Make a claim

Homeowners Insurance Claim

Homeowners Insurance Claim on wiseGEEK:

* If they feel strongly enough that the insurer is breaking insurance claim law, consumers can also pursue lawsuits. Some attorneys specialize in insurance claim law and dedicate themselves to what is called insurance recovery law.

* The types of insurance coverage disputes may involve areas as divers as health, automobile, or homeowners insurance claims and will determine how a dispute is handled. Some insurance policies might include exclusions which can limit or disallow restitution for damages sought in a claim.

via Homeowners Insurance Claim.

Car Insurance Claim

Car Insurance Claim on wiseGEEK:

* If you are found guilty of violating the state financial responsibility laws concerning car insurance, you may find it much more difficult to obtain affordable coverage in the future.

* Even if no immediate emergency medical assistance was required, you may still want to go to the hospital for an evaluation, as car accident injuries such as whiplash may not present immediately but could show up several days later. To pay out the car accident claim, the car insurance companies will want to investigate the traffic accident and determine liability.

via Car Insurance Claim.

What is an Insurance Claim?

An insurance claim is the actual application for benefits provided by an insurance company. Policy holders must first file an insurance claim before any money can be disbursed to the hospital or repair shop or other contracted service. The insurance company may or may not approve the claim, based on their own assessment of the circumstances.Individuals who take out home, life, health, or automobile insurance policies must maintain regular payments called premiums to the insurers. Most of the time these premiums are used to settle another person’s insurance claim or to build up the available assets of the insurance company. But occasionally an accident will happen which causes real financial damage, such as a automobile wreck or a tornado or a work-related accident. At this point the injured policy holder has the right to file an insurance claim in order to receive money from the insurance company.

via What is an Insurance Claim?.

Winter Driving Safety Tips

Driving safely on icy roads

  1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
  2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
  3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
  4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
  5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
  6. Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
  7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
  8. Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
  9. Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If your rear wheels skid…

  1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
  2. Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding right, steer right.
  3. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
  4. If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
  5. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

If your front wheels skid…

  1. Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
  2. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If you get stuck…

  1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
  2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
  3. Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
  4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
  5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
  6. Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner’s manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you’re in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.

Cheap Homeowners Insurance

There are many ways you could start saving on homeowners insurance. Below are the top fifteen ways that can put money back into your pocket.

1. First, you should shop around. You will be amazed how many companies out there offer homeowners insurance. There are many ways you could shop around. You could search online, ask your friends and family, or just simply open up the yellow pages and start making some phone calls. By shopping around you are sure to find the best rate available to you.

2. Next, you could raise your deductible. The higher your deductible is, the less you need to pay for homeowners insurance. The deductible is the amount you need to pay if something does happen to your home. If you are going to raise the deductible, just make sure you could afford to pay that in case of an emergency. The more your deductible is, the higher percentage you will save. Most deductibles start at $250, if you raise it to $500 you could save up 12%, raise it to $1,000 save up to 24%, raise it to $2,500 and save up to 30%, raise it to $5,000 and save up to 37%, and so forth.

3. Another way to save is to combine your policies with one company. For example, if you have car insurance and home owners insurance on two different companies, see if one of those companies will offer the other type of insurance. Most insurance companies offer both home and auto insurance. By simply putting both policies with one company you could be saving a lot of money.

ways to save money on homeowners insurance

4. Fourth, think about the insurance when purchasing a home. A lot of different factors go into determining how much you will pay for homeowners insurance. For example, if your home is newer, the insurance will most likely cost less. If the structure of the home is in good condition, than the insurance will not be as costly as an older home with bad structure. Also, the location of a home is important as well. Make sure your home is built for the geographical location it is in. This could make a big difference on the price of your homeowners insurance policy.

5. Next, make sure you leave out the value of your land when insuring your home. Including the land could make the homeowners insurance a lot more expensive. When you are estimating the value of your home, keep that in mind. The values of your home are at risk for many things, such as a fire or even theft, however the land of your home is not at that high of a risk, therefore does not need to be included.

