Posts Tagged ‘After’
Wheeler catches fire after cold start in Winnipeg
February 29th, 2012
Wheeler catches fire after cold start in Winnipeg
He's drawing coverage to him and it's opening up space for his linemates." Wheeler is a Minnesota native, and Keator said that the longer he has been in Winnipeg the more he has felt at home. "He loves the Minnesota feel to the area," Keator said.
Read more on USA TODAY
DEXTER: Combined Dexter, Scio fire departments may be called Washtenaw Fire …
According to Firefighter Jason Hilberer, the Dexter Area Fire Department has carried its name since 1985, while Scio Township was still part of the coverage area. Prior to 1985's name change, the department had been named Dexter Fire Department since …
Read more on Heritage Newspapers
Fox enjoys most-watched Daytona 500 in its network coverage history
Thanks to compelling story lines, which included a dramatic fire that added two hours to the telecast, the 2012 Daytona 500 was the second-most viewed Daytona 500 in history and the best ever on Fox. The network reported 36.5 million Americans watched …
Read more on SportingNews.com
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How much will my auto insurance go up after a at fault accident?
February 29th, 2012
Question by Scarlet Rouge: How much will my auto insurance go up after a at fault accident?
I has a at fault auto accident in California. My insurance policy is not up until July. They will not tell me how much it will go up until 30 before my policy expires. I am 19 (got my license at 18) and have no other tickets or violations. I currently pay $ 57 month. Should I be expecting a drastic increase?
Best answer:
Answer by Rupesh P
If you live in a no fault state like Florida, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Michigan, Hawaii, Kentucky or Utah (to name a few) you’re already covered. No fault insurance coverage comes with personal injury protection which, in turn, has a clause to reimburse you for lost wages. All you have to do is make sure you’ve got a doctor’s report detailing why you were out of work, how long you’re going to be out of work, how your injuries affect your ability to do your job and what kind of care you’re currently receiving and auto insurance companies will be Johnny on the spot to reimburse you for your time off.
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Midwest residents in nine states picking up after earthquake
February 24th, 2012
Midwest residents in nine states picking up after earthquake
People across nine states may soon be contacting their home insurance companies to file a claim after an earthquake this week. The tremblor on Tuesday morning had a magnitude of 3.9, according to the US Geological Survey, and was focused in …
Read more on homeinsurance.com (blog)
Have insurance? Know what it covers!
The recent House bill requiring an earthquake insurance notice is more proof that Republicans aren't exempt from government overreach [" Bill To Clarify Earthquake Insurance Advances," Feb. 5]. Here is a novel thought: If you buy an insurance policy, …
Read more on Fredericksburg.com
Earthquake downgraded to 3.9 magnitude
Insurance agent Tim Bryant says now is the time for homeowner to get out their insurance policy. "Earthquake insurance is not a requirement on a policy and it is an add on or an option that the insured has to pay a little extra premium for to get it …
Read more on KAIT
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If I increase my car insurance coverage and got in car accident shortly after that, would it make me look bad?
February 19th, 2012
Question by LoDell: If I increase my car insurance coverage and got in car accident shortly after that, would it make me look bad?
If I increased my car insurance coverage and got into an car accident shortly after that, would it make me look bad? Would the car insurance company suspect me? Would they refuse to pay? Would that have any impact to my record?
Best answer:
Answer by PMack
They might suspect you of fraud, if so they will investigate. If what happened was just one of those things and you’re not guilty of any wrongdoing, you have nothing to worry about. They can’t refuse to pay without evidence to support a claim of fraud.
If you are guilty, you could go to jail.
What do you think? Answer below!
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RPPC Royal Insurance used by Eastman Bros. after 1906 Earthquake for losses
February 18th, 2012
 | US $7.50 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday May-26-2012 12:08:32 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
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Improved access to life insurance after genetic diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia: cross-sectional postal questionnaire study
February 4th, 2012
Authors: Roeland Huijgen, Sietske JM Homsma, Barbara A Hutten, Iris Kindt, Maud N Vissers, John JP Kastelein
& Jan LA van Rijckevorsel (Source: European Journal of Human Genetics)
MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.
