More Americans are going without homeowners insurance. That could spell trouble.
More Americans are going without homeowners insurance. That could spell trouble.

Hurricane Idalia intensified Tuesday as it approached the Gulf Coast of Florida. Given that, recent reporting in The Wall Street Journal caught our eye. Its headline: “Americans Are Bailing on Their Home Insurance.” The Journal reported that some 12% of homeowners are choosing not to…
Americans Are Bailing on Their Home Insurance
Americans Are Bailing on Their Home Insurance

Homeowners are increasingly forgoing home insurance, gambling that the likelihood of a disaster isn’t high enough to justify the cost of a policy Some skipping insurance say they are doing so because they can no longer afford the rising premiums. The national average for home…
Tubbs Wildfire survivor helping Maui victims with insurance claims
Tubbs Wildfire survivor helping Maui victims with insurance claims

A Santa Rosa woman is in Maui helping survivors of the wildfires rebuild their lives and futures. As a survivor of the North Bay Wildfires herself, the mission is a labor of love. “I tend to see the challenges. I tend to see the heartache,”…
Santa Rosa survivor of Tubbs Fire on the job in Maui with counsel for fire victims
Santa Rosa survivor of Tubbs Fire on the job in Maui with counsel for fire victims

Sonoma County resident Annie Barbour arrived in Maui last week hoping her past may help rebuild the future of survivors of the devastating wildfires that leveled the island town of Lahaina. Barbour’s work connecting survivors with resources through United Policyholders of San Francisco comes with…
Santa Rosa survivor of Tubbs Fire on the job in Maui with counsel for fire victims
Santa Rosa survivor of Tubbs Fire on the job in Maui with counsel for fire victims

Sonoma County resident Annie Barbour arrived in Maui last week hoping her past may help rebuild the future of survivors of the devastating wildfires that leveled the island town of Lahaina. Barbour’s work connecting survivors with resources through United Policyholders of San Francisco comes with…
Maui Wildfire Survivors Accessing “Been There” Roadmap to Recovery® Expertise
Maui Wildfire Survivors Accessing “Been There” Roadmap to Recovery® Expertise

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The national non-profit United Policyholders (UP), which has earned high marks over three decades for easing and improving wildfire recovery for impacted households in California, Colorado, Washington, Arizona and Oregon,announced today that it is delivering help to Maui residents through multiple…
Insurers Gave Ron DeSantis Millions. He Made It Harder to Sue Them.
Insurers Gave Ron DeSantis Millions. He Made It Harder to Sue Them.

The Florida governor’s insurance overhaul is hurting homeowners—and possibly his presidential campaign. Last fall, Jonathan Stettin decided he and his longtime partner Jeanie would stay put in their Cape Coral, Florida, home, rather than evacuate for Hurricane Ian. Meteorologists had warned that the storm was…
Why you should consider flood insurance and what CA is doing to protect communities
Why you should consider flood insurance and what CA is doing to protect communities

As many Californians recover from the devastating winter storms, many are realizing there are gaps in their insurance coverage, leaving them vulnerable. It’s been months since the devastating winter storms destroyed homes and businesses in the state. As many Californians are still struggling to recover,…
First Steps After a Wildfire
First Steps After a Wildfire

The devastation on Maui is heartbreaking, and for those who’ve lost loved ones, homes and businesses, it’s overwhelming and painful beyond words. United Policyholders (UP) staff and volunteers will be supporting recovery in the Lahaina region now and in the months and years ahead. As…
Over 50,000 To Lose Homeowners Insurance as Two More Insurers Exit California
Over 50,000 To Lose Homeowners Insurance as Two More Insurers Exit California

Two more insurance companies will exit the California homeowners market, further narrowing options for people seeking to insure their home or to purchase a house with a mortgage. AmGUARD Insurance—a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies—will withdraw its homeowners and personal umbrella programs in…
Amicus Briefs Piling Up as Calif. High Court Mulls Coverage for COVID-19 Shutdowns
Amicus Briefs Piling Up as Calif. High Court Mulls Coverage for COVID-19 Shutdowns

Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Lakers and Ross Stores are among 10 parties that have filed amicus briefs as the California Supreme Court ponders whether the virus that causes COVID-19 can cause direct physical damage or loss to property. The sports organizations and discount…
California couple loses homeowners’ insurance after draining their swimming pool to save water
California couple loses homeowners’ insurance after draining their swimming pool to save water

It’s becoming harder and harder to get a homeowner insurance policy in California. State Farm and Allstate stopped writing new policies, citing wildfire risks. Others are limiting new customers. And now, several viewers tell San Francisco’s KGO-TV that AAA is not renewing their longtime policies…
Home Insurance Crisis: Safeco To Drop Policies Across San Francisco, East Bay
Home Insurance Crisis: Safeco To Drop Policies Across San Francisco, East Bay

Homeowners in San Francisco and the East Bay who protect their homes with Safeco Insurance may need to brace for some bad news. The insurance company plans to quietly drop over 950 policies in the Bay Area when they come up for renewal starting in…
California Association of Realtors® Posts Fire Insurance Townhall with California Insurance Commissioner
California Association of Realtors® Posts Fire Insurance Townhall with California Insurance Commissioner

To address growing concerns surrounding finding and maintaining homeowners insurance coverage in California, experts at the California Dept. of Insurance, CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and United Policyholders, a nonprofit that advocates on behalf of consumers, recently gathered for an insurance townhall briefing for REALTORS®. View…
Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards Grant for services to 2022 Florida hurricane-impacted households
Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards Grant for services to 2022 Florida hurricane-impacted households

Roadmap to Recovery™ services to be provided in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties CONTACT: Amy Bach, Executive Director, media@uphelp.org For Immediate Release: July 31, 2023 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The national insurance consumer advocacy non-profit United Policyholders (UP), announced today that the Community Foundation…
California insurance workshop addresses legal, transparency issues
California insurance workshop addresses legal, transparency issues

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association says California’s insurance marketplace is “fragile,” and has joined with other organizations calling for reforms to modernize the state’s rules and regulations when it comes to the homeowner insurance market. The association was one of 30 presenters participating in…
Danger signs in the Oakland hills as wildfire risks intensify, homeowners lose insurance
Danger signs in the Oakland hills as wildfire risks intensify, homeowners lose insurance

Three decades after deadly firestorms, overgrowth and dead trees have residents on edge Admiring East Oakland from a lookout point at Joaquin Miller Park, Dale Risden feels right at home, having lived just a block away from an entrance to the park’s 500 acres of…
Rolling with the policy punches
Rolling with the policy punches

UPdated shopping tips Our guidance on shopping for property insurance has been focused on helping consumers select from competing options and avoid underinsuring their assets. For reasons we explained in last month’s tip, a growing number of people across the United States are now scrambling…