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☆ Stratospheric, AI-enabled robotic cameras on balloons could help you get your insurance claim check faster
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

New technology, however, using drones, artificial intelligence and weather balloons aims to modernize and accelerate that process. Near Space Labs, a Brooklyn, New York-based startup, invented "Swifts," or stratospheric, AI-enabled robotic cameras that fly on weather balloons. The giant weather balloons fly twice as high as airplanes cruise. Insurance and reinsurance companies, like Swiss Re, are using Near Space to help them understand and price risk. In addition to Third Sphere, Near Space Labs is backed by Crosslink Capital, Wireframe Ventures, IAG Firemark Ventures, Toyota Ventures and Leadout Capital.

Persons: Helene, Milton, Rema Matevosyan, Matevosyan, Shaun Abrahamson, Lisa Rizzolo Organizations: Space Labs, Labs, Swifts, Insurance, Swiss, Crosslink, Wireframe Ventures, IAG Firemark Ventures, Toyota Ventures, Leadout, CNBC Locations: Brooklyn , New York

Three days after the storm, Jones and his wife managed to hike up to his elderly mother-in-law’s house by wading through mud up to their knees. Donations pile up at Minneapolis Baptist Church in Newland, N.C., on Wednesday, after its fellowship hall was damaged by Hurricane Helene’s remnants. Helene’s crushing aftermath is colliding with another political storm Thursday as in-person early voting begins in North Carolina, one of several battlegrounds expected to play outsized roles in the election. In addition to the presidential race, voters in North Carolina will also decide on their controversial race for governor and contests for attorney general and state school superintendent. “There’s simply nothing left in some of the areas,” said Patrick Gannon, the public Information director for the North Carolina Board of Elections.

Persons: NEWLAND, we’ve, ”, Larry Jones, Hurricane Helene, Jones, Gabe Gutierrez, It’s, There’s, Patrick Gannon, “, ” Jones Organizations: Minneapolis Baptist Church, NBC, North Carolina Board Locations: N.C, Minneapolis, Avery County, Newland, North Carolina, Asheville

Bridgette Bello thought she’d taken proper precautions to protect against Florida’s notorious hurricanes, having purchased flood insurance as well as a separate hurricane-specific policy, in addition to her regular homeowners coverage. That’s because flooding caused much of the property damage — and most homeowners insurance policies do not cover any flood impact. A resident cleans the front of his mobile home in Sarasota, Fla., on Oct. 10 after Hurricane Milton. Eva Marie Uzcategui / The Washington Post - Getty ImThe insurance industry is categorizing Hurricane Helene as an almost entirely flood-driven event. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the government-backed plan covering 95% of flood insurance policyholders in America, only covers losses up to 50% of what it deems a property to be worth — not including the land that the property sits on.

Persons: Bridgette Bello, she’d, Helene, —, Milton, Bello, ”, “, Rick Tutwiler, Hurricane Milton, Eva Marie Uzcategui, Amy Bach, Mark Friedlander, Friedlander, adjusters, ” Friedlander, ” Patti Drew’s, Deborah, Drew, didn’t, “ I’m, Shane Ostrander, Ostrander, Kathleen Flynn, she’s, Martin Weiss, Weiss, Chip LaMarca Organizations: Associates, NBC, Hurricane, Washington Post, Insurance Information Institute, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Flood Insurance, NBC News, “, Broward County Republican Locations: Madeira Beach, Tampa, Milton, Florida, Sarasota , Fla, “, Punta Gorda, Florida’s, Charlotte County, America, Fort Pierce, Fla, Orlando, Broward County