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Tags: access, After, crosssectional, diagnosis, familial, genetic, hypercholesterolaemia, Improved, insurance, Life, postal, questionnaire, Study | 
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After the disaster: Uninsured homeowners have little to fall back on
January 25th, 2012
Lori Johnston
The images of the tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires of 2011 remain seared in our memories. You might live in one of the areas battered by weather tragedies. Or you might have frantically checked on friends and relatives who were affected by natural disasters.
As Americans sorted through what was left of their homes in disaster-ravaged areas, many people filed insurance claims and undertook the rebuilding process. For some homeowners and renters, though, a lack of insurance added to the devastation.
In Bastrop County, Texas, for example, about 100 of the 1,600 homes damaged or destroyed in a September 2011 wildfire weren’t insured. What’s billed as the worst wildfire in Texas history caused insured losses of at least $ 325 million.
“It’s important to be able to have (insurance) to fall back on when a catastrophe strikes,” says Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas, a trade group.
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| About 100 of the 1,600 homes damaged or destroyed in a September 2011 wildfire in Bastrop County, Texas, weren’t insured. |
The mortgage factor
Homeowners normally are required to purchase insurance as part of the mortgage process. But some homeowners and renters don’t have the most basic coverage for what may be their biggest asset – shelter. An estimated 97 percent of homeowners have home insurance, but only 29 percent of renters have renter’s insurance, according to 2011 data from the Insurance Information Institute.
There’s a lot of awareness about home and renter’s insurance, but an “it won’t happen to me” mind-set still exists, says Tim Bowen, director of the homeowner operational team in MetLife Auto & Home’s claims department.
As home insurance premiums rise, with an increase of up to 5 percent predicted in 2012 by the Insurance Information Institute, more folks may end up opting out of coverage, if they have that choice. The average home insurance premium in 2011 was $ 956, compared with $ 536 in 2001, according to the Insurance Information Institute and National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma are the states with the highest home insurance premiums — states that have been hit hard in recent years by hurricanes, tornadoes or wildfires.
“We’re going to see more people uninsured,” Bach says. “The prices are getting so high. People are used to paying under $ 1,000 a year for their homeowner’s insurance. I believe that is going to be thing of the past, if it isn’t already in many areas.”
‘Something’s gotta give’
For a variety of reasons, some people choose not to purchase insurance. The main reason: cost. Folks either want to avoid the premiums or simply can’t afford them. People who own their homes outright usually understand they’re taking chances by being uninsured, but they think the savings are worthwhile and the risk of a disaster is small.
Bill Sims, who’s in his late 80s, owns his home outright in Boca Raton, Fla. He decided not to renew his home insurance and flood insurance several years ago when the costs tripled to $ 3,000 and the number of items covered decreased.
He told TV station WPTV in 2011: “It was just one more item. You keep having additional expenses until, finally, something’s gotta give.”
Older homeowners may lack coverage
Not being able to afford insurance is becoming more common, says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit group that assists insurance consumers. Why? Bach says it’s because insurance companies think the risks of covering homeowners are greater than in the past, stemming partly from major disasters and resulting in higher rates, especially in hurricane-prone coastal areas.
Some people can afford insurance, but if they own their homes and no lender is requiring coverage, they sometimes don’t buy it. Generally speaking, the homeowners in those cases are older and have lived in their homes for years, Bach says. Or recent buyers may have paid all cash for their properties, avoiding any mandated insurance.
“It is pretty rare that you don’t have insurance and you have a mortgage, and nobody got in touch with you to remind you that you were supposed to have it,” she says.
Other situations can involve people who inherited a home that has been paid off. In less common cases, the policy may have lapsed and the homeowner isn’t aware of it. When disaster strikes, they discover that the coverage isn’t there.
It’s best to review your property insurance policy annually with your insurance agent or company to make sure everything is in place and that you don’t need to change the amount of protection, especially if you’ve expanded or remodeled your home, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
Coverage for renters
More landlords are requiring renters to buy insurance, although a MetLife Auto & Home study found that less than half of U.S. renters still don’t have coverage. A 2010 survey by MetLife uncovered two main reasons:
• 33 percent said the insurance was too expensive.
• 23 percent said they thought they were covered by their landlord’s insurance.
“They take for granted that they’re in a building or a structure and their contents will be protected. That’s not so,” Bowen says.
A policy held by a landlord typically will cover the structure, exterior and finishes of the home, not a renter’s possessions. A typical renter’s insurance policy costs $ 200 a year or less, according to MetLife.
