States Need Better Protections for Insurance Consumers in Natural Disasters: Rutgers Report
States Need Better Protections for Insurance Consumers in Natural Disasters: Rutgers Report

As homeowners continue to file insurance claims in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, a research report released by the Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility at the Rutgers Law School in Camden, N.J., suggests many could find that their level of protection depends…
Rutgers/UP Report Recommends Law Changes to Protect Home Insurance Consumers
Rutgers/UP Report Recommends Law Changes to Protect Home Insurance Consumers

As homeowners affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma file insurance claims, many will find out that the level of protection they have when there are problems dealing with their insurance companies depends on the state where their damaged home is located. Research by Jay Feinman…
Local insurance agents busy with Irma claims from WNYers in Florida
Local insurance agents busy with Irma claims from WNYers in Florida

BUFFALO, N.Y. WIVB)- Millions of dollars are at stake as homeowners from Texas and Florida submit insurance claims to help cover the damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. For the Vice President of Personal Insurance at Key Insurance and Benefits Services, this means a…
Lakers Get Support [from United Policyholders] In Bid To Undo TCPA Coverage Loss
Lakers Get Support [from United Policyholders] In Bid To Undo TCPA Coverage Loss

A nonprofit policyholder advocacy group on Monday urged the full Ninth Circuit to ax a panel’s decision that the Los Angeles Lakers aren’t covered for class allegations that the team sent unwanted text messages to fans in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, saying…
Florida’s Insured Losses From Irma Reach Nearly $2B and Growing
Florida’s Insured Losses From Irma Reach Nearly $2B and Growing

Florida policyholders so far have filed nearly $2 billion in claims to insurers for damage from Hurricane Irma, the state’s insurance regulator said on Monday. The estimate of insured losses is based on preliminary statewide data that insurers filed with the Florida Office of Insurance…
Collecting insurance benefits for a hurricane-damaged car
Collecting insurance benefits for a hurricane-damaged car

Hurricane Harvey (2017) damaged as many as 500,000 vehicles in the Houston area alone, according to preliminary estimates.  This number is much higher than Superstorm Sandy (2013) or Hurricane Katrina (2005). Hurricane Irma (2017) damaged an additional 1 million vehicles across the southeast, including Florida where it hit hardest. If…
7 Habits of Highly Effective Roadmap to Recovery Volunteers*
7 Habits of Highly Effective Roadmap to Recovery Volunteers*

Thank you Board member Jennifer Rosdail for distributing Roadmap to Recovery Guides to Hurricane Harvey Victims in Texas and being a highly effective UP volunteer.  Jennifer is pictured here doing relief work in the Lone Star State this week with a KW Cares team member and son…
10 tips for dealing with hurricane damage to your home
10 tips for dealing with hurricane damage to your home

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — If you have damage in your home due to a hurricane, there are several things you need to know: 1. If you have flood insurance, you must notify your insurance provider within 60 days of the flood damage. The National Flood Insurance…
11 Tips on dealing with your insurance company
11 Tips on dealing with your insurance company

If you have damage in your home due to Harvey, there are several things you need to know. 1. If you have flood insurance, you must notify your insurance provider within 60 days of the flood damage. The National Flood Insurance Program has a step…
Insurers ache for qualified inspectors after US hurricanes
Insurers ache for qualified inspectors after US hurricanes

Insurers are scrambling to find inspectors in Texas and Florida after fierce hurricanes battered the states one after the other, causing tens of billions of dollars’ worth of property damage in less than two weeks. Although insurers maintain some number of inspectors, known as claims…
‘Hurricane Deductibles’ Shift Home-Repair Costs to Consumers
‘Hurricane Deductibles’ Shift Home-Repair Costs to Consumers

Harvey and Irma could trigger requirement that homeowners pay percentage of insured value of property. Tens of thousands of homeowners hit by Hurricane Harvey may soon find out they are on the hook for extra payments under their insurance policies, and that number could rise…
Why your disaster kit needs a home inventory
Why your disaster kit needs a home inventory

Imagine losing everything in a disaster like Hurricane Harvey, then having to list all of your possessions to file an insurance claim — every plate, holiday decoration and piece of clothing for starters. Without a home inventory, this would be the toughest memory test you’d…
UP request granted: NFIP waives strict rules for Harvey claims
UP request granted: NFIP waives strict rules for Harvey claims

  The National Flood Insurance Program has shown strong leadership by granting UP’s request to make it easier for households and businesses impacted by Harvey to get their insurance claims filed and paid fairly and on time.  The program operates under rules set by Congress. The…
Harvey is a wake-up call to check your homeowners insurance
Harvey is a wake-up call to check your homeowners insurance

Sure, you have homeowners insurance, but there’s a good chance you don’t have enough. CoreLogic says 1 in 4 homes are underinsured by at least 20 percent. With the average home price up more than 30 percent over the past five years, cruising Zillow, Trulia…
Private flood insurance may be option for homeowners in water’s way
Private flood insurance may be option for homeowners in water’s way

Larry Blair of San Mateo buys flood insurance only because his lender requires it, and for years he thought his only option was the National Flood Insurance Program. Then he read about private flood insurance on a Facebook page for people in his North Shoreview…
Loaded for Bare: Policyholders Beware…
Loaded for Bare: Policyholders Beware…

By Amy Bach, as originally posted on Fortune.com Once again, a storm has devastated a region and broken records. Hurricane Harvey dropped so much rain on Texas, the National Weather Service had to add new colors to its map graphics. Where will the money come…
Clarifying the effect of Texas House Bill 1774 on Harvey insurance claims
Clarifying the effect of Texas House Bill 1774 on Harvey insurance claims

There has been some confusion about the effect of a new Texas law that limits the future legal rights of people and businesses that will be filing insurance claims for damage from Hurricane Harvey. The new law comes into play in situations where an insurance…
Claims Teams Begin Handling Onslaught of Harvey Claims
Claims Teams Begin Handling Onslaught of Harvey Claims

Hurricane Harvey has set a U.S record, according to the National Weather Service, dumping 51.88 inches of rain in parts of Texas. As the tropical storm moves over southern Louisiana, claims catastrophe teams are moving in to devastated cities in Texas. AIR Worldwide reported severe…