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(Money Magazine) — If last fall’s devastating California wildfires weren’t enough of a wake-up call, consider this: Nearly 60% of homes nationwide don’t carry enough insurance coverage to be fully rebuilt. On average those homes are underinsured by 21%. To give yourself a chance of being made whole, follow these steps before and after disaster…

In the past, office workers were frequently on the move—whether they were bending over to place documents in a filing cabinet, running off to a client meeting, walking to the storage closet to locate records or strolling to their office mailbox. But this old-school way of working is now ancient history. In today’s high-tech, digital…

If a home is damaged or destroyed, homeowners may want to rebuild with green materials and processes, but the additional cost can be prohibitive. Now, homeowners can obtain insurance through the Chubb Group of Insurance Cos. that will pay to rebuild using environmentally-friendly materials, low-impact processes and ultra-efficient heating and cooling technology after an insured…

Northern Capital Insurance Group, a Florida-based homeowners, commercial and auto insurance provider, said it is prepared to insure 50,000 State Farm Florida customers as that insurer withdraws from the state’s property insurance market. Northern Capital began writing homeowners policies in Florida in August, 2006. the company said it currently provides $20 billion of insurance coverage…

Floods can strike anywhere at any time and with almost no warning. Pictures of submerged land are common on the television news. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 caused massive flooding in the south, but devastating floods have also attacked the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic states and New England in recent years. According to the Federal Emergency…

Florida Peninsula Insurance Co., a Boca Raton-based domestic insurer writing homeowners, condo and renters policies statewide, said it is prepared to insure up to 100,000 State Farm Florida customers as that insurer withdraws from the state. Peninsula said it is ranks fifth among domestic writers and in the top 10 of all companies offering multi-peril…

The owner of a commercial building may believe that replacement cost insurance coverage on the building is sufficient to protect her from financial loss. After all, she took the insurance agent’s advice and bought enough insurance to pay for repairing or replacing the building if it were completely destroyed. However, this may be a false…

Standard homeowner’s insurance policies offer sound financial protection for most people. However, those who own large homes that would cost upwards of $500,000 to rebuild may have special coverage needs for which the standard policies were not designed. Such homeowners may own expensive jewelry or have costly business equipment at home, or they may be…

It’s been four years since Florida suffered through its worst hurricane season in recorded history — the 2004 quartet of Charley, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan, and a cumulative $42 billion in damage. Yet Citizens Property Insurance Corp. still has almost 2,000 unresolved homeowner-damage claims from that season and the 2005 storms. Now, several beachfront condominiums…

By Steven D. Venook, State Licensed Public Adjuster Documenting emergency repairs from windstorm or water damage requires a trained set of eyes and the experience and knowledge of how to best present a claim to your insurance company. It is not as simple as pulling out the master insurance policy and calling your insurance agent.…