Proper preparation, insurance needed to protect home from hurricanes - Kansas City Star
No matter your take on Irene - real threat or Weather Channel hype-o-rama - there remains the potential for damaging storms as the hurricane season grinds on to November.
It appears that no one can predict with any certainty where nature's ax will fall. While Irene meant just 45 minutes of twig-picking for some homeowners, others face thousands of dollars in cleanup costs that insurance might not cover.
Check your homeowners' policy to see what is covered and what is not. Some policies have hurricane deductibles that are higher than the normal ones - as much as 4 percent, depending on how far you are from the ocean.
Policies do not cover flooding. Flood insurance is available to homeowners, renters, condo owners/renters, and commercial owners/renters. Costs depend on how much insurance is purchased, what it covers, and the property's flood risk.
Proper preparation, insurance needed to protect home from hurricanes - Kansas City Star
Symetra Appoints Lora Lyons as Group Life Claims Leader - MarketWatch (press release)
BELLEVUE, Wash., Sep 01, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Symetra Life Insurance Company today announced that Lora Lyons will lead the claims operation in its group life and disability income insurance business, effective today.
As assistant vice president of Group Life and Disability Claims and Operations, Lyons will be responsible for developing and maintaining best practice models for claims handling, systems, processes and service. She will be based in South Windsor, Conn., and will report to Tom Foran, Symetra vice president of Group Life and Disability Income.
A leading provider of medical stop-loss coverage, Symetra announced plans in January 2011 to expand its group life and disability income insurance operation, with a focus on serving mid-sized businesses. The company's plans include building in-house expertise in underwriting, claims and actuarial, as well as investing in an experienced field sales and account management team. Since the beginning of the year, Symetra has hired Tom Foran to lead the group life management team and direct product development efforts; Don Canfield to head up underwriting; and Christopher Koettker, Andrew McMillan and Steve Mezei to drive field sales.
Lyons joins Symetra from Zurich American Insurance Company in New York City, where she was assistant vice president, Program Service Delivery. At Zurich, she developed and implemented service models for life administration, call centers and claims. Before that, she was vice president, Disability Claim Center at American General Life Companies (a subsidiary of AIG, Inc.), responsible for disability claims, underwriting, IT and call center operations. Earlier in her career, Lyons directed quality efforts and long-term disability product management at MetLife.
Symetra Appoints Lora Lyons as Group Life Claims Leader - MarketWatch (press release)
White House: Companies Won’t Drop Health Coverage - Fox Business
There was a lot of talk this week about a new survey from Towers Watson, a corporate human resources research company, that suggested more and more workers are going to find themselves without company-sponsored health insurance even after the new health law takes effect beginning in 2014.
However, White House officials told FOX Business that this one survey is not an indication of what companies may do with their health benefits, because other studies of the effects of health reform have shown the opposite.
The new Towers Watson survey of 368 mid- to large-sized companies appeared to suggest that the burden will shift to the government if more companies decide the extra cost from health reform isn’t worth the trouble, and start dropping coverage. These moves could put more people into new health benefits exchanges that each state is supposed to launch according to the new reform bill.
The Towers Watson survey engendered much debate, because the health care law was supposed to ensure that all Americans, including the estimated 32 million uninsured, received coverage, and what will happen if the law survives an expected Supreme Court challenge.
White House: Companies Won't Drop Health Coverage - Fox Business
Fourmile Fire victim hits roadblock to rebuilding - 9NEWS.com
BOULDER COUNTY - On Labor Day morning almost a year ago, Bruce Honeyman was simply reading the paper. About 10 that morning, Honeyman, the chief of the Sunshine Fire Protection District got a call for mutual aid.
BOULDER COUNTY - On Labor Day morning almost a year ago, Bruce Honeyman was simply reading the paper. About 10 that morning, Honeyman, the chief of the Sunshine Fire Protection District got a call for mutual aid. " [I] came around the corner and saw that it was out of control," Honeyman said.
According to the Boulder County Assessor's office, the Fourmile Canyon Fire destroyed 155 homes, including Honeyman's. "When I left the house to grab my fire gear, it never occurred to me it would be the last time I'd see my house," he said.
Several tough days turned into excruciating months, something else Honeyman simply could not foresee. "Of all the psychological and emotional trauma that we experienced in the fire, dealing with the insurance companies has been as bad or worse than the fact of losing your house," he said.
Fourmile Fire victim hits roadblock to rebuilding - 9NEWS.com
Sinkhole issue spotlights state’s broken insurance system - Tampabay.com
In Florida we have a provision in all regular homeowner policies that covers catastrophic ground collapse — when a house falls in a hole and is condemned by building officials. Coverage has been there in the past and it is still in all Floridian's property insurance policies. It is not truthful for anyone to debate sinkhole coverage by stating "any home that falls into the ground is not covered unless they paid for sinkhole coverage" just because extremely large rate increases have been recently proposed by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. It is also not honest to let anyone believe that these huge rate increases are for anything other than for sinkhole coverage.
We have a broken system. People are taking advantage of it each year in an attempt to profit, get out of debt or catch up on neglected repairs. This broken system perpetuates an oddity where expensive testing is rarely conclusive and subject to the interpretation about alleged sinkhole activity.
We have only had "sinkhole coverage" beyond "catastrophic ground collapse" for a little more than two decades. Before then, we all got along just fine without separate coverage in this state. But today people are rushing to cash in on alleged sinkhole claims.
As a direct result of the legislation passed in Tallahassee this spring, these dubious techniques will no longer be allowed for use by sinkhole repair companies, unscrupulous public adjusters or attorneys.
