December 1, 2016 Speaking UP works Our final tip of the month this year is simple: When it comes to insurance, have a pro-active mindset. If you’ve had a loss, ask for a cash advance while your claim is being processed. If you’ve got property insurance, ask the agent or insurer…
November 30, 2016 2016 Advocacy and Action Wrap UP Post-election predictions suggest our consumer protection work will get even harder and safeguards Congress put in place after the 2008 meltdown to prevent financial abuse may be in jeopardy. But UP scored some very significant gains this year through our Advocacy and Action program and…
November 30, 2016 Big Data and Privacy In the past, insurance companies used straightforward objective criteria and actuarial science to evaluate risks and calculate how much to charge a consumer for an insurance policy. Age, address, income, claim history and education were the main factors. Today, insurers are using subjective factors such…
November 22, 2016 CLUE Report: This Surprising Database Can Drive Up Your Homeowners Insurance Premiums If you’re about to buy a home you’re also probably trying to save money wherever you can, which includes finding an affordable homeowners insurance policy. But guess what? If the seller has a history of one or more insurance claims on that property, you could…
November 22, 2016 Engaged Couple Learns Definition Of ‘Relative’ The Hard Way SAN FRANCISCO CBS SF) — What is a relative? When it comes to insurance companies, the word can have different definitions. With their wedding only months away, Scott Garvey and Katie Fredrickson already consider themselves a family. “In the eyes of my parents, he’s already…
November 17, 2016 Rutgers Law School in New Jersey Launches Project to Improve Homeowners’ Insurance Rutgers Law School’s Camden, N.J., location, in collaboration with United Policyholders, is seeking to improve homeowners’ insurance nationally through its recently launched project. The Rutgers Center for Risk and Responsibility at Rutgers Law School in Camden and United Policyholders have launched a national project that…
November 16, 2016 Window Maker Gets Support In Coverage Battle At 7th Circ. Nonprofit policyholder advocacy group United Policyholders on Tuesday asked the Seventh Circuit to order two insurers to cover window maker Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. Inc.’s costs to defend a class action over defective windows, arguing that the lower court’s ruling is contrary to Wisconsin…
November 14, 2016 4 Homeowner’s Insurance Pitfalls A home is perhaps the single largest investment of a person’s life. When someone takes out a mortgage, they are also required to take out a homeowners’ insurance policy that is acceptable to their lender. If they let the policy lapse for any reason, while…
November 12, 2016 Analysis: Shopping around could save patients thousands on medical procedures Shopping around at area hospitals and outpatient surgery centers for the cost of procedures could save patients thousands of dollars, a Sunday Times analysis found. Using an online cost estimator developed by Aetna insurance, the newspaper found significant price variations for several common medical procedures.…
November 8, 2016 Fair pricing of insurance Competition is a good way of keeping prices for many products and services affordable to consumers. But when it comes to insurance products that consumers must buy – such as car and home insurance (for anyone with a mortgage), competition does not keep prices low for all consumers.…
November 8, 2016 5 Hidden Costs of Relocation If you’ve got your eye on a new city where you can buy a bigger house with an affordable mortgage payment, don’t be too quick to sign those closing documents. If you don’t do a little research first, you may get ambushed by unexpected costs…
November 7, 2016 As cars get safer, why isn’t insurance getting cheaper? Auto technology is moving ahead faster than a Texas speed limit. Automatic braking prior to an accident, blind-spot warnings in traffic, rear-view cameras and a host of other options now increase the safety of new models. But will these new devices lead to discounts by…
November 3, 2016 Texas insurer drops push to let homeowners forgo right to sue The Texas Farm Bureau said it would offer lower premiums to customers who agreed to arbitration clauses, but consumer rights advocates rebelled. The Texas Farm Bureau has dropped a proposal that would have allowed its homeowner insurance policyholders to pre-emptively sign away their right to…
November 1, 2016 Wise UP: The Savvy Consumers Guide To Buying Insurance Wise UP: The Savvy Consumers Guide to Buying Insurance, a United Policyholders’ publication This compact guide will give you the inside scoop on what really matters when buying or renewing insurance for your car, home and assets. It’s short, easy to read and gives you…
October 30, 2016 You’ll pay more for auto insurance if you have bad credit. Here’s why. Does being behind on your bills make you more likely to crash your car? Yup, statistically speaking. That’s why Missourians with rotten credit pay an average of $704 per year more for auto insurance than people with good credit. The difference in Illinois is $745,…
October 28, 2016 Big Data TMI and the impact on policyholders The terms “Big Data”, “Data Mining” and “Price Optimization” are all the buzz in insurance circles and among state insurance regulators. They, non-profit consumer advocates, the private bar, and the Federal Insurance Office are all diving into whether the massive amount of personal data that’s…
October 25, 2016 Builder Gets Help In Fla. Defect Notice Coverage Battle A bevy of construction trade organizations and a nonprofit policyholder advocacy group urged the Florida Supreme Court on Monday to rule that a construction defect claim notice constitutes a suit triggering an insurer’s defense obligations, throwing their support behind a building contractor in its coverage…
October 20, 2016 25 years later: Oakland hills ripe for another firestorm Twenty-five years after a horrific firestorm killed 25 people and wiped out nearly 3,500 homes in the Oakland hills, the conditions are ripe once again for a similar — if not worse — disaster. The 1991 inferno led to improved policies and equipment for fire…
