After Hurricane Katrina: Recovering your personal finances

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Hurricane Katrina: Recovering your personal finances

By Bankrate.com

Hurricane Katrina did not discriminate. Her victims include homeowners, renters, college students, retirees, affluent citizens, middle-class consumers and those living paycheck to paycheck. The hurricane washed out people with excellent credit and those with no credit at all. One issue that all have in common: The need for money. This group of stories addresses many of the important and unique financial issues facing Katrina's victims.

Banking needs
•	Bill payment relief for Katrina victims -- Financial institutions willing to grant leeway on payments.
•	Contact information for Gulf Coast banks -- Here's a list of the biggest banks in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi with contact information for each.
•	Responding to Hurricane Katrina -- Opportunities for lending support to hurricane victims are mushrooming by the hour. Here's a roundup of the major organizations looking after the needs of victims. Plus, tips for protecting your family's finances before and after a disaster.
•	Access to cash post-Hurricane Katrina -- Here's information evacuees and survivors need to know about their banks and accounts.
•	Financial institutions helping out affected customers -- Many companies are waiving late and over-limit fees, among other things.
•	Bankruptcy law another low blow for Katrina victims -- Onerous demands will make it difficult for hurricane victims to recover.
Insurance
•	Katrina's force changes insurance adjusters' plans -- Usually, after a storm, adjusters work from the center out, so the wost-hit victims get help first. This time is different.
•	After a disaster -- Information to help you put your finances back in order -- from tax breaks to understanding your insurance coverages.
•	Working with your homeowners insurance -- The policy that protects your most precious assets can be convoluted in language and puzzling in its details. We'll help you understand what your homeowners policy covers and what it doesn't.
Your mortgage
•	Paying mortgages after Katrina -- Gulf Coast residents must continue to make monthly payments on damaged or even destroyed residences, but lenders and federal agencies are willing to cut some slack.
•	Mortgage help after Katrina -- Many homes were badly damaged or destroyed in the hurricane, but the homeowners still have mortgages to pay. Here's what the nation's top 10 lenders are doing and how to get in touch with each.
Other issues
•	Katrina aftermath: Personal stories from ground zero -- Hurricane victims share their personal stories of coping with the financial havoc left by the epoch storm.
•	How to file for post-hurricane financial aid -- If you are a victim of a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, you must take these specific steps to make sure you're in line for the available financial assistance.
•	Tax breaks for disaster victims -- There's no way to plan for a disaster. But the IRS offers help by allowing you to deduct casualty losses.
•	How to replace lost documents -- Katrina took your paperwork? Here's how to get important stuff you need.
•	ID-theft precautions after Katrina -- Identity thieves and other scamsters see disasters as an opportunity to steal.

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-- Updated: Sept. 16, 2005

		RESOURCES
		Paying a mortgage after Katrina
		12 tips for disaster-related insurance claims
		Tax laws offer some post-disaster help