Today is the last day of Fire Prevention Week. I almost didn’t write anything because it upsets me so much every time I learn about a death in a fire. I’ve been writing about it for years. And, I’m not the only one. Still, deaths keep happening. From 2012 to 2021, the 10-year trend in the fire death rate per million population increased 18 percent in the United States. Read more →

Policyholders are entitled to receive their claims payments under the terms of their insurance policies, and insurers shouldn’t delay or mistreat consumers. Many victims of Hurricane Idalia will be underinsured and uninsured for flood damage. There will be big fights over whether the damage was caused by wind versus flooding. Read more →

Storms across the country brought on by climate change are causing havoc. You may have received a notice from your insurer dropping your home insurance policy. Or, surges in the cost of your coverage can put a strain on your budget especially with inflation. This is stressful as not having the right insurance can make your home difficult to sell. Read more →

Consumers with poor credit pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars more every year for basic auto insurance coverage required by state laws, new report shows. On average, a consumer with poor credit has to pay twice as much for auto insurance as a driver with excellent credit, even if everything else, including their driving safety history, are the same. Read more →

USASF Servicing is being charged with illegal practices that harmed consumers with auto loans including disabling vehicles, improperly repossessing vehicles, double-billing for insurance premiums, and failing to return millions in refunds, according to a lawsuit. The CFPB is seeking to return money to consumers, impose penalties, and stop future violations. Read more →

Farmers Insurance began limiting the sale of new homeowners insurance policies in California on July 3, the company, a subsidiary of the Zurich Insurance Group, announced Friday. Farmers is the No. 2 homeowners insurer in California. American International Group, State Farm, and Allstate have also limited have limited insurance sales. Read more →

American International Group is planning to curb homeowners insurance sales for owners at high risk of floods, storms, or wildfires in 200 zip codes across the United States, according to a report in the Wall St Journal. AIG is the third major insurer in recently to announce cuts to homeowners insurance.  Read more →

Either I missed the Public Citizen report on the toll private equity is taking on U.S. health care or I didn’t understand its significance. The report, released in March, says private equity takeovers have come with shocking lapses in safety, with prices rising faster than at non-private equity entities, while patients have been subjected to price gouging. Read more →

No. What ended on Thursday was the covid health emergency on public health and safety measures in the United States. In addition, the World Health Organization recently ended the covid related global health emergency. The U.S. ended the covid health emergency because Republicans would no longer support funding for it. Read more →

A settlement shows that another huge, well-known corporation has engaged in deceptive practices in how it treats its customers. Prudential Financial denied more than 200 life insurance claims although the company collected life insurance premiums from participants for extended periods, the U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday. Read more →