6. Another great tip is to invest in safety for your home. Just by getting locks, alarms, and smoke detectors you could be saving up to 20% on your plan. The safer your home is, the less it is to insure it. Not only will keeping your home safe save you money, but it will also put you and your family is a better environment.

7. You could also save on homeowners insurance by simply stop smoking. If no one in your home smokes, than you will most likely receive a discount. The reason behind this is that more than twenty thousand residential fires last year were started due to smoking. Insurance companies keep this in mind and discount those who do not smoke.

8. Also, if you stick with your insurer you could get a larger discount. Every year you are with the same company they may lower your rates. You could also save by checking homeowners insurance policies annually. One year your company may be better than the next, while the next year the rates may have changed.

9. You could also ask about other discounts that homeowners insurance companies may offer. Senior discounts and group discounts are two other ways that could save you money when it comes to homeowners insurance.

10. A few other ways to save on homeowners insurance is to stick with the private companies, pay over the computer, check your credit rating before purchasing insurance, and getting replacement-cost coverage.

While the list of how to save on homeowners insurance can go on and on, these are just the top ten things you should look for when looking to buy.

via Cheap Homeowners Insurance.

Home insurance – Wikipedia

Home insurance, also commonly called hazard insurance or homeowner’s insurance (often abbreviated in the real estate industry as HOI), is the type of property insurance that covers private homes. It is an insurance policy that combines various personal insurance protections, which can include losses occurring to one’s home, its contents, loss of its use (additional living expenses), or loss of other personal possessions of the homeowner, as well as liability insurance for accidents that may happen at the home or at the hands of the homeowner within the policy territory. It requires that at least one of the named insureds occupies the home. The dwelling policy (DP) is similar, but used for residences which don’t qualify for various reasons, such as vacancy/non-occupancy, seasonal/secondary residence, or age.

It is a multiple-line insurance, meaning that it includes both property and liability coverage, with an indivisible premium, meaning that a single premium is paid for all risks. Standard forms divide coverage into several categories, and the coverage provided is typically a percentage of Coverage A, which is coverage for the main dwelling.[1]

The cost of homeowner’s insurance often depends on what it would cost to replace the house and which additional riders—additional items to be insured—are attached to the policy. The insurance policy itself is a lengthy contract, and names what will and what will not be paid in the case of various events. Typically, claims due to floods or war (whose definition typically includes a nuclear explosion from any source), amongst other standard exclusions (like termites), are excluded. Special insurance can be purchased for these possibilities, including flood insurance. Insurance should be adjusted to reflect replacement cost, usually upon application of an inflation factor or a cost index.

The home insurance policy is usually a term contract—a contract that is in effect for a fixed period of time. The payment the insured makes to the insurer is called the premium. The insured must pay the insurer the premium each term. Most insurers charge a lower premium if it appears less likely the home will be damaged or destroyed: for example, if the house is situated next to a fire station; if the house is equipped with fire sprinklers and fire alarms; or if the house exhibits wind mitigation measures, such as hurricane shutters. Perpetual insurance, which is a type of home insurance without a fixed term, can also be obtained in certain areas.

via Home insurance – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

What is Mortgage Insurance?

As a loan officer who has over one thousand loan closings within the last five years, I have fielded numerous questions from first time home buyers, but the question most asked has to do with mortgage insurance: what is it, why do I have to have it, and how long do I have to keep paying it?

Mortgage insurance is a financial guaranty for the lender that will help to reduce or eliminate a loss in the case of a default by the borrower, and it is almost universally required on loans where there is less than twenty percent equity. That means if you are purchasing a home with less than twenty percent down or refinancing to more than eighty percent of your homes value, you are going to be required to pay mortgage insurance. In other words, mortgage insurance spreads the risk between the lender and the insurance company.

The next question I get about mortgage insurance is, “Why do I have to have it?” The answer to that is simple: without mortgage insurance, many lenders would not be able or willing to accept the risk of lending without having twenty percent equity, making it significantly more difficult for customers to purchase a home, or use their home equity to consolidate debt or make an addition to their home. So while it may seem like you do not gain any advantage by having to pay mortgage insurance, it may be the factor that is allowing you to gain approval for your loan. In addition, a bill was passed in 2007 that allows people to write off their mortgage insurance on your taxes, just like you would for the mortgage interest that you pay. There are income restrictions on this provision, so check with a tax professional to see if this would benefit you.

