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Insurance Companies Must Respond to Recent January 9 Storm Damage Claims, Houston Lawyer Says

Insurance Companies Must Respond to Recent January 9 Storm Damage Claims, Houston Lawyer Says











Houston attorney Brad T. Wyly


(PRWEB) January 17, 2012

Powerful storms, including a reported tornado, swept through Houston and its surrounding areas last week, causing damage to homes and businesses that may be covered through individual insurance policies, says Houston attorney Brad T. Wyly.

Unfortunately, Wyly says, too many of these first-party insurance claims will lead to disputes between home and business owners and their insurance companies.

“After a natural disaster strikes, such as a storm, tornado or hurricane, you expect your insurance company to do what the policy says they’ll do and pay full value on your claim,” Wyly says. “However, insurance companies make money by minimizing the amount of money they pay to settle claims. In too many cases, that means they will unreasonably delay or deny claims.

“If that occurs to you in the aftermath of these terrible storms, it’s important to seek the help of a first-party insurance claims lawyer who has experience with handling these types of disputes and who is committed to protecting the rights of insured parties,” said Wyly, whose Houston law firm evaluates business / commercial property first-party insurance claims and residential / homeowners claims.

According to the Houston Chronicle, homes and businesses throughout the Houston region were hit hard last week by storms that dumped up to four inches of rain overnight in parts of Harris County and nearly seven inches in spots near Sugar Land.

In addition to rain and flooding, the storms also brought strong wind gusts, including a tornado packing 95 mph winds that touched down briefly in the Mission Bend community southwest of Houston on January 9, the Chronicle reported.

If the hail, strong winds, flooding or falling branches and other debris from the storms harmed an insured’s residential and / or business properties, the insured may have already filed a claim for compensation. The terms of the policy will control what is covered, Wyly said.

A Texas insurance company must acknowledge the claim within 15 days of receiving it. In most cases, the insurer will then send a claims adjuster to inspect and evaluate the damage, Wyly said. If the insurer accepts the claim, the company must pay within five days of acceptance.

“Issues arise when the insurance company, after sending out an adjuster, agrees to pay only part of the claim or rejects the claim outright,” Wyly said. “There are also cases where the insured party waits weeks, months – even years – for the company to pay the claim. When you’re dealing with the need to make immediate repairs to your home or business, a lengthy delay can be extremely frustrating.”

According to the Houston first-party insurance claims attorney, Texas law entitles policyholders to penalty payments if an insurance company fails to meet required deadlines.

If the company fails to attempt to reach a fair and reasonable settlement of a first-party insurance claim, then the policyholder may be entitled to bring a bad-faith insurance practices lawsuit against the company under the Texas Insurance Code, Wyly added.

“The bottom line is that insurance companies have a legal duty to deal with their policyholders in good faith, whether you are a residential property owner or a business property owner,” Wyly said. “When the company fails to fulfill that duty, the law entitles you to relief.”

About Wyly Law Firm, P.C.

The Wyly Law Firm, P.C., is a Houston law firm that represents home and business owners in first party insurance disputes and personal injury victims, including those injured in car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian accidents, throughout Houston and surrounding communities, including Harris County, Baytown, Pasadena, Galveston, Beaumont, Bellaire, Cloverleaf, Spring Valley, Missouri City, Aldine and Jersey City. The firm also handles business law issues and disputes.

Attorney Brad T. Wyly, the firm’s founder, is a skilled negotiator and lawyer. Wyly has extensive experience in personal injury cases, including claims involving complex accidents, catastrophic injuries and wrongful deaths. He has been named a Rising Star in Law & Politics magazine. To contact Wyly Law Firm, P.C., call (713) 574-7034 or use the firm’s online form.

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British Householders Overpaying on Home Insurance by

British Householders Overpaying on Home Insurance by £1.3 Billion per Year, Says Confused.com











Cardiff, UK (PRWEB) April 1, 2009

British householders are overpaying on home insurance by a staggering £1.3billion every year, according to Confused.com.*

Despite having discovered how easy it is to compare products and prices online for car insurance, and making substantial savings by doing so**, consumers are not applying the same approach to their home insurance.

Confused.com found that, in 2008, just 7% of motor customers, who were also homeowners, checked to see if they could find a better deal online for their home insurance; leaving a whopping 93% who did not apply this savvy shopper logic to their home insurance.

The average saving on home insurance for Confused.com customers was £185 in 2008, suggesting that many homeowners could, very simply and quickly, save themselves money and ensure that they continue to have a home insurance policy that suits their circumstances.

Darren Black, head of home contents insurance at Confused.com, says: “Almost 44% of UK homeowners have not reviewed their home insurance policies in the last five years, yet 65% of motorists say they have used comparison sites to ensure they get the right deal for their car insurance. *** It is unlikely Britons care more about their cars than their homes – but they could be a little too trusting that the home insurance policy they took out several years ago is still the right policy at the right price.”

Confused.com also warns that homeowners who are not checking their house insurance policies on a regular basis could also find that their policies are no longer suitable for their circumstances. This could cost them if they realise too late; specifically when they come to make a claim. As a general rule, it pays to check any insurance policy on a regular, or at least on an annual, basis. That way, consumers are unlikely to receive any nasty surprises when they least need them.

