H.R. 5040 (“The Melina Bill”): The United States Toxic Mold Safety and Protection Act The growth of “toxic mold” is becoming a problem of monumental proportions. Exposure to mold growth in residential, public and commercial buildings is believed to have caused serious medical conditions which include bleeding lungs, digestive problems, hair loss, nausea, loss of […]
Washington DC – The discovery of extensive mold contamination in property throughout the United States has led to the introduction of legislation in various states in an effort to combat this problem. Representatives from California, Maryland, New York, and Texas have all introduced legislation that focuses on educating and protecting the public from the potentially […]
3/2/05 Dracut-MA- The Farrell family is learning a hard lesson about home ownership thanks to aspergillus and Penicillium, widely known as mycotoxin-producing mold, which is becoming very prevalent in homes nowadays. Many experts have their ideas why there is such strange fungal disarray, but few will speak publicly about this highly political topic.A somewhat […]
International Risk Management Institute, Inc. Congratulations on the purchase of your new synthetic stucco home. But perhaps congratulations are premature, because your homeowners insurer is hesitant to write insurance for it. What is the problem? Synthetic stucco is commonly referred to as Exterior Insulating and Finish System (EIFS). Homes with this exterior finish are often […]
One-fifth of Florida’s condo associations faces rate hikes of 132 percent and will no longer have mold coverage, marking the latest chapter in insurers’ efforts to head off an explosion in mold-related claims. State Farm, Florida’s largest insurer, has hammered out a two-pronged deal with the Florida Department of Insurance that allows it to exclude […]
Nearly two decades ago, the public was sold a bill of goods: tort reform. Proponents of tort reform promised that, if implemented, this reform package would lower consumer prices, create a fair system and protect business from lawsuits that were without merit. Everyone – the public, small business and legislators – fell for it. Today, […]
Amado Valdes, 61, keeps a jar of Cetaphil skin cream by his bed, to soothe the itchy dark welts on his hands and neck. A humidifier bubbles at night to moisten his lungs and calm his coughing fits. Recent months have brought new daily rituals: popping Allegra and Clarinex allergy pills. Valdes claims he is […]
Written by Philip Klein NEW YORK (Reuters) – Allstate Corp. on Thursday reported its first increase in quarterly earnings in more than a year, as higher insurance rates took hold and catastrophe claims fell dramatically from the prior year. The company, the No. 2 U.S. car and home insurer behind State Farm Insurance Cos., also […]
That’s the ambitious goal of CEO Edward Liddy, whose moves haven’t always been popular with employees — or Wall Street As CEO of Allstate, the nation’s second-largest home- and auto-insurance company, Edward Liddy often finds himself between a rock and a hard place as he attempts to grow the company. Liddy sees value in expanding […]
by Tammy Williamson Business Reporter August 23, 2002 Illinois homeowners hit with double-digit increases from Allstate this year won’t see new increases next year, but auto rates in Illinois and nationally could rise 4 or 5 percent on average, said Edward Liddy, Allstate’s chief executive officer. And while some states will see home insurance rates […]
Wed Nov 13, 7:36 PM ET NORTHBROOK, Ill. (Reuters) – Allstate Corp., the No. 2 U.S. car and home insurer, on Thursday revised its previously announced third quarter earnings downwards, citing a $32 million charge it is taking for settling an insurance dispute. The company now says its third quarter profit was $248 million, or […]
OLDWICK, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 31, 2002–A.M. Best Co. has placed the financial strength ratings of B+ (Very Good) for two separately rated subsidiaries of State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm General Insurance Company (Bloomington, IL), and State Farm Lloyds (Dallas, TX), under review with negative implications. The under review status reflects the weakened stand-alone […]
by Jeff Ostrowski, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Wednesday, August 7, 2002 A three-member panel will settle the dispute between the state’s largest homeowners insurer and Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher. State Farm officially appealed Gallagher’s rejection of a proposed 22 percent rate hike, Gallagher spokeswoman Tami Torres said Tuesday. Blaming the rising costs of toxic […]
by David Wichner, The Arizona Daily Star Wednesday May 15 05:20 AM EDT Reflecting a tough insurance market nationwide, three of Arizona’s biggest auto and home insurers – including market leader State Farm Mutual – are moving to limit new business in the state. Insurers say the moves are needed to stabilize their businesses amid […]
Two years ago we in the insurance industry were preparing for what was predicted to be an event of momentous import. The changes in our advanced technology were exposing our industry to significant damages and numerous coverage questions. Planes were going to fall from the skies, traffic lights would be inoperable, hospitals would lose power, […]
5/3/02 BELLEVUE – When they gutted Brian’s home, they broke the mold. It was everywhere, they said. And it was toxic. So everything had to go. The furniture. The clothes. Even the kitchen sink. But more than three months later, Polly Carter, Brian’s mother, is wondering if her insurance company will cover any of the […]
A year ago, I warned that the cost of homeowners insurance was heading up. This year, the outlook is gloomier. You could have to revise your insurance behavior if you want to keep your coverage. Just consider: In April, State Farm Insurance, which accounts for 20 percent of the state’s home insurance market, announced a […]