Finally, the question comes up, “When can I stop paying mortgage insurance?” The answer to that will vary depending upon how your mortgage is worded, but there are a few general guidelines that are pretty universal. If you have a conventional mortgage, you are going to need to pay the mortgage insurance for at least the first year of your loan. If you have paid down the balance below eighty percent of the original purchase price or value, you can send a written request for the lender to remove the insurance (a lot of contracts say you can request the removal at eighty percent, they are required to remove it when the balance gets to seventy-eight percent). Some lenders will also allow you to pay for an appraisal, and if your home has risen in value to give you the twenty percent equity, they will also remove it. If you have an FHA guaranteed loan, you are going to be required to pay the monthly mortgage insurance for at least the first five years of the loan, and in order to have it removed you need to have the loan balance down to eighty percent of the original purchase price or value; they will not allow you to go off of what the appraised value is.

Mortgage insurance may seem to be an unnecessary monthly cost to many first time home buyers, but it is in fact what allows most people to purchase their first home. With the law that allows homeowners to write this cost off their taxes, it has become a little more consumer friendly as well.

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Critical Illness Insurance In The USA

Critical illness insurance did not exist in the USA long ago. There was a type of insurance known as the cancer insurance. It covered some types of cancers, alike critical illness which covers certain critical illnesses. Cancer insurance had been in the USA for many years. It was during the year 1989 that a critical illness product was firstly launched in the USA by Jackson National Life. The critical illness policy lacked benefits, as it was the case when firstly introduced in the UK. It covered only around 5 critical illness conditions with about 25 percent acceleration of the life benefit. The product sold well during the first two to three months but then came to a slowdown.

The slowdown could have arisen as Jackson National Life sold the critical illness policy in the broker market. The broker market at that time had the tendency to be guided by whatever was new. Therefore, when a new product came into the market, critical illness policy was left behind. The policy may still exist and could be sold in the USA but under a different form. (Source: Health Care Conference, 2000)

Moreover, then came the American Physicians Life�s policy (APL). This type of critical illness policy may still be sold in the USA. But sales may have been considerably low. There may be three reasons that could explain the poor sales of this critical illness policy. Firstly, APL was only licensed in 8 states and could be seen as a niche provider. Secondly, the policy was based upon the critical illness policy in the UK and thus turned out to be ineffective for the US market at that time. Finally, the APL had been sold to a finance group which owned the American Founders Life (AFL). AFL also had a critical illness contract but sales had as well been meager.

The attempts to sell an effective critical illness policy over the US market did not stop here. Bankers Life & Casualty came with the only standalone critical illness policy. The US market did not respond positively to change. Again, sales had been relatively low. However certain problems may explain the lack of growth of critical illness cover in the USA. There are many states in the USA. Thus, each state has its own law which also regulates insurance separately. Therefore, if critical illness policy issued by a company is recognized in only a few states, many people may be left unaware as it may not reach them easily. The success of critical illness insurance in the UK may explain everything as laws and regulations may have been set only by one authority as compared to the USA.

Furthermore, critical illness insurance may have been considered as another form of cancer insurance in the USA. Cancer insurance had not been successful in the USA as it did not offer cover for all types of cancers. As a matter of fact, its benefits may also have been slight.

Looking at critical illness insurance in the USA, we can see that this product had not been as successful in the UK. The direct sales forces in the UK may have led critical illness insurance to the status it now holds in the market.

via Critical Illness Insurance In The USA.

Choosing Critical Illness Insurance

Surveys tell that most people are more likely to become critically ill than to die before they reach the age of 65. Critical illness affects a lot of people in UK as well as all over the world. Consequently, life insurance companies found a solution. They came across the idea of bringing out a new policy called critical illness cover. To date, this type of policy has kept its name. As time passed by, critical illness gained popularity as it was sought by many people. How do we choose critical illness insurance? Let us find out the answer.