*Assumptions use – 44% (source Mintel) of 16 million homeowners, who have not reviewed their home insurance, in the UK multiplied by average home insurance saving by Confused.com customers in 2008 of £185.25

**Source: Confused.com – average saving on car insurance for confused.com customers in 2008 was £206.16

*** Mintel Home Insurance report, 2008 and Mintel Aggregator report, 2008

For further information please contact:

Press office, Confused.com: 02920 434 398

Joanna Harte/ Gug Kyriacou, Polhill Communications: 020 7655 0550

Notes to editors

About Confused.com:

Confused.com is one of the UK’s biggest and most popular price comparison services. Launched in 2002, it generates over one million quotes per month. It has expanded its range of comparison products over the last couple of years to include home insurance, contents insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, van insurance, motorbike insurance, breakdown cover and energy, as well as financial services products including credit cards, loans, mortgages and life insurance.

Confused.com has a panel of 60 home insurers – its typical customer saves £185.25**** on their annual home insurance policy.

Confused.com is not a supplier, insurance company or broker. It provides a free, objective and unbiased comparison service. By using cutting-edge technology, it has developed a series of intelligent web-based solutions that evaluate a number of risk factors to help customers with their decision-making, subsequently finding them great deals on a wide-range of insurance products, financial services, utilities and more. Confused.com’s service is based on the most up-to-date information provided by UK suppliers and industry regulators.

Confused.com is owned by the Admiral Group plc. Admiral listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2004. Confused.com is regulated by the FSA.

**** Based on the average customer savings made in 2008.

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







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‘Councils Could do More to Encourage Use of Domestic Renewable Energy ? and Help Save the Planet’ Says Leading Eco Firm Boss, Matthew Criddle, Naturesave

‘Councils Could do More to Encourage Use of Domestic Renewable Energy – and Help Save the Planet’ Says Leading Eco Firm Boss, Matthew Criddle, Naturesave











(PRWeb UK) January 31, 2011

The head of pioneering eco insurance provider, Naturesave, Matthew Criddle, says councils could do more to help save the Planet, by kick starting the adoption of renewable energy sources, like solar heating, in domestic environments.

“We need to get on with this,” says Matthew. “Once one house in a street has installed Solar PV, a neighbour will follow suit and so on… the planet will benefit!’

“Local authorities should share experiences of planning permissions, to kickstart the take-up of renewable energy sources in domestic environments.”

“Planning offices need more training to implement environmental legislation.

Local authorities need to exchange experiences of planning permission granted by other local authorities to gain confidence in their ability to ‘fast track’ future applications.”

Matthews comments come as Naturesave launches its pioneering domestic renewable household energy insurance policy.

Now, for the first time, eco conscious householders will be able to insure their wind turbines or solar panels as part of their standard household insurance, without having to seek separate cover.

The only cover of its kind in the UK, the Naturesave Household Renewable Energy insurance policy is designed to ensure that environmentally aware households, who have installed their own ‘green energy’ systems, have cover for the system equipment and guaranteed protection for the revenues they earn from generating renewable energy at their home.

The policy has been developed in response to rising demand for home energy systems, due to concerns about the environment and rising fuel prices.

The Naturesave Household Renewable Energy insurance policy includes cover for material damage, public liability, mechanical breakdown and loss of revenue and is designed to meet the huge growth in households installing their own renewable energy systems following the recent introduction of the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) for renewable Energy.

Renewable energy technology is becoming more efficient and affordable, and home owners are now seeing the benefits of renewable energy in terms of generating income and making cost savings as well as reducing their environmental impact.

Under the FITs payments will be made to householders and communities who generate their own electricity from renewable or low carbon sources such as solar electricity (PV) panels, wind turbines, hydro, anaerobic digestion and combined heat and power systems. The scheme guarantees a minimum payment for all electricity generated by the system, in addition to a separate payment for the electricity exported to grid, and any savings made on the electricity bill by using the electricity generated. The monies paid depend on the type of renewable energy system and the amount of electricity produced. These payments are in addition to the bill savings made by using the electricity generated on-site. The amount a household could expect to save depends on the renewable energy system opted for.

Naturesave Insurance is planning to include renewable energy insurance as standard in it’s household insurance policies. The policy covers domestic renewable energy systems for:

●    Material damage (lightning, storm, theft, impact, vandalism etc)

●    Public liability insurance (third party property damage and bodily injury)

●    Machinery breakdown (over and above that covered by any existing warranty)

●    Loss of revenue (caused by material damage or machinery breakdown)

Matthew Criddle, Managing Director says ‘Naturesave has been at the leading edge of ethical and environmental insurance for 15 years, and this new product is a natural addition to our household policy. We already give discounts to householders for energy saving measures in their homes and many of our existing household insurance clients currently have renewable energy systems installed. We are pleased to be able to include this additional cover and understand that it is the only product of its kind in the UK at the moment.’

