Fires’ cost is higher for poorer Californians
Fires’ cost is higher for poorer Californians

Victims of wildfires are at risk of losing not only their homes, but their insurance plans as well. Wildfires have ravaged California over the past few weeks. Fire erupted in Jurupa Valley Thursday and already spread across 300 acres. The Kincade Fire in Northern California…
Sonoma County evacuees during Kincade fire eligible for insurance coverage for hotel, meal costs
Sonoma County evacuees during Kincade fire eligible for insurance coverage for hotel, meal costs

Sonoma County residents forced to evacuate because of the Kincade fire could be reimbursed for their expenses while away from home by their homeowner insurance company. The caveat is that those policyholders would have to be displaced under a mandatory evacuation order issued by Sonoma…
Evacuation Tips
Evacuation Tips

If you are told to evacuate immediately, do so.  If you think you may have to evacuate, we suggest the following ASAP: 1) Document your home and “stuff.” If you do not have a home inventory, create one before you evacuate.  Take pictures or a video of each room…
Tips for shopping for home insurance in a challenging market
Tips for shopping for home insurance in a challenging market

It is not uncommon for people to break down in tears after getting a notice that their home insurer is dropping them as a customer.  In some cases, it’s tears of frustration that they paid all that money for insurance they never used, or tears…
Woolsey fire report faults staffing and coordination
Woolsey fire report faults staffing and coordination

County review points to firefighter shortage, planning shortcomings and the need for residents to be ready. Emergency management officials were unprepared for massive evacuations before the most destructive fire in Los Angeles County history, causing chaos and calls for mutual aid that were not provided…
Right on the Money: Stats show your home is probably under-insured
Right on the Money: Stats show your home is probably under-insured

If you weren’t directly hit by the October tornadoes, they are a reminder to update your insurance coverage. Most homeowners are under-insured — and don’t know it DALLAS — In recent days we have seen the maps with arrows crisscrossing the Dallas area, showing where…
Gov. Newsom signs law requiring home insurers give policyholders more time before cancellations
Gov. Newsom signs law requiring home insurers give policyholders more time before cancellations

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed legislation into law that makes insurers give homeowners longer advance notice before canceling their policies. The law increases the minimum time notification for homeowner policy nonrenewals from 45 days to 75 days. However, the change does not go into…
There’s a quake every three minutes in California – here’s why we still don’t buy quake insurance
There’s a quake every three minutes in California – here’s why we still don’t buy quake insurance

ORINDA, Calif. KGO) — Scientists tell us earthquakes strike every three minutes in California — though most of them are so weak we can’t feel them, enough are so big we can’t forget them. So, does living through a quake drive us to buy earthquake…
First Steps After a Wildfire
First Steps After a Wildfire

If you, or someone you know has been affected by the recent fires, please read our First Steps After a Wildfire below.  We encourage you to visit our website throughout the recovery process. This checklist will help keep you on track during this stressful time.…
Homeowner, renters’ insurance likely won’t cover PG&E power outage losses
Homeowner, renters’ insurance likely won’t cover PG&E power outage losses

SAN FRANCISCO KGO) — Although people had a couple of days to plan for the power shutoffs, losses were inevitable. So who’s responsible to pay for that? Unfortunately, it’s the PG&E customers who are stuck with the bill. What makes this situation different than any…
6 ways to dramatically lower your home insurance costs
6 ways to dramatically lower your home insurance costs

The cost of homeowners insurance is one of those unavoidable expenses that comes along with owning a house. How much you’ll pay for insurance varies depending on your location and the age of your home, but the average annual homeowners insurance premium is $1,200. That…
On 2nd anniversary of Tubbs Fire, only 10% of homes are rebuilt
On 2nd anniversary of Tubbs Fire, only 10% of homes are rebuilt

SANTA ROSA, Calif. KTVU) – With only bout 10% of Santa Rosa homes rebuilt from the 2017 Tubbs fire, the second anniversary of the fire will cause a turn for the worse in many victim’s finances. On Tuesday, many folks waiting to complete or rebuild…
Fire recovery in Sonoma County shows mixed results on 2nd anniversary, experts say
Fire recovery in Sonoma County shows mixed results on 2nd anniversary, experts say

Two years after the October firestorm that swept the North Bay, recovery efforts are both good and not so great. Houses are being rebuilt, the destroyed northwest Santa Rosa neighborhood of Coffey Park is coming back strong, insurance struggles and construction costs remain, and mental…
She’s 82. The cost of her long-term care insurance just went up 80%
She’s 82. The cost of her long-term care insurance just went up 80%

Joyce Viets’ dad was in the life insurance business, so she knew from an early age that you have to plan ahead. “I heard about actuarials my entire life,” the Temecula resident told me. Viets, 82, purchased long-term care insurance nearly two decades ago, anticipating…
Spooky Language Hiding in Your Insurance?
Spooky Language Hiding in Your Insurance?

Getting a notice from a home insurer that they’re dropping you is scary, and UP works hard to help people in that situation. Read our latest tips on shopping for affordable home insurance when your options are limited. Just as scary is hearing your insurer…
Insurance companies to stop paying monthly assistance to victims of Santa Rosa firestorm
Insurance companies to stop paying monthly assistance to victims of Santa Rosa firestorm

SANTA ROSA, Calif. KTVU) – With less than two weeks until the second anniversary of the firestorm that devastated Santa Rosa, insured victims are getting some nasty surprises from the insurance companies that promised to protect them. More than 5,000 homes were destroyed by wildfire.…
1 big thing: Insurance deploying AI against wildfires
1 big thing: Insurance deploying AI against wildfires

To keep up with California’s unrelenting wildfire threat, some insurers are now turning to AI to predict fire risk with unprecedented, structure-by-structure detail. Why it matters: This will allow them to cover homes in areas that they would otherwise have passed over — but potentially…
High rates of under-insurance making rebuild difficult
High rates of under-insurance making rebuild difficult

The problem emerges after every wildfire in California PARADISE — Nearly 11 months after the Camp Fire razed Amy McFarland’s neighborhood, two of her neighbors’ new homes look ready for move-in. She’d like to be a part of the rebuild of the town. But her…