Covered by homeowners insurance: Not covered by homeowners insurance: FireWaterTheftVandalismHail , wind, lightning*, wind, lightning* Damage by a falling tree Maintenance and repairFloodEarthquake* Standard homeowners insurance covers hail damage, but there may be an exclusion if you live somewhere that gets a lot of it. Contact Information for Major Homeowners Insurance ProvidersState FarmClaims Phone Number: 800-732-5246Website: www.statefarm.comAllstateClaims Phone Number: 800-255-7828Website: www.allstate.comGEICOClaims Phone Number: 800-841-3000Website: www.geico.comUSAAClaims Phone Number: 800-531-8722Website: www.usaa.comLiberty MutualClaims Phone Number: 800-225-2467Website: www.libertymutual.comTips for a Smooth Homeowners Insurance Claim ProcessThough most homeowners insurance companies make it pretty easy to file a claim, the process can still be intimidating if you've never been through it before. Homeowners insurance claim FAQWhat should I do immediately after damage occurs? If your home insurance claim is denied, contact your insurance company to find out why, then file an appeal. She’s reviewed life insurance and pet insurance companies and has written numerous explainers on travel insurance, credit, debt, and home insurance.

Persons: Steve Wilson, you've, you'll, haven't, Jamela Adam, Read, Asis Alani Asis, Forbes, She’s Organizations: Hippo Insurance, Insurance, Major Homeowners Insurance, Allstate, Liberty, Smooth Homeowners, Records, All Communications, National Association of Public Insurance, National Association of Independent Insurance, Chevron, Forbes, . News, Mint Intuit, Asis, Business, AARP, CNN, Fortune, U.S . News, Finance, University of Hawaii Locations: U.S, Manoa

Suffice it to say, I was eager to test the Silk & Snow Wooden Bed frame. Silk & Snow Wooden Bed Frame The Silk & Snow Wooden Bed Frame is a reasonably priced bed frame made of sustainable wood that doesn’t require any tools or screws for assembly. AdvertisementThe Silk & Snow wooden bed frame uses a tool-free Japanese joinery techniqueEach piece of the wooden bed neatly frame slots together, using the Japanese joinery technique. Alex Temblador/Business InsiderThe king-sized Silk & Snow Wooden Bed Frame arrived in three large, heavy boxes. Alex Temblador/Business InsiderThe Silk & Snow Bed Frame is proof that a Japanese joinery-style wooden bed frame doesn't have to be expensive.

Persons: I'd, Read, Albert Chow, Kenneth Mo, Snow, Veritree, Alex Temblador, wasn't, haven't Organizations: Business, Thuma Locations: California, Canadian, Toronto, Southeast Asia, Vietnam

☆ Baltimore bridge insurer is reportedly set to write a $350 million check
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Chubb, the Baltimore bridge insurer, is set to pay out $350 million, per The Wall Street Journal. The bridge's collapse in March killed six people and shut down the port of Baltimore. Chubb, the state of Maryland, and victims' families will likely sue the ship's owners, per the Journal. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe insurer of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge is gearing up to issue a $350 million payout to the state of Maryland, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Persons: Chubb, Baltimore . Chubb, —, Francis Scott Key, Henry Daar, WTW, Daar, Dali, Chubb didn't Organizations: Street, Service, Barclays, Business Locations: Baltimore, Maryland, London

☆ Tesla launched its own car insurance. These drivers say it's a lemon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

Tesla Insurance, launched in 2019 by the electric-car company, has promised policyholders “vastly better” service than rivals, as Tesla chief Elon Musk put it in April 2022. “What do they have, three people answering phone calls?”Complaints about Tesla Insurance are drawing scrutiny from state regulators and the plaintiffs’ bar. And there’s no way to know exactly how many have been made against Tesla Insurance and how its record compares with competitors’. That fall, Tesla launched InsureMyTesla, a new insurance offering for U.S. Tesla owners, in partnership with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Lester F. Aponte, a Los Angeles attorney who signed up for Tesla Insurance in August, described a maddening ordeal to obtain proof of insurance.

