That's one reason to consider turning to an independent agent or broker - someone who can help you find the best coverage at a price you can afford.

To help guide you toward potential distinctions among policies, I asked two legal experts to flag key language in my own policy from Allstate. I also got an update on a perennial topic - call it "games insurers play" - from someone whose job is going up against them: Bill Underkoffler, of Bensalem's Metro Public Adjustment.

Mold is a worry facing many homeowners nowadays, and my policy isn't alone in applying new limitations. It not only excludes primary coverage for mold itself. In a separate "policy endorsement" - insurance-speak for a change in terms - Allstate sets a $5,000 cap for remediation of mold, fungus, and rot, even if caused by an event, such as a burst pipe, that the policy covers.

What other water-related claims might leave me marooned, beyond the catastrophes for which I know I need federal flood insurance? Rutgers University's Jay M. Feinman points me to Allstate's exclusions for damage caused by an overflowing sump pump, a leak in a water-supply line, or a landslide or sinkhole.

Since I own an older home, Feinman suggests attention to another section of my policy, on repairs governed by building codes that have changed over the years. My policy says Allstate is willing to pay an extra 10 percent to cover such changes. Feinman warns that might not be enough to cover the increased cost.

Feinman also warned me of a potentially tricky limit Allstate and other insurers impose on replacement-cost coverage - an issue on which the group United Policyholders has weighed in to support consumers in litigation.

Say my roof was so damaged by a storm that it needs replacing, and my policy ostensibly covers the whole cost. The trick is that Allstate will first pay only "actual cash value" - say, half the replacement cost if it's depreciated for half of its expected life. To get the difference, the policy says I have to finish repairs within 180 days, covering the up-front cost myself.

"For a total loss of a house, this is too short," Feinman warns.

When consumers or businesses have problems with claims, many turn to a public adjuster such as Underkoffler. So I called him last week to get his take on today's most worrisome policy trends.

He says the biggest pitfall he's seen lately is the spread of percentage-based deductibles, often imposed for certain kinds of damage, such as windstorms.

Read more here:
It's worth boning up on homeowner insurance

Full tour offerings are resuming at the old Missouri State Penitentiary after months of limited access.

Katherine Reed, communications manager for the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the first ghost tour of the season is set for Wednesday, and the CVB is ready to resume ghost tours, ghost hunts, paranormal investigations and extended history tours.

Ryan Burns, spokeswoman for the Missouri Office of Administration, said renovation and cleanup activities are continuing and on schedule. She said hazardous material cleanup in Housing Units 1 and 3 is ongoing and expected to be completed in early August, as are the roof replacements of Housing Units 1, 3 and 4.

The cleanup of the gas chamber is complete, and the new roof has been installed, she said.

Tours of the old prison site were temporarily suspended at the end of September, and the remainder of the 2013 tour season was eventually cancelled because of mold found at the site. After the announcement, the city and state agreed to split the estimated $2 million cost of repairs and mold remediation at MSP. The $2 million has provided for cleanup of hazardous material, window repairs and window closures in Housing Units 1, 3, 4 and the gas chamber, and roof replacements in each unit.

The citys investment resulted in a long-term contract with the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau for the facility. Previously, the CVB operated on 11-month contracts, but the new agreement allows for a 15-year contract, with the option for two, five-year extensions.

Modified history tours resumed in April, which allowed access to Housing Units 1 and 4, and the gas chamber, while the state continued mold remediation and repair work.

Link:

http://www.missouripentours.com

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Full tour offerings begin at MSP

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CHALMETTE, La. (AP) - A dispute over fees for a Mandeville storage facility will cause delays in getting vital St. Bernard Parish court records needed for real estate transactions and other parish business.

St. Bernard Clerk of Court Randy Nunez tells NOLA.comThe Times Picayune that about 3 million pre-Hurricane Katrina, mold-ridden court records currently are stored in a special Mandeville facility to prevent them from contaminating the newly renovated courthouse in Chalmette.

"I can't bring the files back because of the mold and I can't afford to pay the rent," Nunez said. "It's all FEMA. They should be paying it."

But soon after that courthouse's opening in April 2013, FEMA stopped footing the bill for the records' storage. The federal agency said that while it agreed to pay for storage during the courthouse renovation, its aid stopped after the courthouse opened.

"FEMA has provided funding, as requested by the Clerk of Court, for remediation and storage of records," FEMA stated on Friday. "A request for additional funding for remediation or storage has not been submitted."

The parish already owes about $125,000 in back fees. Because the bill continues to mount, The Windward Group has stopped scanning and sending records to the parish clerk. Instead, Nunez or his employees must now go and scan the files themselves in Mandeville.

"We talked to Mr. Nunez, and said, look, we can't afford to retrieve them, but we won't cut off access to them and we'll teach your people to retrieve them," Bob Rathe, the owner of the Mandeville storage company, said on Friday. "I had two full-time managers doing the retrievals every day, and I can't afford that when I'm not getting paid, but we are not going to cut off access to the records."

The process is arduous, Rathe and Nunez explained. They said that to retrieve files, a person must wear a respirator and a hazmat suit.

Nunez said he likely would only be able to go scan files once or twice a week and that his staff will keep a list of requests. He said he would do the task himself, as "my employees didn't sign up for that."

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