Is Hurricane Ike insurance fraud blowing you away?

Three months after Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast, thousands of residents and many businesses are still stuck with costly repairs. And it’s not just because repair work takes time. It’s because some insurance companies balk at paying what is rightly due their customers.

These insurance companies do three common things which help themselves but don’t do their customers one bit of good: They delay issuing payments for as long as possible, they low-ball payments as much as possible, and they even deny making payments altogether.

Perhaps you’ve had a problem with such shabby treatment by an insurance company which took your hard-earned money when you purchased a policy. If so, contact an insurance fraud lawyer with Jim S. Adler & Associates today, and hasten the process of ensuring you get the insurance coverage you deserve.

That includes cases of insurance companies sending payment checks to a mortgage company which holds a lien on a house, rather than to the homeowner. This is done to allow the mortgage company to disperse insurance payments at its own discretion and to see that repairs are done the way the mortgage company wants. But a mortgage company has no urgency to spend this money, any more than the insurance company felt urgency to pay it. Rather, that money — which belongs to you — remains in anotherfirm’s bank account drawing interest, while the holes in your roof draw precipitation.

If you discover that your insurance company has sent a check made payable only to the mortgage company, you should protest this action and insist that the check be made out jointly to you and the mortgage company, or better yet, to you only. You also should report this improper action to the Texas Department of Insurance.

But to really cover your bases, contact an insurance fraud lawyer with Jim S. Adler & Associates. Our long-established personal injury law firm has spent years battling insurance companies on behalf of individuals such as yourself, and we’ll do so for you. Call toll-free today at 1-800-505-1414 to speak to a legal representative, or fill out our online form for a free case review, and make feet-dragging insurance companies provide the coverage you need and deserve. When money’s tight, get what’s right with Jim S. Adler & Associates.

Budgeting? Don’t cut out your “UM” coverage!

In these unsure economic times, lots of folks are looking for ways to save money, cutting everything out of budgets they can spare. But dropping uninsured motorist coverage from auto policies is a big mistake. Yes, monthly premiums will decline. But cutting that coverage could cost a lot more in the long run. Why? Drivers will have to pay a lot more of their own bills if they are involved in a bad accident with an uninsured motorist. How likely is that? Take a look at the odds.

Texas is a good example. In spite of the fact that state law requires drivers to carry insurance, statistics show that 20% of the drivers in Texas are driving with no insurance. That number rises significantly in urban areas.  Drivers without uninsured motorist coverage to protect themselves from irresponsible drivers have to rely on their own auto insurance to pay for the accident. A bad accident with an uninsured driver can leave victims with medical tabs that run into the thousands of dollars. If a breadwinner is sidelined with those injuries and a car is totaled as a result of the accident, bills can go unpaid and credit can be ruined. Personal injury lawyers are hard pressed to find anyone to sue for damages on the victim’s behalf.  This is one case where short term savings risk long term disaster.

Insurance company not paying after Hurricane Ike?

This is the way it goes in a perfect world: You paid your insurance premiums. Ike came and damaged your property. You lost money after it closed your business for a time. You called your insurance company and got reimbursed. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been like this for some. Their stories vary. But three themes stand out: Claim denied. Claim delayed. Claim underpaid.

The best way to deal with that scenario is to hire a lawyer with 30 years experience in insurance company “tactics.” Namely, Jim Adler. The Texas Hammer has added hurricane property damage to his roster of services for victims who have been damaged in accidents. While some insurance companies do operate like the “dream world” we describe, others don’t. Since the hurricane, Jim S. Adler & Associates has received calls from hurricane victims who paid their premiums but are having trouble getting paid by insurance companies who took their money, sometimes for years, and now are balking at their claims. Case evaluations at Jim S. Adler & Associates are free. Clients pay nothing to their lawyers until claims are settled and sometimes they pay nothing at all because judges will order their insurance companies to pay all legal fees.

After Ike: Jim Adler takes on insurance companies

The mark that Hurricane Ike left on Houston and its environs will be around for a long time and it’s not because the damage will take months to repair. It’s because some insurance companies will delay paying claims as long as they can. Given Jim Adler’s 30 years of experience with insurance companies trying to dodge their responsibilities, he has plunged into the middle of the mess to protect homeowners and businesses from insurance fraud. Case evaluations at Jim Adler & Associates are free and so is representation.

The firm collects a percentage of the settlement after the case is won. And sometimes victims pay nothing. Judges can order insurance companies to pay all attorney fees in some cases.
Ike hit the Houston area hard on Sept. 13, 2008 and stories are already surfacing about companies denying claims or offering small amounts to cover damage that will take thousands of dollars to repair. Like this writer’s sister. Her insurance company is offering her less than $1,000 to pay for two damaged skylights in her Galleria area condo when the repair bill exceeds $10,000. The insurance company admits that one skylight was “damaged” (it was smashed) but says the other is okay. After inspecting that skylight, its manufacturer said it has a cracked frame so both skylights need to be replaced to properly insure the integrity of the roof.