Sinkhole issue spotlights state's broken insurance system - Tampabay.com
BWS eyes GCC insurance sector - Khaleej Times
DUBAI - More than a year after its merger with Rotterdam-based marine risk specialists Independent Risk Solutions BV and the subsequent launch of the international insurance group Brokerage World Solutions, or BWS, Dubai-based brokerage house Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC is moving relentlessly forward, expanding its customer base in the region.
The company’s current focus is on building synergies with the Dubai World Group of companies and offer tailor-made products, services and solutions to some 6,500 companies based in Jafza. BWS is uniquely positioned to provide risk solutions to the UAE and Gulf’s most important sectors such as trade, financial, professional and specialist risks, personal protection, and aviation.
2010 has in general been an eventful year for the region’s insurance industry and for us at BWS in particular. The merger between Insure Direct and IRS was founded on strong fundamentals and has added the strategic depth to our growth plans that we were hoping for. The synergy created is being harnessed by BWS as a growing international brand.
During the year we invested considerable resources in designing new products and services that would meet the requirements of a market that was impacted by the global economic slowdown. We made substantial progress with our partnership in Qatar, while our Bahrain operation is well geared to serve the regional reinsurance space and reach out beyond the GCC to cover the whole Middle East and North African region.
BWS eyes GCC insurance sector - Khaleej Times
House devoured by fungus; Couple in legal battle with insurance company over … - New York Daily News
Southern California watched in disbelief as their home was overtaken by Poria incrassata, a rare wood-eating fungus that is triggered by water and can decimate a home in a year.
Despite the fact that Judy Moore had Safeco's assurance that the damage would be covered in writing, the company said nix, saying that their own adjuster misunderstood a clause in their contract regarding additional coverage.
House devoured by fungus; Couple in legal battle with insurance company over ... - New York Daily News
AAA Public Adjusting Group, Inc. Releases More Testimonials From Satisfied Clients - MarketWatch (press release)
HOLLYWOOD, FL, Jul 05, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- AAA Public Adjusting Group, Inc. (AAA) (otcqb:AAAA) (pinksheets:AAAA), a company with more than 4,000 clients and over 100 years combined experience adjusting insurance claims in south Florida, proudly releases another testimonial from a satisfied client of their 100% wholly owned subsidiary Florida Claims Consultants (FCC). AAA will be periodically releasing these testimonials as part of a new marketing campaign throughout Florida and beyond in anticipation for expansion.
I have known Chris Lombardi for almost five years, and during this time I have found Chris to be intelligent, understanding, honest, very knowledgeable and full of integrity. I met Chris at a difficult time in my life, my house had flooded from the hurricane, and Chris came in and instructed me on how to proceed to get my house back in livable condition. He was honest and very knowledgeable about his business.
Chris Lombardi is an individual with a servant's spirit, and his agenda is to help his clients like myself and my family to get understanding and clarity of our distressed situations, along with what it would take to get our situations restored. Chris is very knowledgeable in his field and his main objective is to leave his clients satisfied. I have nothing but positive praise for this man and his company.
Pastor Brownlee was entrenched in insurance claims with a ruined floor, furniture, and personal effects when AAA/FCC came to the rescue. By lifting his burden and handling all the insurance business to get his home repaired Pastor Brownlee was free to council his congregation and organize community outreach programs after the hurricane. In this fashion, AAA/FCC repaired his home and ensured their was no interruption in his job; considering his line of work, it is safe to assume that by helping the pastor AAA helped many remain strong after a time of devastating loss in the area.
AAA Public Adjusting Group, Inc. Releases More Testimonials From Satisfied Clients - MarketWatch (press release)
Riesberg Named Colo. Insurance Commissioner - Insurance Journal
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced that Rep. Jim Riesberg will be the state’s new Commissioner of Insurance. He will resign his House seat on June 30 and start work on July 1.
Riesberg will replace John J. Postolowski, who was appointed as interim insurance commissioner on December 1. Postolowski joined the Division of Insurance in 1998, and was eventually promoted to his current deputy position in 2004. He will return to that position once Riseberg takes the office.
Riesberg was first elected in 2004 to represent House District 50 (Greeley, Garden City and Evans) in the Colorado General Assembly. He is currently ranking member of the Health and Environment Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee.
Riesberg was first elected in 2004 to represent House District 50 (Greeley, Garden City and Evans) in the Colorado General Assembly. He is currently ranking member of the Health and Environment Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee. “This position will require striking a balance between the needs of the insurance industry with the needs of consumers, and I’m confident this can be accomplished. I look forward to working with consumers, the insurance industry, the Department of Regulatory Agencies, the Governor’s Office, and my colleagues in the legislature in this new capacity,” Riesberg said.
Riesberg Named Colo. Insurance Commissioner - Insurance Journal
White House raps methodology of McKinsey survey - CMIO
The original report predicted that “30 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering ESI in the years after 2014," but did not offer the methodology for its survey of 1,300 employers.
McKinsey & Company commissioned the survey to measure U.S. private sector employers' attitudes about healthcare reform , and it was not intended as a predictive economic analysis of the impact of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA), according to a June 20 statement on the company's website.
Urban Institute , which employed economic modeling, not opinion surveys, and focused on the impact of healthcare reform on individuals, not employer attitudes, according to McKinsey.
In response, Nancy-Ann DeParle, assistant to the President and deputy chief of staff, wrote in a June 20 White House blog that the new information makes clear that the survey is "flawed" and raises additional questions. “And as we learn more, it’s become clear that this one flawed study from McKinsey is truly an outlier,” DeParle wrote.
White House raps methodology of McKinsey survey - CMIO