Cover will be provided for housesholds with those types of renewable energy installation (eligible for FITs) including wind turbines, solar photovoltaics, hydro systems, micro combined heat and power and anaerobic digestion. At this stage cover will be available on systems up to 50kW, installed through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.

Naturesave is launching this new product in January 2011. More information can be found at our website at http://www.naturesave.co.uk/home%20buildings%20contents.html.

Additional Information

More information about Feed-in Tariffs and the levels for each type of renewable energy system can be found on the Department of Energy and Climate Change website:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/feedin_tariff/feedin_tariff.aspx

Naturesave differs from other insurance companies in four ways:

1.    10% of the premium from Naturesave’s household buildings and contents policies go into the Naturesave Trust, which provides grants for environmental and conservation projects. The Naturesave Trust, has invested over £240,000 in eco projects since it began. There are also eco living discounts offered for clients who are already making changes to their energy consumption.

2.    When you take out a commercial policy with Naturesave, an independent advisor will offer to visit your business premises to conduct a free environmental survey, and recommend how your working practices could be made more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.

3.    The Naturesave Trust rewards carbon offsetting practice with grants, which are available to any Commercial Combined material damage and liability policy holder who offsets their carbon emissions through partner, co2balance.

4.    Naturesave also acts as a lobbying force, advising and influencing insurance companies on how they can encourage the adoption of sustainable practices.

●    Naturesave was set up in 1993 by Matthew Criddle and is based in Totnes in Devon.

●    Naturesave offers a comprehensive range of insurance including: household and insurance policies, charity and not for profit insurance, liability and professional indemnity, engineering, marine, travel and contractors insurance.

●    Naturesave insurance is a trading style of Naturesave Policies Ltd, which is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Contact Information

To arrange interviews and images please contact dawnbebe(at)weareonshore(dot)com 07831 790416 or janegeran(at)weareonshore(dot)com 07788 441357

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Big Brother Home Insurance Bill Makes a Happy House, Says Confused.com

Big Brother Home Insurance Bill Makes a Happy House, Says Confused.com











Cardiff, UK (PRWEB) June 30, 2008

Confused.com included the following info when filling out the home insurance application forms.


    No Flood Risk. Despite the house being built on the site of the old water tank where Moby Dick and The Dam Busters were filmed, there’s little risk of flood at Elstree Studios. In fact there’s more threat from contestants’ tears, belly flops into the pool, and the deluge of attention-seeking applicants still clamouring to get on the show.
    Residents are Non-Smokers. But there’s a giant ashtray in the garden! Well, since the local council classes the house as a workplace and not a home, and with Big Brother himself liable to a £2,500 fine every time a housemate lights up indoors, there’s no smoking inside. Therefore, for home insurance quote purposes the residents are non-smokers.
    Highly Secure Home. With private guards and 24/7 CCTV monitoring, the place is always going to score highly with insurers on matters of security. As an interesting aside, it’s a pity former contestant Jade Goody didn’t learn any security lessons from her two appearances on the show. In May of this year, burglars stole over £50,000 in jewellery from her Essex home – this despite being burgled twice before!
    Buildings Insurance. The amount of buildings insurance required is equal to the build value (£500,000 in the case of the Big Brother 9 house).
    Contents Insurance. Cover was set at £50,000 because, even though what you see looks pretty high-end, there are nowhere near as many contents as you’d find in a regular house containing a lifetime of accumulated items. Accidental damage cover was also included as there hasn’t been a contestant capable of repairing anything since DIY expert Craig Phillips won Big Brother 1 way back in 2000.

Cheapest Quotes Returned

HomeInsurer.co.uk – £170.42

Broker King – £228.24

So whether Big Brother 9 becomes home sweet home or a house of horrors for the contestants, it could definitely be a happy house for whoever pays the home insurance bill.

Car Crash Television

One more thing, Big Brother evictee Alex De Gale’s BMW has been vandalised as a result of her bullying ways on the show. So if you’re going on Big Brother there are two lessons to learn from this: (1) Get adequate car insurance before going in, and (2) be nice!

Notes to editors

For further information please contact:

Caroline Spindlove                                            

Confused.com                        

02920 434 393

Gug Kyriacou/ Joanna Harte                            

Polhill Communications            

020 7655 0550

About Confused.com:

Confused.com is one of the UK’s biggest and most popular price comparison services. Launched in 2002, it dominates the car insurance aggregator market and generates over one million quotes per month. It has expanded its range of comparison products over the last couple of years to include home insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, van insurance, motorbike insurance, breakdown cover and energy, as well as financial services products including credit cards, loans, mortgages and life insurance.

Confused.com is not a supplier, insurance company or broker. It provides its customers with a free, wholly objective comparison service to help with their decision making. Using cutting-edge technology, Confused.com has developed a series of intelligent web-based solutions that evaluate a number of risk factors to help customers search, buy and apply for whichever product or policy best matches their individual needs. Prices quoted on Confused.com are the same, or cheaper, than going to the insurer direct. Confused.com’s service is based on the most up to date information provided by UK suppliers and industry regulators.

Confused.com is regulated by the FSA.

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Vocus©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.







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