What to Know About Insurance If You Live in a Fire-Prone Area
What to Know About Insurance If You Live in a Fire-Prone Area

Your homeowners’ or renters’ insurance should cover the repairs. If you don’t yet have a policy, here’s what to do. The California Camp Fire has destroyed more than 12,000 homes as of Tuesday morning, and displaced more than 300,000 people. The damage will cost insurers…
How Wildfires Are Making Some California Homes Uninsurable
How Wildfires Are Making Some California Homes Uninsurable

California’s wildfires keep growing bigger, more frequent and more destructive. Of the 20 worst wildfires in state history, four were just last year, giving rise to a record $12.6 billion of insurance claims. It hasn’t gotten any better this year. The Mendocino Complex Fire in…
Maximizing Insurance Payouts After The California Fires
Maximizing Insurance Payouts After The California Fires

It is estimated that there are over 13.5 million homes in California and one-third of those are located in or near areas vulnerable to wildfires. Unfortunately, for those of us who live and work in California, wildfires are an annual occurrence that have, in recent…
1 Woman Who Lost Her Home To A Fire In 2003 Steps In To Help Victims Of Woolsey Fire
1 Woman Who Lost Her Home To A Fire In 2003 Steps In To Help Victims Of Woolsey Fire

NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with fire survivor Karen Reimus whose house burned down in San Diego in 2003. She will be volunteering at a local assistance shelter to help survivors of the wildfires. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: California’s increasing and increasingly destructive wildfires have created a…
For California fire victims, it will be a long, tough road to rebuild
For California fire victims, it will be a long, tough road to rebuild

The fires that tore through California in the past week have reduced homes to ash, upending lives and leaving thousands in sudden need of shelter. But beyond the immediate challenges of finding a place to live in a state with a perpetual shortage of housing,…
Tips and Tools for Making Sure You’re Properly Insured in the Event of a Wildfire
Tips and Tools for Making Sure You’re Properly Insured in the Event of a Wildfire

If you didn’t lose your home, these fires are a startling reminder of the importance of being properly insured. In fact, advocacy group United Policyholders says two-thirds of wildfire victims are under-insured by more than $100,000. Here are tips for making sure you’re protected. First,…
Fire victms may have insurance coverage, but …
Fire victms may have insurance coverage, but …

Consumer advice: There are many ways policies fall short of what homeowners actually lose. The vast majority of California homeowners have insurance that covers fire damage. But that doesn’t mean they can breathe easy. Property insurance lawyers say it’s not uncommon for some insurers to…
Fire-weary California homeowners face long road to recovery
Fire-weary California homeowners face long road to recovery

Californians who lost a home to the state’s wildfires could face a nightmarish recovery as they try to rebuild. It’s always a challenge to recuperate after any disaster, but California residents face a unique problem. Experts say the seemingly endless series of devastating wildfires in…
How to deal with an insurer after your home is burned down
How to deal with an insurer after your home is burned down

The vast majority of California homeowners have insurance that covers fire damage. But that doesn’t mean you can breathe easy. Property insurance lawyers say it’s not uncommon for insurers to do everything possible to minimize payouts, especially after catastrophic blazes such as the ones now…
Wildfires and Insurance: Recovery of Impacted Communities Recap
Wildfires and Insurance: Recovery of Impacted Communities Recap

On Tuesday, October 30, 2018 the California Senate Insurance Committee and Assembly Insurance Committee held an informational hearing, “Wildfires and Insurance: Recovery of Impacted Communities” at Napa Valley College. The hearing focused on rebuilding after the 2017 wildfires that destroyed over 6,000 homes in the…
Fall 2018 Newsletter
Fall 2018 Newsletter

Extreme weather, wildfires, hurricanes and torrential rains are impacting a growing number of homes and businesses across our country. Collecting insurance funds for repairs and rebuilding can be very challenging. Demand for our services is growing, as is our national reputation as a trustworthy source…
In praise of a policyholder hero – Cal Thur
In praise of a policyholder hero – Cal Thur

Chip Merlin, a policyholder hero himself, alerted me that we’ve recently lost a champion – Cal Thur.  I was introduced to Cal by the late, great Eugene Anderson many moons ago, and he was an important United Policyholders volunteer and supporter. Cal was a highly…
Roadmap to Recovery focuses on Paying the Bills
Roadmap to Recovery focuses on Paying the Bills

On Wednesday, November 7th at 6pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 547 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa, United Policyholders hosted our 17th public Roadmap to Recovery workshop for people impacted by the devastating 2017 wildfires.  Our panel of experts featured local officials and experts in…
What’s behind your insurer’s brand curtain?
What’s behind your insurer’s brand curtain?

Brand names matter to consumers, and that includes insurance company brands.  Consumers seek out company names they recognize and associate with reliability, especially when insuring a home, which for most people is their biggest asset. As a brand name, Lloyd’s of London is generally very…
State senator and businessman run for state insurance commissioner post in wildfire aftermath
State senator and businessman run for state insurance commissioner post in wildfire aftermath

The race for California insurance commissioner this year has taken on greater importance for North Bay residents, after many have found themselves with homes underinsured as a result of last year’s wildfires. And reforms to overhaul homeowner insurance regulations to provide more ways to help…
Will Home Insurance Pay To Fully Rebuild? Probably Not
Will Home Insurance Pay To Fully Rebuild? Probably Not

It’s been 12 months since Madonna Day’s home burned down in the North Bay wildfires. “I miss it so much,” she said. “My whole life’s treasures and memories are gone to ash.” She and her daughter Marie-Louise Clark are eager to rebuild the farmhouse they…
Joint hearing addresses insurance concerns from North Bay fire victims
Joint hearing addresses insurance concerns from North Bay fire victims

NAPA, Calif.KTVU) – A joint hearing of the state Assembly and Senate Insurance Committees took place at Napa Valley College on Tuesday. The hearing comes after many key proposed reforms, were defeated in the Legislature. The hearing explored if homeowner’s insurance coverage actually meets the…
UP on panel at joint Senate/Assembly Hearing on Post-Wildfire Insurance Issues
UP on panel at joint Senate/Assembly Hearing on Post-Wildfire Insurance Issues

On Tuesday, October 30th, 2018 UP Executive Director Amy Bach will be on the speaker panel at a joint public hearing at Napa Valley College convened by the California Senate and Insurance Committees to examine root causes and potential solutions for solving the post-wildfire underinsurance…