I'm going to let you in on a secret. Nobody really cares about your meal posts. Your "humblebrags" typically result in eye-rolls, not envy. And, I hate to say it, but only people whose names start with "Grammy" are viewing your 50th kid photo. But, there is a new player who is very interested in your social media posts: your insurance company. read more

I was recently participating in a mediation for a client condominium association. We are pursuing a first party insurance claim for property damage discovered by the client. Due to the amount of repairs necessary for the project, the client triggered certain code upgrades required by the County and fire department. The upgrades were both unexpected and costly at just under $500,000. read more

You live in a condominium association and happily (ok, probably not "happily") pay your dues each month. Your board has diligent members and your association is well insured. What could go wrong? Well, lots can go wrong, unfortunately. Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. A slip and fall accident might find the association on the wrong side of a lawsuit. Or, the association might discover hidden property damage that must be repaired. There is a myriad of unforeseen liabilities that an association may incur. read more

I recently read an article stemming from NASA's discovery of seven exoplanets, three of which may support life. The article discussed an insurance company called Budget Insurance that is now issuing policies protecting policyholders against alien invasion. After doing some digging, I also discovered that another insurer is selling alien abduction insurance. The latter company has already sold more than 30,000 policies (I was unable to verify whether any of the policies have paid out). read more

Those of us in the Northwest were recently hit with the first round of winter snowstorms. My children are avid weather watchers (in hopes of future school closures), so I understand that we are in store for several more storms in the coming months. Winter snow and ice inevitably result in a host of insurance claims. Some of these are relatively predictable. Think auto accidents and trees falling. Fortunately, many of these weather related claims are covered under standard home and auto policies. Snow and ice also bring the risk of a claim that most of us are unprepared for, flood. read more