ALLEN NORWOOD Companies that sell homeowners insurance in North Carolina, reacting to the growing hubbub about mold, won permission to limit coverage for mold damage to $5,000. Major companies, including Allstate, Nationwide and State Farm, have been petitioning states to let them exclude or limit mold coverage. They’re reacting to huge claims by homeowners and, […]
Everette Lee Herndon Jr. and Chin Yang In February 2000, a Texas grand jury found reason to continue a criminal investigation of child endangerment charges against an insurance company for its handling of a water damage claim. This investigation was prompted by a criminal complaint filed by the policyholder and follows the filing of a […]
HOUSTON – It had to be a mistake, Kimberly Fowler told herself as she peered at her new homeowner’s policy. Could her premium really being going up 120 percent, from $853 in 2001 to $1,888 in 2002? After all, she had never filed a claim with Allstate in the four years she’d owned a three-bedroom […]
Associated Press 07/18/2002 AUSTIN – Texas’ second-largest homeowners’ insurer — Farmers Insurance Co. — no longer writes new policies for homes that have had a water-damage claim in the past three years. The company also no longer insures houses older than 30 years unless they have had their plumbing systems renovated in the past 10 […]
This was announced last November (2001) in Texas: The threat of mold has motivated changes at Farmers Insurance Group. Company officials say comprehensive homeowners insurance policies will not be renewed in Texas next year, due to black mold claims. They say mold coverage and Texas state policy threaten the financial stability of the company. […]
7/28/02 Austin, TX – Five of the state’s biggest insurance companies are joining forces to lobby the Legislature. Some lawmakers already are calling for more regulation to address skyrocketing premiums and shrinking coverage for homeowners. Some legislators also want to curb the use of credit scoring, the secret rating systems that many insurers […]
8/23/03 Honolulu, HI – Workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village say the hotel’s mold problem is not confined to the new Kalia Tower, reporting that the third floor of the Lagoon Tower was closed over the weekend for antifungal painting. In response to an inquiry, Hilton spokeswoman Karen Winpenny said late Monday that the third […]
8/1/02 A grass roots homeowners’ movement in Texas is trying to take on the state’s insurance industry’s practices in handling mold-related homeowner insurance claims. Policyholders of America has issued a series of alleged problems and proposed solutions on which it wants the state legislature to take action. The organizer, headed up by mold activist, Melinda Ballard, […]
by Michael A.W. Ottey, Miami Herald As state regulators patiently listened, the insurance industry and homeowners on Tuesday squared off on the issue of a tiny organism both sides agree could have huge consequences: toxic mold. But the adversaries are miles apart on what impact the mold issue could have in the state. Homeowners and […]
7/19/02 The Texas Department of Insurance has launched an investigation to determine if new homeowner policy restrictions by Farmers Insurance Co. violate state law. At issue is the decision by the second-largest company in Texas to stop selling new policies for homes that have had a water damage claim during the past three years, and […]
3/12/05 Guest Commentary by Sandra Ghiardelli Hardly a day goes by, it seems, that creative trial lawyers are not finding new ways to get into your pocket. One new device is to fill the courts with claims based on the attack of the killer mold. It sounds like a bad, 1950’s science-fiction movie, but it […]
7/20/02 Dallas, TX – Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor broadened his investigation Friday of how the major insurers use claims histories in writing new business to include Allstate Insurance Co. Insurance department officials subpoenaed Allstate’s underwriting guidelines, Allstate officials said, and specifically requested any data referring to the age of houses and their plumbing. On […]
What’s the best way to get rid of mold? The insurance industry has an answer: Exclude it 8/09/02 Los Angeles, CA – State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, the largest home insurer, has eliminated coverage for mold in 33 states, including South Carolina. Even if the mold is the result of storm damage covered by a […]
7/20/02 Dallas-TX – On the heels of threats from the state, Farmers Insurance Co. backed away Friday from new homeowners policy restrictions tied to water and mold claims. The conciliatory move by the state’s second-largest home insurer came as the state allowed insurance companies to begin selling homeowners insurance policies commonly used in other states, […]
by Bill Hensel Jr., Houston ChronicleJuly 22, 2002, 10:29PM Farmers Insurance Co. and Allstate Corp. must submit underwriting guidelines to the Texas Department of Insurance by Thursday to answer subpoenas issued by the department. The investigation stemmed from a procedure enacted by Farmers last week that it would not issue new homeowners coverage if there […]
11/3/02 Sacramento, CA – Mold hasn’t caused problems for lenders in California. They see it as a headache for insurers that lenders can mostly leave alone. That could change if insurance gets scarce, too expensive or even disappears. Suddenly the house or office building that’s the collateral for the loan would be exposed to uninsured […]
