Commonly Overlooked Personal Property Items when making an insurance claim: #12 Clothing items http://ow.ly/kL6d

Friday, 21 August 2009 12:45
Posted an article: Most Commonly Overlooked Personal Property Items. http://ow.ly/kL4Y

Friday, 21 August 2009 11:30
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Monday, 03 August 2009 15:53

Got a C.L.U.E.?

Written by Kimberly Pope | 28 August 2009

Have you got a C.L.U.E.? You'd better! Did you know that the insurance industry keeps a black book of your home even if you've never made a claim?!

Shocking, isn't it? We’ve been brainwashed into believing that if we make too many claims, our insurance company will drop us. A true fact but what you might not be aware of is that if your home isn’t selling, it might be because of your home’s alleged claim history. Note, we said, “alleged.”

Haven’t made a claim? Well, YOU might not have, but the previous owner of your home, may have. The report contains personal information such as your name, date of birth, and Social Security number along with a record of any auto or homeowner property loss claims YOU submitted to an insurance company during the past five years.

The report will also state the date of the loss, the type of loss and the amount, if any, paid by the insurance company. It’s called C.L.U.E. or the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. The information collected is operated by Choicepoint in Alpharetta, GA, and is stored in their database for up to five (5) years. http://www.choicetrust.com/servlet/com.kx.cs.servlets.CsServlet?usertype=c I

ts use has increased as many insurance companies face larger than life risks due to water damage and its close cousin – mold. A single report of water damage to the home, whether or not an official claim was made, could be enough to put you on the black list. To make matters worse, insurance companies share the information discovered with other insurance companies – the alleged damages are no longer a secret even if there was no claim made.

Any hint of water damage to a property, for example, is likely to trigger a negative mark on the property's CLUE report. The most well-intentioned consumers who call an insurer to inquire about coverage for water damage have been shocked later to learn that their insurance was cancelled because of that inquiry.

Get a copy of your home’s report and look it over carefully and if the information contained within the C.L.U.E. report is inaccurate, don't wait, handle it now.

Been hit with a negative C.L.U.E. report? We want to hear from you!

Contractors Adjusting Insurance Claims

Written by Kimberly Pope | 22 July 2009

Message from the Florida Department of Financial Services

Sometimes contractors attempt to help victims of disasters by offering assistance with their insurance claim. If they do so, they may illegally be engaging in the practice of public adjusting without being properly licensed by the Department of Financial Services.

The definition of a public adjuster, as explained in Section 626.854, Florida Statutes, is any person, except an attorney, who, for money or any other thing of value (which would include securing a contract for repairs):

Prepares, completes or files an insurance claim form for an insured.
Aids in any manner on behalf of an insured in negotiating for or effecting the settlement of a claim.
Advertises or solicits for employment as an adjuster of such claims.

If you are acting as a public adjuster in any manner by negotiating or effecting the settlement of an insurance claim on behalf of an insured and you are performing any of these services for money, commission or anything of value without being licensed as a public adjuster (Section 626.854, Florida Statutes), you could be subject to arrest and may be charged with a third-degree felony as provided by Section 626.8738, Florida Statutes.

If you should become licensed as a Public Adjuster, you cannot enter into a contract to do both the public adjusting and construction work on the same property per Florida Statute 626.8795, Public adjusters; prohibition of conflict of interest:

"A public adjuster may not participate, directly or indirectly, in the reconstruction, repair, or restoration of damaged property that is the subject of a claim adjusted by the licensee; may not engage in any other activities that may be reasonably construed as a conflict of interest, including soliciting or accepting any remuneration from, of any kind or nature, directly or indirectly; and may not have a financial interest in any salvage, repair, or any other business entity that obtains business in connection with any claim that the public adjuster has a contract or an agreement to adjust."

If you should have any questions about what activities constitute acting as a public adjuster, please contact the Department of Financial Services at 850-413-3136 or through its website, http://MyFloridaCFO.com.

What's In a Name? Why Allstate Floridian's Name Change is Important

Written by Kimberly Pope | 09 July 2009

Last Week, Allstate Floridian Insurance Company changed their name to Castle Key Insurance Company. Allstate spokesman, Nick Haliwell said that the name change, "helps people understand that these are companies that are separately capitalized from Allstate Insurance Company." While the name change is big industry news, for many Allstate policy holders, the big news might be the discovery that their homeowner's policy isn't through Allstate Insurance Company after all, but rather through a separate subsidiary that shares a common brand.

During the last several months, as State Farm announced it was leaving Florida, the Insured's Public Action Coalition (IPAC) has been very vocal about bringing attention to the differences between State Farm Mutual Insurance Company and State Farm Florida Insurance company. IPAC's voice grew louder during the debate over the so-called "Consumer Choice Bill" which would have allowed the "big" insurance companies to set their own unregulated premiums. Many voices spoke out for the bill, like Mike Thomas, editorial writer for the Orlando Sentinel who wrote, "I take comfort in the fact that State Farm has survived multiple hurricanes in Florida, has paid it's claims and has never required a taxpayer bailout." IPAC pointed out that State Farm Florida Insurance Company has only been writing policies in Florida since 1999, and much of the trust consumers have in State Farm comes from the reputation of the brand it shares with its parent company.

Some Citizens Policy Holders Must Get Roof Inspections

Written by Kimberly Pope | 06 July 2009

Citizens Insurance Corporation, Florida’s Insurer of last resort, recently announced that residential policyholders in Volusia and Flagler county with old roofs could lose their wind only coverage if they don't have roof inspection or provide proof that their roof has been replaced. The action will affect approximately 17,000 policyholders.

Citizens claims they aren’t the bad guy. Spokesman John Kuczwanski states, “The roof is a major source of protection when there are high winds. If a roof is allowed to deteriorate the entire home and all its contents and even the people inside, are vulnerable to storm.” He goes on to state, “Insurance is not meant to pay for property damage that is due to normal deterioration or lack of upkeep.”

The Insurer of Last Resort is requiring all roof inspections to be performed by a Florida licensed general, residential, building or roofing contractor, a licensed building inspector, a registered architect, a registered engineer or a city or county building code official.

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