Insurers reaped outsized profits from NY homeowners’ policies, group says
Insurers reaped outsized profits from NY homeowners’ policies, group says

Despite catastrophic losses from superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene, property insurance companies have reaped profits in New York at rates more than double the national average in recent years, according to a study scheduled to be released Monday. Between 2004 and 2013, insurers posted an…
5 home insurance myths you may have fallen for
5 home insurance myths you may have fallen for

It may not be required by law, like auto or health insurance, but you’ll need home insurance to protect your family and household from a financial disaster in case another kind of disaster strikes. Your lender may insist that you have a policy. As with…
We love New York
We love New York

We love New York.  That’s why we and our Superstorm Sandy survivor base are pulling out the stops to support legislative reforms this legislative session and are saying: Come on New York! Step up into the 21st century and give your citizens who spend their…
Thursday marks anniversary and deadline for Black Forest Fire victims
Thursday marks anniversary and deadline for Black Forest Fire victims

Thursday marks two years since the state’s most destructive wildfire, but it also marks a deadline for insurance policies related to the Black Forest Fire. According to United Policyholders, key deadlines include the expiration of additional living expenses/loss of use benefits, a firm deadline for…
Flood program must focus more on needs of disaster victims, new chief says
Flood program must focus more on needs of disaster victims, new chief says

The newly appointed director of the National Flood Insurance Program said the organization needs to focus more on the welfare of disaster victims and rethink gaps in coverage that bedeviled homeowners after superstorm Sandy. Roy Wright, who takes over the federal program next week, said…
The auto gap insurance dilemma at the dealership: Take the coverage or leave it?
The auto gap insurance dilemma at the dealership: Take the coverage or leave it?

While you’re signing a stack of paperwork in the dealer’s office and eyeing the set of keys to your brand-new ride, your salesman asks if you’d like to add another $500 to your final tab for something you’ve never heard of called “auto gap insurance.”…
Waldo Canyon, Black Forest fire victims see dissimilar outcomes
Waldo Canyon, Black Forest fire victims see dissimilar outcomes

It was the worst of fires – and then came another one even worse. It was a fire in a subdivision and then it was one in a wooded, rural community. It was a fire of quick rebuilding and then it was one where the…
Insurance deadline looms for victims of 2013 Black Forest fire
Insurance deadline looms for victims of 2013 Black Forest fire

The second anniversary of the Black Forest fire on Thursday brings a deadline for many fire victims: it will be their last chance to sue their insurance companies and their last chance to seek to collect the full amount of money they are owed to…
After Texas Floods, A New Test for FEMA’s Beleaguered National Flood Insurance Program
After Texas Floods, A New Test for FEMA’s Beleaguered National Flood Insurance Program

Less than 48 hours after torrential rains flooded parts of Houston in late May, AJ Culembourg found herself ripping up floor boards inside the rental property she and her husband remodeled 18 months ago. Flood waters had reached as high as 18 inches inside the…
4 most common reasons why insurers deny life insurance claims
4 most common reasons why insurers deny life insurance claims

When you buy a life insurance policy, there’s a chance your beneficiary’s claim may be denied – and it’s important for you to know how this can happen. Insurers examine the terms of policies carefully before paying claims, to make sure policyholders have fulfilled their…
FEMA To Allow Superstorm Sandy Victims To Review Flood Claims
FEMA To Allow Superstorm Sandy Victims To Review Flood Claims

FEMA is mailing letters to more than 140,000 Superstorm Sandy victims. The letters ask if they want their flood insurance claim to be reviewed. This comes after months of scrutiny and accusations that the private insurance companies who help run the federal flood program shortchanged…
Letters go out to Sandy victims who want to reopen claims
Letters go out to Sandy victims who want to reopen claims

The National Flood Insurance Program began mailing letters to superstorm Sandy victims Monday to start the process of reviewing thousands of claims that may have been underpaid after the 2012 disaster.The first round of roughly 15,000 notices are going to homeowners whose properties were inspected…
Shop so you don’t drop (more $ than you should)
Shop so you don’t drop (more $ than you should)

The quality of your insurance really does matter, but figuring out which policy will give you more protection is tricky. UP can guide you on what to look for and avoid, but getting the real scoop and comparing different options is very hard to do…
FEMA will reopen Superstorm Sandy claims this week
FEMA will reopen Superstorm Sandy claims this week

United Policyholders’ Executive Director Amy Bach talks with radio journalist Maggie Glynn of Magic 98.3 in New Jersey about the devastating woes still facing many Sandy victims. Bach and Glynn discuss what went wrong insurance-wise after Sandy, the reopen process, and the resources available on…
Being A Loyal Auto Insurance Customer Can Cost You
Being A Loyal Auto Insurance Customer Can Cost You

Many companies reward their most loyal customers with incentives, discounts and freebies. But in car insurance, the opposite can actually happen. A driver can be punished with a higher premium just for being loyal to the company. It’s called price optimization, and it happens to…
Why Sandy Homeowners Were Left In The Lurch
Why Sandy Homeowners Were Left In The Lurch

Superstorm Sandy’s storm surge was so strong when it hit Long Island in October 2012 that it lifted up Dan Stapleton’s Long Beach home and then kicked in the corner of the foundation. It left a 30-foot hole around his house. Stapleton, unlike many Sandy…
Fed Probe Why Sandy Victims Were Shortchanged on Flood Insurance Claims
Fed Probe Why Sandy Victims Were Shortchanged on Flood Insurance Claims

Critics call for wide-ranging, structural reforms to ensure problems encountered after Sandy don’t happen again Amid the stress and confusion in the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, residents of coastal communities found themselves struggling to comprehend their losses and how to begin to put things…
The List: 10 Reasons Why Insurance Companies May Have Underpaid Sandy Victims
The List: 10 Reasons Why Insurance Companies May Have Underpaid Sandy Victims

Theories abound in the absence of clear information about just what went on behind the scenes in the aftermath of disastrous storm In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, many insurance policyholders were denied coverage after engineering reports determined that their damage supposedly pre-existed the storm…