“It’s more, I think, an oversight than it is just trying to avoid getting it,” Bowen says.
Bouncing back from a disaster
A standard home insurance policy will cover property lost or damaged in most natural disasters, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. Floods are the big exception; flood damage is covered under separate insurance. Having coverage also means homeowners will be reimbursed for the cost of temporary housing and food if authorities order them to evacuate. The same benefits generally apply to renters who have insurance.
Without insurance, homeowners and renters must rely on friends and family, government agencies and nonprofit groups to meet their needs after a disaster. “They’ve got to start all over again,” MetLife’s Bowen says.
Another source of disaster relief is faith-based charitable organizations. In the aftermath of the Texas wildfires, groups such as the Bastrop Christian Ministerial Alliance donated money to renters who didn’t have insurance.
Other uninsured homeowners use their savings or inheritances to recover. Another option is to sell the damaged home as a distressed lot or property – unlikely to recoup much money – or to let the bank foreclose on a damaged home, which can hurt your credit. “All things considered, the best thing is to buy insurance,” Bach says.
Troy Anderson
Mold mania swept the United States a decade ago after lawsuits filed by celebrities Ed McMahon, Erin Brockovich and Michael Jordan stoked fears about “killer mold.”
Now, a new threat has emerged – a “house-eating fungus” that can devour homes in months. But the devastating fungus known as poria incrassata pales in comparison to perhaps an even bigger danger – the fact that many home insurance policies now contain caps or other coverage limits on mold and fungus claims.
In a lawsuit that some experts say could have national ramifications, Los Angeles residents Walter and Judy Moore allege that their home insurer, Seattle-based Safeco Insurance Co., acted in bad faith and engaged in unfair competition. The Moores allege that the company initially said it would cover a poria claim, but then backed out after learning it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix their 1,500-square-foot home. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom Mission Revival home was built in 1924; it sits in a quaint, upper-class neighborhood.
The couple alleges that Safeco told them a $ 10,000 coverage limit applied only to fungus cleanup costs, not to subsequent repairs, but then told them the $ 10,000 limit applied to all losses, including repairs.
A ‘huge insurance scam’?
“This is essentially a huge insurance scam we’ve uncovered where people are not getting what they are paying for,” says Judy, who managed the couple’s rental property in the south of France until they were recently forced to sell it after the fungus invasion. “I know we are not an isolated couple who have somehow had the incredibly bad luck to find out our $ 1 million home is really only insured for $ 10,000.”
Walter, a corporate trial attorney and a former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, alleges in the lawsuit that Safeco failed to disclose on its home insurance declarations, or summary, page the policy limitations for mold or fungus damage. Safeco wrote on its declarations page that the policy would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars — enough to rebuild the home — but an “Additional Property Coverage” provision states the company will pay only up to $ 10,000 for fungus damage and cleanup, Walter alleges.
The lawsuit was filed in February 2011 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
When consumers buy or renew a policy, Safeco sends them a California Residential Property Insurance Disclosure form – showing policy limits valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars. No mention is made of a $ 10,000 limit for any covered losses, Walter alleges.
“There are much broader ramifications for all consumers,” says Walter, a Georgetown University graduate and former editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. “I think if most consumers saw something on their declarations page that the policy limit could be as low as $ 10,000, they would switch insurance companies. You couldn’t replace your car for $ 10,000, much less your home.”
Safeco’s defense
Brenda Harrison, a spokeswoman for Safeco, declines to comment on the Moores’ suit. Safeco is a subsidiary of Liberty Mutual, a Fortune 100 company that’s the country’s fifth-largest property and casualty insurer.
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| Judy Moore stands in the under-repair home she shares with husband Walter. Judy says they’re victims of a “huge insurance scam.” |
Jeffrey Crowe, an attorney for Safeco, explained in court documents that the company investigated this “unusual” case and learned water had entered the house through a vent pipe on the roof that was cut during an earlier remodeling project. This allowed rain to seep behind the walls, permitting the wood-decaying fungus to grow. Safeco later determined the loss wasn’t covered because of the policy’s exclusion for “continuous or repeated seepage or leakage of water.” Although the declarations page didn’t identify the policy’s “Special Provisions” regarding fungus, Crowe says the company covers only as much as $ 10,000 for fungus-related losses.
