This year, United Policyholders celebrates a tremendous milestone – 30 years of successfully providing information to and advocating on behalf of policyholders nationwide.
In their own words:
United Policyholders (UP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for consumers of all types of insurance in all 50 states.
Continue Reading United Policyholders: A Brief Look Back at the Past 30 years
One of the most painful decisions I have to make as an attorney in private practice is turning away potential clients because the cost of litigation dwarfs the value of their claim. I am certain that the public adjusters I know experience the same pain. But it is inevitable in the private sector, at least in states that lack consumer-friendly automatic attorney-fee laws, like California, where I practice. But no matter where you are, the number of mistreated policyholders vastly exceeds the caseload capacity of capable bad faith attorneys and public adjusters. I try to at least offer helpful tips to those I can’t formally represent, but I know that is often not enough.
Continue Reading Just Because You Can’t Get a Lawyer or Public Adjuster Does Not Mean You Are Out of Options
The term “replacement cost policy” is a misrepresentation by many insurance companies about the product they are now selling. Insurance regulators should not allow the general public to be duped into buying something which is obviously not what the insurance company is promising. Accordingly, I propose that we should consider that unless minimum standards within a policy are met, insurance companies selling any all-risk replacement insurance are required and must warn that they are selling a Non-Standard Non-Replacement Cost Policy. Insurance products that are deemed to be Replacement Cost Policies in the residential market should at least meet the criteria found in mortgage requirements for federal negotiable mortgages.
Continue Reading Homeowners Insurance Policies Differ—The Need For A Standard vs. Non-Standard Replacement Cost Policy Designation
Matching of damaged parts of a building is nothing new. This “Give Me Your Walls” episode from the classic Dick Van Dyke Show demonstrates a typical concern most property owners have about the aesthetics of matching property:
Some insurance companies are now selling “swiss cheese” and “cheap” insurance because they specifically say they will
The litigation trickle regarding coronavirus coverage issues is turning into a flood as lawsuits seem to be filed every day and in many different jurisdictions. United Policyholders has established a COCID-19 Loss Recovery Advisory Team which included a stellar panel of insurance attorneys including Merlin Law Group attorney Ed Eshoo:
COVID-19 Loss Recovery Advisory Team
John Buchanan, Covington & Burling (DC)
John Ellison, Reed Smith (PA)
Edward Eshoo, Merlin Law Group (IL)
Peter Kochenburger, UConn School of Law (CT)
Lorelie S. Masters, Hunton Andrews Kurth (DC)
Jason Mazer, Cimo Mazer Mark (FL)
Sherilyn Pastor, McCarter & English, (NJ)
Holly Soffer, Kellis Soffer, Counsel to the American Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (PA)
Continue Reading United Policyholders in the Lead Regarding Education of COVID-19 Loss Recovery and For Policyholders
Shane Smith wrote about a big policyholder win against Allstate in this weekend’s post, Another Court Ruling on Improper Depreciation of Labor. Today, the same Court of Appeals ruled the same way against State Farm.1
Continue Reading Hot Off the Insurance Law Coverage Press—DO NOT DEPRECIATE LABOR TO ARRIVE AT ACTUAL CASH VALUE!
On March 18, 2020, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Perry v. Allstate Indemnity Company,1 ruling as a matter of law that it was improper for Allstate to depreciate labor costs.
Continue Reading Another Court Ruling on Improper Depreciation of Labor
The comments, posts, and articles about whether property insurance coverage benefits will exist are all over the place on the internet. An example of two opposing views come from Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner versus the advice from United Policyholders.
Continue Reading Coronavirus Insurance Coverage Update—United Policyholders Says Do Not Give Up While Georgia Insurance Commissioner Suggests Do Not Waste Your Time
Additional living expenses can create a number of questions about what items of expanse can be claimed following a loss. FC&S is a publication I encourage those in the claims business to subscribe. While reading the Question and Answer section of the FC&S Coverage Insider, the following additional living expense coverage question was posed:
Our insured has an ISO HO 3 policy, 1991 edition, and recently suffered a fire loss. Coverage for her home and contents is not at issue; however, she has had to relocate to a motel until restoration of her home is complete. Prior to the loss, she stored some of her personal property in half of her two-car garage. Because of the fire, she can no longer use this space until repairs have been completed.
The insurance company is questioning two items under additional living expense—the cost to rent a storage space, and the cost to dry clean the clothing she took with her.
We think this is additional living expense, and should be covered. What is your opinion?
United Policyholders takes action and gets things done for policyholders regarding the insurance gap issue. United Policyholders is tackling the insurance gap coverage problem by providing staff and resources to collect rogue property insurance policy forms being issued by insurance companies, to show examples of how insurers are stepping over each other to silently gain a competitive advantage of lower price with cheap insurance.
Continue Reading Crazy New Policy Language? Report It To United Policyholders!