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Did you know your credit history and score could have a tremendous impact on your ability to obtain insurance and how much you pay for it? Many consumers are not aware of this link and because of it they are often in for quite a surprise when the time comes to take out a new insurance policy.

Insurance carriers are becomingly increasingly aware that a tendency to pay other bills late may mean that you will pay your insurance premiums late as well. As a result, more and more carriers are opting to run your credit history before providing a quote. In some cases, a poor credit rating may mean you pay more for your insurance while in other cases it could mean you may not be able to obtain insurance at all.

Just how bad does your credit have to be to interfere with your ability to obtain insurance? It really depends on the guidelines used by that individual insurance company; however, in some cases, missing just as few as two credit card payments could mean you might have problems. In some instances, missing just two payments could mean you premium might be doubled.

You are not necessarily exempt from this type of problem even if you?ve been with the company for a long period of time or if you?ve had a good history in terms of losses, either. Some consumers have been rudely surprised to learn their policy has been cancelled due to credit score problems even though they had previously had a long relationship with their insurance carrier.

How can insurance companies do this, you might ask. As previously stated one reason is that many companies feel that you may have an increased tendency to pay your premiums late. Other companies justify the practice on the basis that if you?re irresponsible with money you may also be irresponsible with other aspects of your life. Some Read more…

THERE has been so much written in the past few months about payment protection insurance it has all become a little confusing. Most of what has been written has been very negative, indeed dangerously negative ? witch-hunt proportions even in some quarters. A mortgage magazine even ran a campaign to have single premium accident, sickness, unemployment banned.

Amid all the chest beating and promotion, some clarity is desperately needed. Without relevant PPI being offered to customers, there is an even greater risk of one of the fundamental objectives of the FSA not being met ? and that is protecting consumer interests.

The PPI witch-hunt has also lumped together mortgage payment protection insurance and single premium ASU. These products are, of course, all very different. Most of the Office of Fair Trading?s concerns re- volved around the potential mis-selling of PPI related to consumer and revolving credit sales, not mortgages.

In November 2005, the FSA published a report detailing its findings about the sale of PPI. This was backed up with mystery shopping of various firms involved in the sale of PPI ? that goes beyond mortgages to other companies that offer revolving lines of credit, store accounts and unsecured loans. It was much broader than the mortgage industry alone and, given the mortgage industry has been regulated by the FSA for some time now, it has taken a disproportionate amount of flak.

Experience

It does strike me as odd that people who have very limited experience in the mortgage market ? and more specifically experience in the sub-prime mortgage market ? have been pontificating about the so-called evils of single premium ASU.

The mortgage industry as a whole needs to assess the risks and benefits ? yes, benefits ? of single premium ASU with calm heads, because things have moved on.

Fact one. Sub-prime clients cancel their monthly ASU policies. Some major insurers have even withdrawn the product from sale because the persistency levels are so low. That is what sub-prime clients do. It is the same reason they cancel their life policies. That does not mean we should stop writing life business because we would be leaving customers and their families exposed.

There is a fundamental issue here. Why sell a client a monthly policy when he has a demonstrated history of not being able to meet his monthly commitments?
And guess what? Fact two: sub-prime clients will cancel their monthly ASU policy at the time when they need it the most. The potential ramifications for the IFA/mortgage broker are dire should he be unable to demonstrate that he offered his client the option of either monthly or single premium ASU and it has subsequently gone pear shaped for his client.

Some brokers detail the costs and benefits of ASU in the suitability letter and document in that letter if the client has chosen not to take it up. Some go even further. For clients who cancel their policies downstream, some brokers send a disclaimer ensuring they know what they are cancelling and detail the ramifications of having no cover.

It is cheaper to do that than risk the potential of attracting a lawsuit, and worse still drawing bad press to our business and brand.
There is no doubt that single premium ASU policies have come in for some major flak because of their poor flexibility and TCF unfriendliness.

Commission

Agreed and rightly so. One of the key issues at play here is the seemingly large commission payments made for single premium ASU.

Let us look at that issue in another context. What if a motor insurer offered a three-year product and guaranteed not to change price over the term with no inflationary creep? What if you got a further discount for paying that policy upfront as a lump sum? Of course, the selling broker would be paid his share of the total premium.

Single premium ASU is not really that different; it is just that a lot of commentators have got all bent out of shape about the commission payment and not the cover itself.

This problem has been further magnified by lots of people throwing their twopence into the ring when, to be frank, objectivity is needed and recognition of what has changed. There is a place for single premium ASU, but not as we used to know it.

What if the mortgage industry had a single premium ASU product that had the following features:

- provided no quibble pro-rata refunds if it was cancelled;
– where Read more…

While many of us understand the basic functions of our life insurance policies, it?s not uncommon for questions to arise long after you purchased the policy.

