Bars and restaurants lose COVID insurance decision at Wisconsin Supreme Court
Bars and restaurants lose COVID insurance decision at Wisconsin Supreme Court

Bars and restaurants that counted on business insurance to help cover major losses from 2020 COVID-19 shutdowns are out of luck, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has found. To the layperson, the forced closures due to the pandemic would seem to meet the definition of a…
Misunderstood California law could protect your home’s fire insurance. How does it work?
Misunderstood California law could protect your home’s fire insurance. How does it work?

Your insurance company may be required to maintain your fire coverage if you live in a high-risk area in California — but the law that protects your home can be misinterpreted, as was the case for a Shasta Valley resident after she received a premature…
This woman’s insurer ended her policy after a wildfire, but a law still protected her.
This woman’s insurer ended her policy after a wildfire, but a law still protected her.

Hanne Rickers had been expecting the letter, but it was still awful to see it. The stuffy language of an insurance company belied the real consequences of the two-page notice: “Your property does not meet our wildfire eligibility guidelines,” Grange Insurance Association wrote to her…
California wants to force insurers to reward homeowners for fireproofing homes
California wants to force insurers to reward homeowners for fireproofing homes

When Ashley Raveche and her husband bought their home in Mill Valley, they thought they were doing everything right. The 1,300 square foot house already had vents with screens that make it harder for embers to get in and a tar and gravel roof, top-rated…
The dilemma of property insurance on the Hill
The dilemma of property insurance on the Hill

The California Department of Insurance (CDI) is rolling out new regulations mandating that insurers in the state offer discounts to policyholders who undertake fire hazard mitigation and structure “hardening.” The rules are intended to make decisions about rate and risk more transparent and more tuned…
Waiting On Wheels? Call Kurtis Investigates How Supply Chain Issues Are Impacting Car Repairs
Waiting On Wheels? Call Kurtis Investigates How Supply Chain Issues Are Impacting Car Repairs

ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — After waiting five months to get a new gas tank, a Roseville viewer called Kurtis to investigate cars that aren’t getting fixed because of supply chain issues. Vicki Robinson was out to dinner in Roseville last November when a thief drilled a…
Mind the Gap
Mind the Gap

This is your friendly reminder that earthquake damage is NOT covered by your home or renters insurance policy unless you’ve paid extra for that protection. UP keeps tabs on earthquake insurance options and we recently moderated a National “Mind the Gap” Earthquake Insurance Forum in…
Two-Thirds of Homeowners Underinsured for Wildfire Loss
Two-Thirds of Homeowners Underinsured for Wildfire Loss

Regulators, insurers & advocates work to close gap in wildfire loss coverage By:  ELIZABETH FESTA As wildfires continue to grow in size and expense while ravaging or threatening residential areas, insurers and policy advocates are warning that roughly two-thirds of homes  are underinsured. This means…
Why You Should Buy Renters Insurance: 5 Things to Know
Why You Should Buy Renters Insurance: 5 Things to Know

The coverage is affordable and easy to buy, and provides a safety net if something goes wrong When a deep freeze hit Texas in February 2021, Amani Elsawah was among the millions of residents who lost power and suffered water damage from burst frozen pipes.…
Taken to the Cleaners: The Importance of Insuring Environmental Pollution Cleanup and How Some Insurers Try to Avoid Coverage
Taken to the Cleaners: The Importance of Insuring Environmental Pollution Cleanup and How Some Insurers Try to Avoid Coverage

Accidental environmental pollution is virtually unavoidable in our industrialized society, and insurance coverage for liabilities and cleanup plays a critical role in the economic and environmental health of the country. Small, medium, and large businesses throughout the United States rely on their insurers to help…
Small home fixes can have a big impact on safety
Small home fixes can have a big impact on safety

By Liz Weston of Nerdwallet | AP If it ain’t broke, maybe you should fix it anyway. That’s the message consumer advocates and insurance experts want you to hear about your home’s hidden dangers. Too often, they say, people put off relatively inexpensive repairs or improvements that could…
First Steps After a Wildfire
First Steps After a Wildfire

If you or someone you know has been affected by the fires, please read our First Steps After a Wildfire.  We encourage you to visit our website throughout the recovery process. This checklist will help keep you on track during this stressful time. We’re rooting…
California’s wildfire building codes make newer homes less likely to burn
California’s wildfire building codes make newer homes less likely to burn

In the mid-1980s, Jim and Ann Pesout fell in love with 10 acres of forest in Northern California’s Calaveras County. They bought the land and started building a house. “It took us two years. We physically pounded nails and built the house,” Ann said. “Our…
COVID: Year Two UPdate
COVID: Year Two UPdate

Have the conversation…  As businesses across the nation learned the hard way when their pandemic interruption claims were summarily rejected by insurers…one can’t blindly trust paid-for property insurance to come through in the worst of times. Throughout the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began…
Report: Marshall Fire victims file lawsuit against Xcel Energy
Report: Marshall Fire victims file lawsuit against Xcel Energy

BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) – On Thursday, a class-action lawsuit filed against Xcel Energy in relation to the devastating wildfire that started this past December. Our sister station in Denver has a copy of that lawsuit which says Xcel Energy was negligent for not keeping…
Ohio High Court Rules Coverage Owed for Contamination That Ruined Product
Ohio High Court Rules Coverage Owed for Contamination That Ruined Product

Contamination that ruined more than $1 million worth of glass containers manufactured by a policyholder’s customer counts as damage that is covered by an umbrella insurance policy, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The Supreme Court justices unanimously agreed that Motorists Mutual Insurance owes coverage to…
Catch UP on Additional Living Expense (ALE) Alternatives with Natasha O’Flaherty
Catch UP on Additional Living Expense (ALE) Alternatives with Natasha O’Flaherty

Colorado Attorney Natasha O’Flaherty has been assisting wildfire impacted households with insurance matters since a 2020 wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes in her community.  In this Catch UP segment, she discusses approaches she took on behalf of clients who needed help finding temporary housing when…
Fighting to get a fair settlement of an insurance claim? A public adjuster can help
Fighting to get a fair settlement of an insurance claim? A public adjuster can help

Insurance policies protect your personal and business properties from financial loss. They help shield you from the economic risks associated with everything from floods, earthquakes, and wildfires to arson, theft, and vandalism. Insurance policies are legal agreements describing what losses are covered and at what…