Arguello, Hope & Associates is committed to helping our clients get what they deserve for their storm damage property claims. In order to continue the level of professionalism and service our past clients have enjoyed, we needed to upgrade our operations for our current and future clients. Our main office will be moving at the beginning of March. Please be on the lookout for another update on the exact location, there will be a follow up as details emerge.

Change is Good

Our Firm helped a lot of people this past year, and we are excited about how we’ve changed their lives for the better. We are so looking forward to all the new relationships we hope to make this upcoming year!

If you know anyone who may benefit from our help with any of the areas listed below, please don’t hesitate to mention Arguello, Hope & Associates.

• Insurance Claims
• Property Damage Claims
• Storm Damage Insurance Claims
• Tornado Damage
• Fire Damage
• Flood Damage

You would like to think that, after all the money that has been paid in the form of insurance premiums, you could count on your insurance company to cover your property damage losses, should disaster strike. As more and more people are finding out, big insurance companies are paying less than ever for settlements while they report record profits.

Property Damage Attorneys at Arguello, Hope & Associates

People Are Complaining

Insurance companies are repeatedly being challenged for paying less than the policy promises. Thousands of complaints have been filed with state insurance departments and civil court cases citing insurers paying 30-60 percent of the cost of replacing or rebuilding a damaged home. This often happens even after carriers promise homeowners they are fully covered.

Court records show that property insurers have denied or greatly reduced the recovery amounts in policyholder’s claims in several states. Insurance companies often develop their own reimbursement amounts through the use of proprietary software programs.

By paying out less in settlement claims, insurance companies have enjoyed record profits over the last decade. Telling, is the fact that this period includes the Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in the history of the U.S.

Focus on Profit, Not People

Robert Hunter, current insurance director at the Consumer Federation of America, and formerly the Texas insurance commissioner, states that “Money managers have taken over this whole industry, their eyes are not on people who are hurt, but on the bottom line for the next quarter.”

California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi imposed over $18 million in fines against insurance carriers from 2002-2006 for their mistreatment of clients. Garamendi states that “…the industry’s drive for profit has overwhelmed its obligation to policyholders.”

Insurance Claim Attorneys at Arguello, Hope & Associates

Low-Ball Offers Force People To Fight

The way insurance companies are working now is by offering a low settlement amount – a low-ball offer. If the client accepts, the insurance company wins. If the client refuses, the insurance company challenges you to fight them. Often times, they will use tactics such as intimidation or stalling in an attempt to sway people to just give up their fight.

When it’s you against the insurance company, you need an attorney to protect your rights. Arguello, Hope & Associates can help you get the compensation you deserve for your property damage. We will fight big insurance companies to help you rebuild your property. Contact us today for a FREE Consultation.

Source: Bloomberg News

Thousands of homes have been destroyed in the ongoing Texas wildfires, leaving scores of residents and business owners faced with total losses. The Bastrop County fire alone accounts for over 1,300 lost homes. Massive prolonged drought across the state, coupled with an already record-setting number of individual fires, have left many Texans homeless. As residents and business owners are reeling, it is certain that insurance adjusters are on their way.

Your Property Damage Insurance Claim – Insurance Help For Fire Damage

Insurance companies make money by collecting premiums, and not by paying insurance claims. When disaster strikes, an insurance company will send an adjuster to assess the damages. Please realize that this adjuster works for the insurance company, and will pay you as little as possible for your claim. Without an insurance claim attorney on your side, familiar with all the pitfalls of a property damage claim, how can you be sure you are getting all that you deserve? For this reason, DO NOT sign any settlement agreements or other documents presented by the insurance adjuster without first seeking the counsel of an insurance claim attorney.

On April 27th, 2011 the Southeastern United States was hit by severe thunderstorms and a mile-wide tornado that caused massive damage across the states of Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. Rare weather conditions created the perfect environment to create the monster tornado and severe storms (super cells) that traveled with it. The mile-wide Tuscaloosa tornado may have had winds exceeding 260 miles and hour which would categorize it as an “F5″ on the Fujita scale. This scale (F1- F5) ranks a tornado based on its wind speeds and destructive potential.