The case was scheduled to go to trial Jan. 17, 2012, but the judge dropped that trial date. A new trial date hasn’t been set. The Moores have asked the judge to issue an injunction prohibiting Safeco from selling or renewing any home insurance policies in California until it revises its declarations pages and discloses the $ 10,000 fungus limit.
“They know this could do severe damage to them,” Judy says. “If we get a permanent injunction against Safeco that requires them to start telling the truth about what they are selling then there could class-action lawsuits in every state. It would not be, ‘Do you owe people money, but how much do you owe every single one of your policyholders?’”
‘Hideous lack of transparency’
Daniel Schwarcz, an associate law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School who is an expert on home insurance policies, says the Moores’ lawsuit could lead to greater disclosure of exactly what home insurance policies cover.
“There is a hideous lack of transparency about policy coverage, about what companies pay out on and how the process works,” Schwarcz says. “All this information is really hidden from public scrutiny. It’s a real regulatory problem. It’s a problem our courts could fix by forcing insurers to pay claims unless they are really clear to policyholders beforehand about what is covered and what is not.”
The ‘mold rush’
Mold and fungus have been around for centuries and are found everywhere. In the United States, there are more than 100,000 species of fungus. Some species like poria can cause extensive property damage; poria is a soil-inhabiting fungus that has shown up recently in homes in Southern California, Northern California and states along the Gulf Coast.
Other types of fungus can cause health problems ranging from runny noses, coughs and sinusitis to more serious upper respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis. Certain types of mold can produce toxins. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found no conclusive evidence that inhalation of these toxins is associated with brain damage, memory loss or a lack of energy – as feared a decade ago during the “killer mold” scare.
Before 2000, the few mold-related claims insurers saw generally were settled for a few thousand dollars. But mold and fungus kicked up a furor a decade ago with multimillion-dollar lawsuits by McMahon and other celebrities, and with headlines like this one from Time magazine — “Beware: Toxic Mold.” In one highly publicized case, a Texas family abandoned their mansion and won a $ 32 million jury award in 2001 against Farmers Insurance. An appeals court later reduced the amount to $ 4 million.
Nationwide, mold-damage payouts soared, more than doubling from $ 1.3 billion in 2001 to nearly $ 3 billion in 2002, according to the Insurance Information Institute. From 1997 to 2002, mold-related claims rose from $ 229 million to $ 589 million in California alone. At the time, traditional home insurance policies did not exclude mold and fungus damage.
Attorneys held mold-damage seminars for homeowners in the early part of this century, says Pete Moraga, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California, a nonprofit group supported by the insurance industry.
“They called it the ‘mold rush,’ ” Moraga says. “ ‘Mold is Gold’ was a name of a seminar showing attorneys how they could make a lot of money on this.”
Mold limits become the norm
After a spike in mold-related lawsuits, many state insurance regulators excluded or limited mold coverage on home insurance policies. Mold contamination is covered under these policies only if it is the result of a covered peril, according to the Insurance Information Institute. A covered peril is a type of risk that an insurance policy covers.
For example, the costs of cleaning up mold caused by water from a burst pipe are covered in most policies because water damage from a burst pipe is a covered peril. But mold caused by water from excessive humidity, condensation or flooding is a maintenance issue for the property owner and is not covered. Every state except Arkansas, New York, North Carolina and Virginia has adopted mold limits for home insurance policies.
“The insurance industry reacted en masse to the Texas verdict and put caps across the board into homeowner’s policies regarding mold,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit advocacy group for insurance consumers. “Then it became a big political issue, and some state legislators intervened when they thought the caps were too low. In some states, you’ll see a $ 5,000 max on mold. Other states have nothing on their books. But the insurance companies almost across the board have limited coverage for mold damage.”
Certain states allow insurers to establish sub-limits — either as a percentage of policy limits or as a fixed dollar amount — for mold cleanup. While some insurance companies prefer to create a total exclusion, others exclude mold but offer an attachment to the policy that makes coverage available at an additional cost.
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| Walter and Judy Moore let their neighbors know what they think of their home insurance company with a handmade sign on a hedge in their front yard. The message, spelled out in large white letters, says “SAFECO SUCKS!” |
As a result of states letting insurers exclude mold as a covered peril, the Insurance Information Institute was unable to figure out how much insurers paid out in recent years for mold claims. However, the institute does track losses caused by freezing and water damage, which includes mold-related claims. From 2005 to 2009, those losses increased from 15 percent of all home insurance losses to 24 percent.
