance
California wildfire survivor helps residents impacted by Marshall Fire navigate insurance

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE The process of recovering from the Marshall Fire looks different for each person affected. For those who were insured, working with their provider to file claims and compile detailed inventories of belongings has become part of day-to-day life. But not…
Community Foundation Boulder County raises $27M for wildfire victims
Community Foundation Boulder County raises $27M for wildfire victims

BOULDER — The Community Foundation Boulder County has raised $27 million for the Boulder County Wildfire Fund, which benefits victims of the Marshall Fire and the Middle Fork Fire. Funds were raised from 65,000 donors, with $7 million allocated in direct financial assistance. “Over 90%…
Housing workshop provides pragmatic and creative ways to see a future Greenville
Housing workshop provides pragmatic and creative ways to see a future Greenville

The Housing Workshop put on by the Dixie Fire Collaborative on Saturday, Feb. 5 in the Greenville Elementary School cafeteria might have been best described as a pragmatism-meets-creative-thinking in helping to guide property owners in Greenville to take the steps necessary in attempting to rebuild.…
United Policyholders Amy Bach on Marshall Fire Insurance Challenges
United Policyholders Amy Bach on Marshall Fire Insurance Challenges

Click below to listen to the radio interview: 2/3/22 KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM
UP Launches 2022 California Home Insurance Survey
UP Launches 2022 California Home Insurance Survey

California Homeowners: Take the Home Insurance Survey Today www.uphelp.org/CAhomeSurvey   To help the thousands of Californians who are having trouble keeping their homes insured for a price they can afford, United Policyholders has launched a California Home Insurance Survey.  This survey will be open for…
Insurance Companies Are Abandoning Homeowners Facing Climate Disasters
Insurance Companies Are Abandoning Homeowners Facing Climate Disasters

Insurance companies are leaving homeowners at the mercy of climate catastrophes they helped create. Major insurance companies are choosing to protect the fossil fuel industry while abandoning homeowners whose safety and livelihoods are being threatened by the industry’s carbon emissions. Insurance giants Chubb, Liberty Mutual,…
We get it…risk reduction isn’t easy
We get it…risk reduction isn’t easy

Here’s a New Year’s resolution that doesn’t involve depriving yourself of something you like to eat or drink: Do at least one thing in 2022 to make it less likely that your home could be damaged or destroyed due to a weather event or natural…