Coverage Battle At 9th Circ. May Hobble Private D&O Policies
Coverage Battle At 9th Circ. May Hobble Private D&O Policies

Scottsdale Insurance Co. recently asked the Ninth Circuit to uphold a ruling that an exclusion in an education technology company’s policy for claims related to professional services bars coverage for a False Claims Act suit, and attorneys say a decision in the insurer’s favor could…
As Hurricane Season Approaches, Review Your Insurance
As Hurricane Season Approaches, Review Your Insurance

The Atlantic hurricane season is a little more than two weeks away, so now is a good time for homeowners along the coast to check their insurance coverage. The annual hurricane season runs for six months, from June through November. “A good place to start…
This family lost everything in one of California’s worst wildfires. Now, they’re almost home
This family lost everything in one of California’s worst wildfires. Now, they’re almost home

COBB MOUNTAIN The wooded path between Maya Leonard’s house and the elementary school where she is a sixth-grader remains scarred and blackened, a reminder of the epic wildfire that stole so much from this community on a September afternoon in 2015. But as she has…
Builder Gets Help In Insurance Fray At Calif. High Court
Builder Gets Help In Insurance Fray At Calif. High Court

A policyholder advocacy group and two Christian organizations urged California’s high court Wednesday to rule that an employer’s negligent hiring or supervision of a worker who intentionally injures a third party is an accidental “occurrence” under a general liability insurance policy, saying state precedent supports…
Ga. Justices Should Weigh $8M Bad Faith Case, 11th Circ. Told
Ga. Justices Should Weigh $8M Bad Faith Case, 11th Circ. Told

The Georgia Defense Lawyers Association has urged the Eleventh Circuit to seek the Georgia Supreme Court’s guidance on whether insurance carriers may be held liable for negligent, as opposed to bad faith, failure to settle a claim against a policyholder, saying the issue is key…
Poor Credit History Can Affect Homeowner’s Insurance Rates
Poor Credit History Can Affect Homeowner’s Insurance Rates

The impact of one’s credit history on homeowner insurance rates appears to be intensifying, a new analysis shows. If you have poor credit, your premium is more than double, on average, the rate for a homeowner with excellent credit, a report from the rate comparison…
Why Poor Credit Can Triple Your Homeowners Insurance
Why Poor Credit Can Triple Your Homeowners Insurance

It’s no secret that credit scores play an increasingly important role in our financial lives, determining everything from whether we qualify for a mortgage to what interest rate we’ll get on a new credit card. What still may surprise some, however, is how significant credit…
Gardening and Hardening
Gardening and Hardening

We think your insurance company should help and reward you for taking steps to make your property less likely to be damaged or destroyed in a wildfire. We are working hard to make that happen. This is the official start of wildfire season, and now…
Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years
Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have released draft legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 10 years. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017. The legislation, the Flood Insurance Affordability & Sustainability Act of…
2017 Advocacy & Action UPdate
2017 Advocacy & Action UPdate

Insurance impacts every American in some way. Not a day goes by when UP doesn’t hear from a person, business, public official or community with an insurance problem. With 25 years of pro-consumer engagement in sales, claims and dispute resolution scenarios, we have a solid…
Ruling puts California insurers on notice that their policies are unlawful
Ruling puts California insurers on notice that their policies are unlawful

In an a recent order, Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl of the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that Travelers’ California home insurance policies contain an unlawful notice provision related to smoke damage. Travelers is one of a handful of insurance companies that have begun to include…
Essential Property Insurance Coverage Information Withheld from Consumers
Essential Property Insurance Coverage Information Withheld from Consumers

An April 2017 report by United Policyholders reveals the state rankings of homeowner insurance protections that impact buying insurance. The research revealed that many major insurance companies and many states withhold coverage and policy provisions from consumers during the purchase. These same companies and states…
Delaware Ranks High Among States for Homeowners’ Insurance Protections
Delaware Ranks High Among States for Homeowners’ Insurance Protections

Dover, DE – Delaware homeowners are among the most protected in the nation against having their homeowners insurance non-renewed or rates raised due to filing or even inquiring about a claim. This is according to a recent study by the Rutgers Center for Risk and…
How your selfie could affect your life insurance
How your selfie could affect your life insurance

A selfie reveals more than whether it’s a good hair day. Facial lines and contours, droops and dark spots could indicate how well you’re aging, and, when paired with other data, could someday help determine whether you qualify for life insurance. “Your face is something…
Rutgers Law School’s Essential Protections for Policyholders report recommends improvements by states to help homeowners buy insurance
Rutgers Law School’s Essential Protections for Policyholders report recommends improvements by states to help homeowners buy insurance

Coverage, quality, and price are the top issues consumers need to consider when buying or renewing a homeowners insurance policy, but a report by the Rutgers Law School in Camden finds that most states do not require insurance companies to provide adequate information to consumers…
Top 10 states for homeowners’ insurance protections
Top 10 states for homeowners’ insurance protections

Agents are well-aware of how state insurance regulations can affect themselves and the insurance industry as a whole. It’s also important to also know how they affect policyholders, especially homeowners. According to a report by the Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility at Rutgers Law…
Flood insurance premiums need to rise by 25% per year
Flood insurance premiums need to rise by 25% per year

The National Flood Insurance Program NFIP) is buckling under the weight of a $25 billion debt, so something’s got to give. For some policyholders, this could mean as much as 25% increases in the rate they pay for coverage every year. In Mississippi, anecdotal evidence…
America’s flood insurance system is sinking
America’s flood insurance system is sinking

Here’s some bad news for the 5 million Americans who have flood insurance policies: Premiums will rise an average 6.3 percent this year, according to the National Flood Insurance Program NFIP). But this could be followed by even worse news when rates rise as much…