Since no estimates have been set regarding the damage, it isn’t known if FEMA’s 13.6 million in grants and loans will be enough to cover damages from the storm. Meanwhile, the people displaced by the storm are still struggling to cope. Few of Birmingham’s affected families know where their homes are or plan to be, as city officials are using this time as an opportunity to restructure Birmingham’s layout, reports the Wall Street Journal. However, local victims are eager to rebuild their lives. Michael Howell-Moroney, a specialist in urban planning at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, said the dichotomy of interests is causing frustration.

The AP reported on one shelter, operating out of a Tuscaloosa recreation center, that is nearing full capacity. Although tornado victims are safe inside, neighborhood cleanup actions have barely begun and a recent increase in looting caused local officials to enforce a curfew.

If you sustained any damages to your home or property as a result of the recent storms, please contact us immediately. This type of information is important to your storm damage claim and it is imperative that we be informed of all damages. It is important that these damages be documented quickly and appropriately so as to protect your claim, and also to properly present these storm damages to the insurance company, if necessary.

If you or anyone you know have any questions about what the next step should be in the process of dealing with any storm damages, please feel free to call us.

sources: Huffington Post, ABC News

Keywords: Storm Claim Attorneys, Storm Damage Attorneys, Tornadoes, Tornado Damage, Alabama, Alabama Tornadoes 2011, Insurance Claims, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, FEMA

The recent winter weather was something that many of us will remember for a long, long time. The bone-chilling temperatures and the barrage of freezing precipitation is hopefully behind us. Unfortunately, many people were forced to endure these long and cold days while trying to repair damages caused by the icy weather. We all have seen the images of fallen trees, roofs collapsing from the weight of ice, homes destroyed by fires caused by heaters, and other similar scenes of damage caused by the icy conditions. We sincerely hope that you and your loved ones made it through this winter blast unscathed.

If, however, you sustained any damages to your home or property as a result of the recent winter storms, please contact us immediately. This type of information is important to your storm damage claim and it is imperative that we be informed of all damages. It is important that these damages be documented quickly and appropriately so as to protect your prior claim, and also to properly present these winter weather damages to the insurance company, if necessary.

As I am sure you will agree based upon your experiences, dealing with any damages to your home or property can be a significantly frustrating burden. If you or anyone you know have any questions about what the next step should be in the process of dealing with any winter weather damages, please feel free to call us.

Stay warm.

Arguello, Hope and Associates PLLC

A rare winter storm has delivered sleet and snow over much of Texas causing chaos for drivers and hampering travelers from Dallas in the North to Brownsville in the South.

Many parts of Texas have been battered by 3 days of ice storms, bitter cold temperatures and rolling black outs that have also caused transit breakdowns in major urban areas.  Texas temperatures this time of year are usually warm enough to melt snow and ice that accumulates on the roadways, but due to the bitter cold roads are covered with ice.  In Austin and San Antonio, sleet covered roadways in the evening before snow took over durning the morning hours which as closed many major roadways and has cause accidents that had traffic entangled in both cities.

Treacherous roads have caused havoc in many cities around Texas as drivers are unaccustomed to driving in the snowy conditions.  At least 20 vehicles including buses and tractor trailers were involved in a traffic accident on Interstate 10 in San Antonio.  Police in the area were closing entrances to the freeway in response to this accident and at least a dozen others in the area.

Early Friday, officials in Houston closed parts of several freeways and shutdown toll roads for the rest of the day.  At least 100 accidents were reported in the area before the roads were closed due to icy conditions caused by freezing rains overnight combined with temperatures that fell below 20 degrees in the morning.

Even the extreme Southern part of the state was unable to escape the icy conditions as roads and bridges were closed that lead into Mexico and connections between South Padre Island and the mainland.

Keywords: Tractor Trailer, Auto Accidents, Snow Storm, Texas, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Injury Attorney, Hazardous Conditions