Another batch of storms swept through the Midwest over the weekend, and American Family Insurance is already reporting the company has gotten upwards of 1,600 new claims. The Madison based insurance provider has stated they’ve received 1,060 property insurance claims and 585 auto insurance claims following severe weekend storms that impacted Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois. 

Even though it might seem a little self-serving, American Family Insurance issued a press release today urging renters to remember that their personal belongings are NOT covered by a landlord's property insurance. Because property insurance typically only covers the structure itself, renters need to purchase their own policy if they wish to cover the items they'll be storing inside. And, with most rental insurance policies being exceptionally inexpensive, this sort of coverage is pretty much a no brainer for anyone wishing to protect personal items in case of a freak accident or break in.

With crews racing to contain the Lower North Fork Wildfire in Colorado, American Family Insurance has decided to spring into action and open a mobile catatstrophe office to help victims of the Denver-area fire. The office has been setup at a middle school in Aspen Park, and is designed to allow adjusters to meet with policyholders who have been impacted by the recent wildfires.

The contest that launched back in January has finally come to an end. American Family Insurance has announced the winners of their “Go Get Your Dream Challenge,” an online contest that encouraged users to submit their aspirations relating to health, career, finances, or their personal life and solicit votes from others using Twitter and Facebook. The top three dreams were awarded cash prizes in the amounts of $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500, with the first place winner also receiving a personalized development session with motivational mentor Kathy Ireland.

Next week is National Flood Safety Awareness week, and American Family Insurance is using it as a timely opportunity to advise homeowners of potential flooding. Because people are often under the mistaken impression that their homeowners or renters policy would cover losses in the event of a flood, American Family is encouraging people to double check their policy and assess whether additional coverage may be needed.

According to a recent estimate by catastrophe modeling firm Eqecat, the recent wave of storms and tornadoes that devastated the South and Midwest may have resulted in as much as $2 billion in insured losses. The tornadoes that tore through Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Alabama between February 28^th and March 3^rd came on the heels of a slew of natural disasters that made 2011 one of the worst years on record in terms of storm related insurance claims. 

Today is National Signing Day, and that might not mean a lot to the casual sports fan, but for die hard college football enthusiasts it’s a pretty big deal. Last year, CBS’ network of college sites produced 2 million unique visitors from the one day event in which top high school recruits solidify their commitment to various colleges across the country.

Last week American Family Insurance kicked off their ‘Go Get Your Dream Challenge,’ a new campaign centered on encouraging users to submit their aspirations (relating to health, career, finances, or their personal life) to the company’s website. Users are urged to share their dreams via social media and vote on which dreams they think are most worthy of receiving a financial jumpstart. The ten dreams that receive the most votes will be evaluated by a panel of judges, and the top three will be awarded cash prizes.