Don’t be “Lapse-adaisical” 
Don’t be “Lapse-adaisical” 

Early in the digital age, insurers lobbied hard to be allowed to switch to paperless (digital) notices and billing. UP pushed back to protect consumers from inadvertently letting their insurance lapse due to missing a late payment or cancellation notice email that got stuck in a spam…
3 times you need money advice from a human
3 times you need money advice from a human

You can now manage most aspects of your money without ever consulting another human. You can budget, borrow, save, invest, buy insurance, prepare your tax return and create a will — among many other tasks — by using apps, websites and software. But technology still…
Homeowners impacted by 2020 wildfires asked to complete survey on insurance process
Homeowners impacted by 2020 wildfires asked to complete survey on insurance process

COLORADO, USA — Anyone whose home was impacted by wildfires in 2020 has their chance to complain about the insurance process. The United Policyholders is asking people impacted by last year’s fires to complete a survey on their experience with insurance. The confidential survey asks questions about…
Order protects Mother Lode homeowners from insurance cancellations, non-renewals
Order protects Mother Lode homeowners from insurance cancellations, non-renewals

California’s insurance commissioner issued an order Wednesday that prevents companies from dropping nearly 210,000 homeowners in areas affected by wildfires this year, including most of Tuolumne County and southern Calaveras County due to the Washington Fire near downtown Sonora on Aug. 26. State Insurance Commissioner…
Wildfire victims asked to complete state survey on insurance
Wildfire victims asked to complete state survey on insurance

COLORADO, USA — Anyone whose home was impacted by wildfires in 2020 has their chance to complain about the insurance process. The United Policyholders is asking people impacted by last year’s fires to complete a survey on their experience with insurance. The confidential survey asks questions about…
Insurance Commissioner Lara Protects Additional California Wildfire Survivors from Insurance Non-Renewals
Insurance Commissioner Lara Protects Additional California Wildfire Survivors from Insurance Non-Renewals

November 10, 2021 – SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today ordered insurance companies to preserve 209,881 residential property insurance policies held by wildfire survivors included in an October 22 emergency declaration, bringing the total statewide to 618,700 policyholders across 31 counties who have temporary protection from…
Insurers Say Data Shows Low Credit Scores Predict Risky Driver Behaviors
Insurers Say Data Shows Low Credit Scores Predict Risky Driver Behaviors

The insurance industry says it now has hard data proving that if you have a bad credit score, you’re more likely to slam on the brakes or step hard on the gas. Also if you’re less educated, unmarried, or sell real estate for a living.…
Spooky Language in Your Policy?
Spooky Language in Your Policy?

Getting a notice from a home insurer that they’re dropping you is scary, and UP works hard to help people avoid and deal with that situation. Read our latest tips on shopping for affordable home insurance when your options are limited. Even scarier is hearing…
The changing climate is driving up home insurance claims, and rates
The changing climate is driving up home insurance claims, and rates

  As the changing climate makes extreme weather more common, more and more people are dealing with damage to their homes and property. That’s what insurance is for, right? People are certainly filing insurance claims. In 2020, nearly 40% of all insurance claims were for…
Finding (and keeping) fire insurance is headache for homeowners in California
Finding (and keeping) fire insurance is headache for homeowners in California

NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, about the thousands of homeowners in California at risk of losing insurance as the risk of wildfires grow. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: It’s said there’s no such thing as fire season in the West…
Thwarting insurers’ campaign to duck interruption compensation obligations to businesses
Thwarting insurers’ campaign to duck interruption compensation obligations to businesses

Fill in the blank and you’ll understand the public relations campaign the insurance industry uses over and over to maintain record profits by shirking obligations to their premium-paying customers and pass the buck to  taxpayers: “If you make us pay ______ claims we’ll go bankrupt.” …
4 ways to fortify your finances against natural disaster
4 ways to fortify your finances against natural disaster

Along with preparing your home, having cash on hand, access to credit and the right insurance coverage are important in perilous times. Emergency preparedness experts recommend that you have a “go bag” and a “stay bin” for disasters: kits with supplies to help you survive…
UP shares our story for the 30th Anniversary of the Oakland / Berkeley Firestorm
UP shares our story for the 30th Anniversary of the Oakland / Berkeley Firestorm

United Policyholders was founded in 1991. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Oakland Berkeley Firestorm, UP’s Executive Director Amy Bach shared her story co-founding the nonprofit for the North Hills Phoenix Association Community Comeback: Then and Now video series. This video series delved into…
What Every Homeowner Should Know About Trampolines
What Every Homeowner Should Know About Trampolines

Are your kids begging for a trampoline? You’re not alone. Hundreds of thousands of backyard trampolines are sold in the U.S. every year, much to the delight of aspiring young acrobats across the country. But trampolines can also pose a risk to those young acrobats.…
What Consumers Should Do to Get Fair Claims Payments in the Wake of Hurricane Ida
What Consumers Should Do to Get Fair Claims Payments in the Wake of Hurricane Ida

Washington, D.C. — The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) today warned consumers to prepare to file claims for damage resulting from Hurricane Ida and offered tips on “how to get all you are entitled to from your insurance company.” CFA believes that Hurricane Ida will produce…
Liz Weston: Fortify your finances against natural disaster
Liz Weston: Fortify your finances against natural disaster

Emergency preparedness experts recommend that you have a “go bag” and a “stay bin” for disasters: kits with supplies to help you survive a few days if you have to evacuate your home or shelter in place. Preparing your finances for natural disasters is also smart. Having…
Family Of 5 Loses Home to Caldor Fire, Lender Failed To Pay Fire Insurance Premiums From Escrow Account
Family Of 5 Loses Home to Caldor Fire, Lender Failed To Pay Fire Insurance Premiums From Escrow Account

GRIZZLY FLATS (CBS13) – Does your lender pay your fire insurance premiums from an escrow account? Better double-check those payments are being made. A Grizzly Flats family who lost their home to the Caldor Fire learned their lender didn’t pay the fire insurance premiums after their…
Flood insurance revamp aims for fairer rates
Flood insurance revamp aims for fairer rates

A revamped U.S. flood insurance program going into effect this month will charge rates the federal government says better reflect a home’s risk, a change that could mean higher premiums for coastal mansions and — for the first time — reduced rates for others. The…