People in Weatherford, Mineral Wells, Aledo, Azle, Springtown, Cool, Willow Park, Hudson Oaks, Millsap, Brock, and other places in Parker County will often times find themselves needing an Insurance Lawyer, whether they want one or not.
KSAT posted an article in April, 2012, that gives an example how an insurance company takes advantage of their insureds.
The article, written by April Molina, tells us that a San Antonio woman is going out of pocket more than $5,000 after a leak ruined her floors.
“If I stepped on the wood, water just came up from between the wood flooring slabs,” said homeowner Kim Moore.
Moore said she was surprised to see the damage caused by the leak, but she was even more surprised after hearing back from her insurance company.
“He said, ‘I can tell you that you’re not covered for water damages in the foundation or under the foundation,’ and that threw me for a loop.” said Moore.
After a short visit from an adjuster, it was determined the leak did not originate from the foundation, but from behind the stove.
“I called the 800-number, they returned my call within a half an hour and then I was informed I had no water damage insurance of any kind.” Moore said.
Long time insurance agent Don Whitaker said it is unusual to have no water damage coverage on a Texas homeowner’s insurance policy, but it is not unusual to have only partial water damage coverage.
Of the three types of coverage, it is the most common to have a clause that covers sudden and accidental discharge of water from a plumbing, heating, or air-conditioning device.
The other two types could come at an additional expense.
“You have to buy back by endorsement and by cost, backup sewer lines from water and you have to buy back water damage to your foundation,” Whitaker said.
In a competitive industry, it is important to be a conscientious consumer. If you don’t pay for proper coverage up front, you may end up paying much more for it on the back end.
The described situation in this KSAT article above, is a great example of what happens too many times. Seeing an experienced Insurance Law Attorney might get Ms. Moore compensated.
There is an another story, this one from Texas Watch worth knowing about. Here is what the article tells us:
The Texas Department of Insurance received an “F” from the State Integrity Investigation’s Public Corruption Scorecard, a 50-state survey of public institutions and their susceptibility to corruption.
“This report confirms what Texas policyholders have known for years: the insurance industry holds too much power and sway in our state,” said Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, a statewide citizens advocacy organization active on insurance issues. “Conflict of interest rules are weak and ineffective, the public doesn’t have access to crucial information, and the TDI received a 58% on its scorecard.
The agency scored particularly low on the effectiveness of conflicts of interest regulations despite the existence of rules governing conflicts of interest.
The scorecard found the potential for political interference in agency decisions to be very high.
The scorecard pointed out that key documents submitted to TDI by insurance companies are not subject to public disclosure. (TDI is currently considering comments for a rule to clarify what documents included in rate filings are open for public disclosure.)
TDI scored highly in terms of having the professional staff and state resources to carry out its mandate.
15 other state insurance commissions received failing grades.
Both articles underline the need for insurance lawyers in Texas. Both articles lend evidence to the ideal that individual lawyers acting on behalf of their clients are the only thing really helping insureds at this time.
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