When comparing home insurance coverage, Patricia McConahay, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Insurance, says people should carefully read the policies to determine whether mold claims will be paid. If a consumer has a mold claim, McConahay says, he should submit it to his insurer. If the claim is denied, he should contact his state’s insurance department. The department will investigate to determine whether the claim was wrongly denied, McConahay says.
Reversing course
The Moores, the Los Angeles couple, filed a complaint in February 2011 with the California Department of Insurance against Safeco for undue delay and unfair denial of their claim. The complaint alleges that Safeco denied the couple’s claim twice before finally approving it, but only after a long delay that gave the fungus time to spread throughout the house.
“Before I allowed anyone to tear up our home, I double-checked with the claims adjuster, in writing, that the $ 10,000 amount was for only remediation, and the amount for the repair necessary was not part of this $ 10,000,” Judy says. “The adjuster responded in writing that, yes, the $ 10,000 limit only applied to the remediation part of the claim. He also asked me to get new bids for repair.”
The Moores’ lawsuit alleges Safeco then reversed its decision to avoid the increased repair costs resulting from the delay.
Contractors estimate it will cost $ 350,000 to $ 750,000 to fix the Moores’ home, which was valued at $ 950,000 before the fungus invasion, Walter says.
‘A big case for consumers’
The complaint also asks the California insurance commissioner to require Safeco to provide customers with copies of all insurance documents that “fairly and accurately disclose” what losses are covered. The department has informed the Moores that it will wait until the court case is over before taking any further action.
“I think it’s a big case for consumers,” Walter says. “I’m not a class-action lawyer, but I think some consumer lawyer should jump on this and sue them to recover the difference between the protection homeowners are paying for on the one hand and the protection they are actually getting on the other hand.”
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GardenSK8 2.0 Life After Hurricane Irene
January 13th, 2012
We just recently reopened our doors for the first time after being destroyed by Hurricane Irene on August 27th, 2011. The park was flooded with more than 3 feet of water during the hurricane completely destroying our shop and damaging much of the rest. Our insurance did not cover flood damage and we did not qualify for any government assistance, but that didn’t stop us. We are forever grateful to the artists that selflessly gave their time and trade for painting 20000 square feet top to bottom making us a contender for the World’s Largest Indoor Graffiti Collection painted by more than 20 graffiti artists from around the world. There was also silent auction featuring hand painted graffiti art on canvas and skateboards as well as autographed products from top professional skateboarders and their companies. All money raised went back into rebuilding the skatepark and gave us a pulse. Last but not least we would like to thank those of you who sent in donations from around the country and those of you who were here and rolled up your sleeves to help. Without ALL of you we would have never made it. Love, The Bossman & Family
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after a house fire and the insurance company?
December 27th, 2011
Question by ginger m: after a house fire and the insurance company?
my mother- in -laws house burnt down this week and she lost everything including her 13 yr old beloved cat, insurance people came for the contents list, how long does that take before they will give her a check for the amount so she can begin replaceing things she lost???
Best answer:
Answer by mbrcatz17
Well, they can’t give her a check until they get the fire marshall report – thats usually the biggest holdup. It can take a week, or up to a month. It’s beyond your control, completely.
She CAN ask for an advance, if the fire isn’t of suspicious nature.
Sorry for the loss of her cat. There isn’t any coverage for the cat. Or her pictures, etc.
Now, go dig through your photos of holidays you held in her house, so you can help her make up an inventory of stuff she lost. That inventory can take a long, long time to compile. She’ll need help.
What do you think? Answer below!
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After a widely reported earthquake in California, many people call their insurance company to apply for earthq?
December 13th, 2011
Question by : After a widely reported earthquake in California, many people call their insurance company to apply for earthq?
After a widely reported earthquake in California, many people call their insurance company to apply for earthquake insurance. Might this reaction reflect some deviation from rationality? Discuss.
Best answer:
Answer by Flower
To put in a claim?
Give your answer to this question below!
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Tags: After, Apply, California, Call, Company, earthq, Earthquake, insurance, many, People, Reported, their, widely |
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