Persons: Mark Bova, lurched, “ I’m, ” Bova, policyholders “, Elon Musk, Musk, Bova, he’s, Tesla, ”, Musk’s, Virginia –, Phil Fioresi, Tesla’s adjusters, adjusters, ” Zachary Kirkhorn, ” Kirkhorn, Teslas, InsureMyTesla, it’s, It’s, Chanda Santiago, ” Santiago, Lester F, Aponte, haven't, Understaffed, “, —, Policyholders, Jonathan Garcia, Garcia, adjuster, Scott Sawyer, Sawyer, Lauren Lee Sawyer, ” Sawyer, –, Steve Stecklow, Koh Gui Qing, Norihiko, Mike Scarcella, John Emerson, Brian Thevenot Organizations: Green, U.S . Army Special Forces, Tesla Insurance, Tesla, Reuters, Bureau, Twitter, U.S, SpaceX, Ohio Department of Insurance, California Department of Insurance, Data, AAA, The Auto Club Group, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co, Liberty Mutual, Markel, National Insurance Company, State National, State, Facebook, Better, policyholders, Better Business Bureau Locations: Maryland, That’s, California , Utah , Illinois, Virginia, South San Francisco , California, California, Draper , Utah, Texas, policyholders, InsureMyTesla, U.S, Illinois, Colorado, Ohio, Florida , Georgia, Washington, Santiago, Los Angeles, Draper, North Carolina, Riverside , California

☆ Seeking the ‘Right’ Customers, an Insurer Is Accused of Discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Emily Flitter | More About Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A spokesman for the Maryland Insurance Administration declined to comment. The dispute reveals how a long-used insurance industry technique, ostensibly aimed at managing risk, can open the door to bias. As they evaluate a customer, agents are expected to decide whether a potential customer seems honest or reliable, or judge how tidy or well maintained their home is. “There are all kinds of conscious and unconscious biases involved.”Insurers have also been accused of discriminating against Black and Hispanic customers in other ways. But the accusation against Erie is that its policies kept Black and Hispanic homeowners out of its customer rolls in the first place.

Persons: Matthew Cummings, ”, Daniel Schwarcz Organizations: Maryland Insurance, University of Minnesota Law School, State Farm, Erie Locations: Erie, Chicago

☆ Kansas farmers abandon wheat fields after extreme drought
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] Romulo Lollato, a wheat agronomist for Kansas State University, examines wheat in a field, as part of an annual crop tour, near Clay Center, Kansas, U.S., May 16, 2023. REUTERS/Tom PolansekWICHITA, Kansas, May 22 (Reuters) - Farmers in Kansas, the biggest U.S. producer of wheat used to make bread, are abandoning their crops after a severe drought and damaging cold ravaged farms. Kansas farmers are expected to abandon about 19% of the acres planted last autumn, up from 10% last year and 4% in 2021, according to the report. Soaring prices for hay also pressure wheat farmers not to harvest their fields for grain so they can be fed to cattle, Gilpin said. Kansas farmers are expected to produce just 191.4 million bushels of wheat this year, the smallest since 1963, according to the latest monthly government forecast.

☆ Biden vows new bank rules after SVB collapse, cites Trump rollback
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe. The managers of the banks will be fired, Biden noted, and investors will lose money. Biden also promised new regulation after the biggest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Monday said it had transferred all Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) deposits to a newly created bridge bank and that all depositors would have access to their money beginning Monday morning. Silicon Valley bank had $209 billion in assets at the end of last year.

“One of the worst things you can hear from your child is them screaming ‘I don’t want to die! Residents across the state are just beginning to understand the full extent of the damage, especially in marginalized communities, as they recover from the deluge. But instead of work, Naranjo and other farmworkers are faced with some 20,000 flooded farmland in Salinas, according to early estimates from the Monterey County Farm Bureau, a nonprofit association of farmers and ranchers. When asked if he would return to work soon, Naranjo answered: “I don’t know.”Cars driving through a flooded roadway in Planada, Calif., on Jan. 10. “In my head, I thought if it was that bad, someone would come tell us, but no one ever did.

☆ Some Florida homeowners have to wait a year to fix hurricane damage, and that's only one of the many struggles they face
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hurricane Ian was the second-costliest hurricane in US history, causing up to $65 billion in damage. Florida homeowners face other challenges, too, from rising insurance costs to suffering home values. In December, about three months after Hurricane Ian struck the Gulf Coast of Florida, the sounds of construction rung out in one community. Meanwhile, roofers are overstretched, said Mike Silvers, the director of technical services of the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association. Out-of-state contractors both have to learn Florida's code and become licensed in the state in order to do any roofing work.

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