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"March 20, 2024"

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Disaster Info Center at Commerce

As spring begins in Minnesota, it's a good time of year for you to consider:  Are you prepared if a disaster strikes your home? Do you have adequate insurance - as a homeowner or renter - to cover your losses in case of a disaster?  Commerce's Disaster Information Center [ [link removed] ] is here to help, with tips to help you prepare for disaster, stay safe in your home and what to do after a storm.  

*Has your homeowner insurance coverage for storm damage changed? *

To avoid surprises after you submit a claim for storm damage, be aware of possible changes to your homeowner insurance coverage. Homeowners insurance complaints to the Minnesota Department of Commerce have more than doubled since 2020, jumping from 569 to 1,185 complaints.

Home Insurance

Many of those complaints are from homeowners concerned their claims were denied or they faced high out-of-pocket costs after damage from wind and hail. Some insurance carriers now have exclusions that narrow coverage or require significantly higher deductibles for wind and hail damage, and homeowners are not aware of the changes to their policy until after they file a claim. Check with your insurance agent to understand what your policy covers – and whether shopping might help you find a better deal. 

To learn more visit: mn.gov/commerce/news [ [link removed] ]



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*Quick – close your eyes and describe every object in your home. Having trouble?* 

This is what you will be asked to do by an insurance adjuster should your home ever be damaged by a house fire, flood, windstorm, or other unforeseen disaster. It pays - literally - to keep track of your possessions ahead of time. Having a home inventory prepared in advance ensures that you receive fair compensation in an insurance claim as quickly as possible after a disaster. 

Home Inventory [ [link removed] ]
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out this new Commerce video [ [link removed] ] to learn how and why to document the items within your home.

Start creating your home inventory today. Get the Home Inventory Checklist on our Disaster Information Center [ [link removed] ]. 



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*Celebrating Weights & Measures * 

You may know Commerce from these stickers you see on gas pumps and grocery store scales!

W&M




Check out these new videos to show the work our Weights & Measures inspectors do every day to protect Minnesota consumers and businesses by ensuring the accuracy of commercial scales and measures at business locations across Minnesota.

How MN Department of Commerce protects you at the pump. [ [link removed] ]

How the MN Department of Commerce protects you at the store. [ [link removed] ]

Weights and Measures' responsibilities include:


* Checking accuracy of gas pumps for fuel quantity and quality
* Checking that credit card readers at the pump have not been illegally fitted with skimmers used to steal credit card information
* Checking grocery food scales for accuracy
* Enforcing labeling and quantity of grocery and other food packages
* Regulating the sale and labeling of firewood
* Certifying weight-and-measure standards for private and government organizations

Curious to learn more? We're here for you every day: Weights & Measures [ [link removed] ] 

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MN Commerce joins $1.5 million multistate securities settlement against crypto platform TradeStation

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is one of multiple states to enter into a settlement with TradeStation Crypto, Inc. The settlement resolves the investigation into TradeStation’s cryptocurrency interest-earning program. Read more [ [link removed] ].  [ [link removed] ]

Trade station

 







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Claim your unclaimed property

Nearly 33 million people in the United States – 1 in every 7 – has unclaimed property, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. Take a few minutes to search online to see if you or a member of your family have money or property that you need to claim.

*What is unclaimed property? *The Minnesota Department of Commerce Unclaimed Property has a new video, posted to Commerce’s YouTube channel [ [link removed] ], to explain how to find out if you have property to claim and how to file a claim. 

thumbnail of unclaimed property video [ [link removed] ]

Search Commerce’s Unclaimed Property [ [link removed] ] now. 






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Get updates and news from the Minnesota Department of Commerce at mn.gov/commerce [ [link removed] ] or @MNCommerce on social media.

Twitter [ [link removed] ] |  Facebook [ [link removed] ]  |  YouTube [ [link removed] ]  |  LinkedIn [ [link removed] ]  








*Minnesota Department of Commerce*
85 7th Place East, Suite 280
St. Paul, MN 55101

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