12/3/2 Sacramento, CA – State Farm General, the California arm of the nation’s largest home insurer, plans to suspend writing homeowner policies for new customers in the state as of May 1. The decision, conveyed Friday to State Farm agents in California, was perhaps the first major salvo in insurers’ efforts to recover losses resulting […]
1/11/03 Ft. Worth, TX – Mold has been the subject of much discussion lately within the insurance industry, as well as by others affected in their own right, such as lawyers, environmental consultants and consumer groups. And it seems like every time the subject comes up, it doesn’t take long for someone to chime in […]
Molds occur naturally in almost all indoor environments. Mold spores may also enter a home through open doorways and windows, or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Most homeowners would benefit from a few helpful tips which might prevent or reduce the formation of molds in their home and keep any possible mold damage to […]
by Jeff Slivka, Gallagher Environmental Risk & Insurance July 2002 If you haven’t already done so, you probably will or need to develop a “mold prevention program” for one reason or another in the near future. Why? Because mold has become such a nightmare for owners, contractors, suppliers, everyone-you name it. If you haven’t done […]
Insurers All Over Are Raising Costs by Sarah Sue Ingram, Daily Press October 9, 2002 Virginia insurers are nervously watching a rise in claims involving pernicious black mold in the Commonwealth, mindful of the havoc the fungus has wreaked in other states. The scale of the mold problem in Virginia has not yet reached the […]
By Dave Thomas Orlando, Fl – A panel on architects and engineers E&O looked at the ramifications of one of the latest issues to impact that segment of the insurance industry – mold – during the second day of the 15th Annual PLUS Conference. Titled Terrorism Inside: The Mold Litigation Explosion, the session addressed the […]
Anyone who has received a renewal notice knows that Texans pay among the nation’s highest homeowner insurance rates. Insurers blame mold and water claims for soaring premiums, but the problem is far more complicated than costly claims. The state’s two-tiered regulatory system badly serves insurers and homeowners. It must be changed. As a result of […]
Re: "Rising mold-related costs bedevil building industry" June 28. The article’s author attributes current mold problems to newer, tighter buildings. The article further seems to imply that opening windows to provide more ventilation would be a fix for mold problems. I disagree that tight buildings are a major cause for mold. And, opening windows could […]
Tuesday December 10, 12:25 pm ET Many homes turned into ‘human-sized petri dishes’ BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ — A group of homeowners yesterday filed a proposed class action lawsuit, claiming that more than 127 homes built in Boise-area Leo Rosecreek subdivision are so riddled with construction defects that many of the dwellings are uninhabitable. […]
A roof can be constructed In many different ways and identification of problems can be extremely difficult. Would you know where to start? The principal defects to look out for are adequate strength in the joists and purloins, obvious leakage and the general condition of the cladding or tiles. Flat roofs are prone to leakage […]
Associated PressJuly 22, 2002 SACRAMENTO – A 10-year statute of limitations on structural repairs is putting pressure on the relationship between builders and new homeowners. Homeowners say lawsuits are their only recourse against unscrupulous builders, while contractors argue an increase in lawsuits is making their business more costly. Mohammed Hussein has firsthand knowledge of the […]
By: Patrick Reynolds, Citizen Staff Environmental workers from the county health department last week were taking samples from Clear Lake High School’s athletic department, which some concerned parents say is a "breeding ground for infections and disease." As the department collected the samples, trucks from the Clear Creek school district were in the parking lot […]
by Wes Armstead Every year, nearly 88,000 deaths occur in the United States from ‘nosocomial infections – illnesses acquired while in a hospital. To help remedy this situation, stringent Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) codes went into effect this past January, which hospitals must meet for accreditation. The ICRA is designed to assess the risk […]
by Leigh Somerville, For Business First Aug 5, 2002 Patients can leave the hospital sicker than they arrived if construction crews don’t use the proper precautions to control infection during renovations and additions. Several groups have taken steps to ensure that the most basic tenet for the health-care profession? ‘Do no harm’ also applies to […]
Court Awards, Public Concern about Homes Driving Up Liability Fears – By Steve Brown:The Dallas Morning News 02/11/2002 ATLANTA – During the last few years, America’s home builders have grappled with rising material costs, labor shortages and a growing burden of government regulations. But the housing industry’s current foe has been around since the dawn […]
by Lynn Burton, Staff Writer : August 5, 2002 In an effort to preserve open space and enhance wildlife habitat, Garfield County is considering a subdivision regulation change to allow cluster residential development on parcels smaller than two acres. “We’ve got to break out of the mold of cookie cutter, two-acre lots in rural subdivision […]
Environmentally friendly building materials may help combat "sick building syndrome." But if that doesn’t work, there’s always your lawyer. By Sam BoykinSept. 12, 2002 Just days after moving into their new $300,000 home in Austin, Texas , Dawn and Scott Richardson and their two young daughters began experiencing health problems. At first it was the […]
 
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