First of all if you are worried about the safety of the family or want to set everything right for the future, you are probably wondering about taking a critical illness insurance. Fine idea as it is, to get the best critical illness insurance you must start looking around. In an initial step you have to make a list of what life insurance companies you have to visit or phone. Now, not all life insurance companies offer the critical illness cover. To get round this, you will probably have to make some phone calls. Once done, you now have a list of all life insurance companies which offer the critical illness insurance.

Therefore, start by calling the most prominent critical illness insurance companies. You will have to compare different quotes and check out prices to find on the critical illness policy that suits you. Tiresome and tricky as it is you may find yourself in a dilemma. You could end up having so much paperwork in your hands that it becomes difficult to make a choice. Remember that you have to take all the factors included within the policy into consideration. Do not always opt for cheap critical illness insurance policies. Most of them might not be as effective.

Probably the best way to search for a critical illness insurance or any other life insurance is to surf the internet. You could just sit down on your comfortable chair at home and avoid visiting the insurance companies one by one. You open Google for example and write critical illness insurance. The results would show you a list of all insurance companies that offer critical illness insurance. You have immediately thousands of insurance companies to visit and request a quote online.

To get a quote online is in most cases easy. You can specify which type of critical illness cover you want. You can also mention for how much time you need the cover for and are sometimes asked how much cover you need. Thus, the bigger the cover you want, the higher the premium will be.You are also asked if you want a joint or single critical illness insurance account. Besides, you will be able to compare the quotes from various companies at a time. Hence you have a broad vision of the types of critical illness insurance company that exist and the advantages they are giving. As said before, do not get attracted by cheap prices. Anyway if you still want the support of an agent, you could easily get a contact. Most of the time you would be explained things clearly.

As a matter of fact, contacting online brokers for critical illness insurance is very often an easier task compared to visiting one company after the other. So take advantage of the internet and unlock the appropriate critical illness insurance you have always dreamt of.

via Choosing Critical Illness Insurance.

Critical Illness Insurance To Help During Hard Times

ust like a normal insurance package, critical illness insurance is also designed to facilitate the lives of those who are insured. It is different from the standard insurance covers and best suited to someone who might have been diagnosed with a critical illness.

Critical Illness Cover

When someone in the family or the main earning member gets diagnosed with a life threatening condition, the future suddenly looks bleak. Usually, there are no future plans that take into account the condition that will most likely take away a precious life. In such a situation having critical illness insurance plan works towards providing some advantages, the first being giving some peace of mind to the one who is battling the condition. The first thought he might have is what will happen to his family, their future and their growth when he is not there to protect them. He will see to it that they are safe and no harm comes to them. That is what this sort of insurance cover normally aids the insured person.

When you decide to take such a policy you are not only safeguarding your family, you might also be making sure that their future is taken care of.

The Benefits

Getting the right plan for you might be a tricky proposition since there are a number of policies out there. These policies are provided by various companies covering a range of different illnesses. You need to choose the one which is most likely to suit you and also take into account other important factors.

If you are not sure how to approach this subject you can take the help of a number of online options that present you with varied choices. They will ask you some basic questions and depending on your answers will provide you with a number of policies that are best suited. You will be required to give out your medical histories and whether there was any serious illness in the past.

They will then show the various policies that might be designed to suit your case. You can also ask for a tailor made policy once you decide that you want a more comprehensive cover with specific conditions.

It is important that you look at the features and check out the kind of medical conditions that are covered in the critical illness insurance. Some might not cover the most critical conditions while others might cover a range of problems that might not even be a possibility where you live. Though you might feel that it is best to be prepared in advance, accepting all these might simply increase your premiums.

If you are a businessman and want to take out a group cover for your employees there are various policies that can cover that as well. You might get advantages from this cover and also see to it that all your employees are benefitted from this type of critical illness insurance.

When you recover this money in a lump sum amount like any critical illness insurance, you might like to spend it on paying off a huge debt that you would have taken care of in the normal circumstances, pay for your child’s care for the future and make sure that their needs are taken care of even if you are not physically present.

via Critical Illness Insurance To Help During Hard Times.

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