To help address your policy problems, we?ll answer four of the most common life insurance questions to help you gain understanding and control of your life insurance policy.

Questions Answered

How do I file a life insurance claim?

To begin the claim process, you?ll need to obtain a couple copies of the policyholder?s death certificate. If you have trouble obtaining copies of the death certificate from the hospital or coroner?s office, your funeral director should be able to get you a copy.

Next, you?ll need to contact your life insurance agent. Your agent will help you complete the necessary paperwork to file the claim. If you?re not sure who the insured?s agent was, you can contact the insurance company directly and someone will help you file the claim. Remember to bring a copy of the death certificate for your agent as it will be needed to ensure quick claim submittal.

How will I receive the death benefit?

Once the life insurance claim is submitted, you?ll need to choose how the life insurance proceeds will be allocated.

According to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), there are generally four ways to distribute the death benefit:

Lump Sum. You receive the entire death benefit in one payment.

Specific interest provision. The insurance company pays you both principle and interest on a prearranged schedule.

Life income. You receive a guaranteed income for life. However, the amount you receive depends on the benefit amount, your gender and age at the insured?s time of death.

Interest income. The life insurance company holds the proceeds but pays you interest on the policy. Thus, the death benefit remains in tact and goes to a second beneficiary after you die.

No matter which option you choose, you should receive the proceeds from the policy within days of filing the claim. Life insurance companies are required by law to pay claims in this fashion. To learn about the guidelines under which your insurer must pay a claim, contact your state?s division of insurance.

What should I do if I can?t find the policy?

Unfortunately, there?s no database for purchased life insurance policies. That?s why it?s very important to know where the insured?s life insurance policy is at all times. Nonetheless, there are some things you can try to locate a lost policy.

You can start by trying to determine:

Which company might have issued the policy
Which agent may have issued the policy
Whether the policyholder had life insurance through an employer, union or other group

The I.I.I. recommends trying to locate that information by:

Searching records, storage areas and safe deposit boxes. There you may find insurance-related documents, old checks, premium payment receipts or policy notices.

Contacting the policyholder?s legal and financial consultants. Previous and current consultants may have some information regarding the deceased?s life insurance.

Contacting the insured?s employer(s). Previous and/or current employers will be able to tell you if the policyholder had a group life insurance policy.

Checking tax returns. By checking past tax returns, you may find interest income from or paid to a life insurance company.

Checking the mail. Even if the policy was paid up, the insurance company will send an annual premium or dividend notice in regard to the policy.

Checking north of the border. If there?s a possibility that the policy was purchased in Canada, you can contact the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association at (800) 268-8009, or visit them on the Web.

Probing the MIB database. While there?s no database for life insurance policyholders, there is a database for life insurance applicants. For $75, you can search the MIB database, and while it rarely pays off (MIB finds about one in five Read more…

These days it seems investors are looking for safety and security more than ever, especially after the major stock market correction witnessed from 1999-2002. Four years later, numerous brokerage and variable annuity accounts still have not recovered their losses from that time period. Unfortunately, many investors were counting on those funds to provide income during their retirements.

Thus the introduction of the equity indexed annuity, or EIA, to the main stream marketplace. Designed to provide a greater return than the traditional fixed annuity, the equity indexed annuity can be a reliable alternative to a brokerage account. Only fifteen years old, several billion dollars have been deposited into these accounts.

First, a potential investor should have a little background information. Generally, an annuity functions in the following manner: The investor, usually called an owner or annuitant, agrees to deposit funds with an insurance company for a specified period of time, say 7 years. The annuity is said to be in deferral during that period of time. While in deferral, most annuities will allow for partial distributions of interest gains or a yearly 10% free withdrawal or the required minimum distribution mandated by the I.R.S. (Many annuities allow for larger distributions if the owner is confined to a nursing home or is terminally ill.) Still another way to distribute annuity dollars is through a systematic withdrawal, referred to as an annuitization, based on a pre-determined schedule, say 5 years. However, if the consumer decides to take the entire contract out as a lump sum before the annuity has matured, then penalties are invoked based on the surrender schedule in the annuity contract. If the investor passes away, the lump sum of the annuity is paid to a beneficiary at passing unless other arrangements have been made.

Technically, equity indexed annuities are characterized as fixed annuities by the various Departments of Insurance in each state. That is to say, at no point does the investor ever own any variable type of security like a stock, bond or mutual fund within the EIA account. These accounts do not fluctuate in value like a variable annuity might. Yet the equity indexed annuity is not like your typical fixed annuity either.

What makes EIAs different than a traditional fixed annuity is how interest is credited to the account. Typically, the insurance company will buy an option in a particular index like the DOW, S

Health insurance coverage is something you typically don’t give much thought – that is, until you or someone you love needs it. This very thing happened in my family. My husband, son and I carried group health insurance through my husbands’ employer. Shortly after we married, I persuaded my husband to switch from the Blue Cross plan (80/20) to the HMO offered by his employer. Premiums for the HMO were somewhat lower and there was better coverage for doctor visits and pharmacy.

Within 2 years of switching health plans, my husband was diagnosed with lymphoma, a slow-growing cancer. The prognosis was good, but treatments, medications, and hospital stays were exorbitant. Medical expenses would have been overwhelming had we not switched to the HMO plan. Our HMO health insurance plan covered almost all expenses we incurred with his illness. We basically only paid our co-pays, and, of course, our premiums. In fact, our health plan still pays for his treatments.

Should everyone change to an HMO health insurance plan? Not necessarily. What is important is to know basic facts about our health plan. Important questions to answer include:

What does the health plan cover? Does the coverage meet your needs? Some plans do not include wellness care and preventive care, while others do. If you require many prescription drugs, are these included in your plan?
What does the health plan NOT cover? Health insurance plans usually do not include cosmetic surgery (unless the surgery is reconstructive, repairing damage from burns, an accident, etc.). Major medical insurance plans will only cover hospitalization and other “major medical” expenses.
Who does the plan cover? Family coverage includes immediate family in most cases, spouse and minor children. Are children covered while in college, for example? Are stepchildren or children in custody of the other parent covered? Some health plans cover any child in the family, some cover stepchildren (usually only if they live with you, however). Some plans only cover children who Read more…

With health care costs soaring through the roof, the cost of health insurance premiums are increasing as well. Health insurance is a necessity, however, when you consider the costs of one visit to the emergency room, surgery to set a broken bone, scans, lab and other costs. When your budget is limited, how can you keep the costs of your health insurance premiums down? There are several steps you can take to reduce your health insurance costs and still maintain adequate medical coverage when you need it.

First step is to consider what health insurance options you have. Does your employer offer a group medical benefit? Many employers (and/or labor unions) offer health benefits to full-time employees. Group health insurance is usually the cheapest way to get medical coverage; an employer can negotiate with health insurance companies to get a group health plan at cheaper rates. In addition, many employers will pay part of the premium, reducing your health insurance cost even further. Another consideration is whether your spouse has health coverage available through their employer? If so, compare your health benefits plan to that of your spouse, and decide which health plan is the better buy. It may be possible to have one spouse carry family health insurance coverage and the other drop their health benefits. Many employers have multiple health insurance options, so review these plans as well. Choose the health plan that best meets your needs at the cheapest rate.

If no health insurance coverage is available through your employer, there are other ways to obtain health insurance coverage. Individual and family private health insurance policies are available. Shop and compare benefits and premiums from each health insurance plan. If you and your family are generally healthy, the new Health Savings Account (HSA) may be worth consideration. The HSA is an account that allows you to save tax-free dollars for your medical/health expenses. Similar to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you are limited in the amount that you are allowed to contribute each year; however, with the HSA, withdrawals for health expenses are not penalized, and no tax is paid on the withdrawal. When paired with a health insurance policy that has high deductibles and low rates, the HSA may be ideal for you. Save money in the HSA for deductibles and co-pays, and you’re set.

For those over 65 or permanently disabled, Medicare is available through Read more…

HSAs have a ?triple? tax advantage from a federal tax standpoint. Individuals receive full tax advantages for HSAs on their Federal Income Tax return (or through a salary reduction program in certain employer-sponsored settings) regardless of particular state?s tax treatment of HSAs.

An account beneficiary may take an above-the-line deduction (i.e. the amounts may be used to determine the individual?s adjusted gross income before any itemized or standard deductions are considered) for contributions made to an HSA during any month of the individual?s taxable year that the individual is eligible. The permitted deduction cannot exceed the sum of the ?monthly limitations? for such months. In 2006, the monthly limitation for any month is 1/12th of the following amounts:

- For those with single coverage on the first day of the month, the lesser of the annual deductible under the HDHP or $2,700.

- For those with family coverage on the first day of the month, the lesser of the annual deductible under the HDHP or $5,450.

Funds in an HSA grow on a tax-deferred basis, and distributions from an HSA are tax-free so long as the funds are used for qualified (as defined by Section 213d of the IRC) health care expenses.

How does state tax treatment of HSAs differ from federal tax treatment?

HSAs (and the enabling legislation) are federal. As a federal program, each state decides whether to: a) comply with the federal guidelines, or; b) establish their own state guidelines regarding the tax treatment of HSAs. As a result, some income that may be tax-free at the federal level may not be tax-free at the state level.

Many states harmonize their tax treatment with the federal government. Read more…

Those who love to ride motorcycles know there are dangers involved in the pursuit. Even if the cyclist is the perfect driver, observant of all laws and careful with the road conditions, things can happen. Most times, it’s another driver that causes the problem, but who is at fault isn’t the primary concern when injuries take place. It is at these times the smart motorcyclist is the one that happens to have not only good motorcycle coverage, but also a solid health insurance policy.

Injuries related to motorcycle accidents can be severe. Since the driver isn’t protected from head to toe by a car’s body, there can be sliding, scraping, crushing and other types of damage. Recuperation can be long and costly.

The best way to make sure you’re prepared for the worst is to be certain you have a good policy. Whether it’s one provided by your employer or a private purchase plan, there are some basics about medical insurance anyone – a motorcyclist or not – should understand.

Many plans come with a deductible. This is the amount of money that has to be paid before the policy can be used. Generally, the lower the better for medical insurance. And, in some cases, the personal injury protection or PIP deductible on a motorcycle policy itself can be higher if a good health plan will supplement. Deductibles can be per incident in the case of motor policies or annual.

Co-insurance involves cases where two policies come into play. This is common in motor vehicle related accidents. One plan may pay first or be the lead payer while the other one picks up where the first left off. Doctors’ offices and medical facilities generally can help the insured figure who which has to pay what.

A co-payment is a set amount a person insured under a medical policy has to pay per visit Read more…

For first time homeowners or for those who have never really taken a serious look at their Homeowners insurance, determining what Homeowners insurance coverage you need can be a trying time. One of the most important tips to keep in mind when determining what type and how much Homeowners insurance you need is to make this determination before you get started talking with an insurance agent.

It is extremely easy to get sucked into buying extra insurance that you will never use by a sly talking agent on the phone. This doesn?t mean that you shouldn?t take an insurance agent?s advice at all, but just be certain of a ballpark figure for the type of coverage and the amount of coverage you need and want before you get started.

One of the first questions an insurance agent will ask is the value of the home being purchased. This simply means the basic exterior and interior value of the home as it is when you purchase it, without belongings. Remember that an insurance agent should ask specific questions regarding the exterior of the house, such as whether it is brick, vinyl siding, wood or a mixture, as well as questions regarding a porch, deck or sunroom.

Insurance agents should also be asking specific questions regarding the basic appliances on the interior of the house, and will want to know how old the plumbing and electric system are, the air conditioning and heating unit, the appliances and will even ask questions about whether you have expensive countertops or flooring, such as granite or marble.

Keep in mind that while you purchased the home for a certain price, say $100,000, the Homeowners insurance company may want to allot payments for the structure of the house to be anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 over the current appraisal and market value of the house, to deal with inflation. It is up to you to decide if you want to agree to these terms, but remember that the price of repairing these items in the home will increase over the years, and you don?t want to be left with not enough money from the insurance company to cover full replacement of your home at any given time.

If you have purchased a home that will soon be remodeled or reconstructed, you may want to go ahead and add a considerable amount to this portion of the insurance coverage, that way if anything happens in the process of remodeling or as soon as the home is remodeled the total cost of remodeling will be covered without a problem. Of course you can always wait until the remodeling is completed to call and get a new price quote, Read more…

Traveling can be very expensive. Most people plan their trips well in advance and save money to make the most of their trip. However, a vacation can be ruined in an instant by the unexpected. If a member of the family becomes ill, a sudden storm makes your tropical vacation impossible or there?s an unexpected heat wave during your planned ski vacation, your trip may be ruined. Travel insurance can give you peace of mind that all your efforts will not be wasted.

Travel insurance covers a variety of expenses to save you from wasting the money you invested. Travel insurance covers trip cancellations and interruptions. Travel insurance can also provide you with medical coverage in case of an accident or unexpected illness. Damage to checked luggage is also covered with travel insurance. There?s no faster way to ruin a vacation by arriving only to find the airline lost your luggage entirely. Travel insurance will cover that loss so you can continue enjoying your getaway.

With the recent storm activity that has devastated popular vacation spots around the world, emergency evacuation is a concern. This can sorely strain a tight budget but travel insurance will cover those costs. Travel insurance will also often cover theft or vandalism that may occur. Leaving your hotel only to come back to find your valuables are gone can put a damper on any vacation. Travel insurance will give you the confidence that unexpected emergencies will not ruin the trip you?ve been planning and saving for.

The type and amount of travel insurance you will need depends on the length of stay and your location. You may not need travel insurance to cover terrorist activities when going to Florida but it may be a wise investment if you are exploring the pyramids of Egypt. Check online to compare travel insurance costs and coverage. Also, your travel agent will be able to give you valuable advice on Read more…