INSURANCE

Home insurance is a vital insurance product particularly in the current economic climate. Whilst it might seem that it’s an extra expense, the most valuable object that the majority of people own is their house and damage to such a valuable object can be almost impossible to repair without the financial assistance of an insurance company.

So when it comes to shopping for a policy how should you go about finding the best deal possible?

One thing that you could consider is getting separate buildings and contents insurance policies. Generally speaking the two are sold together under the banner of home insurance and there might some discounts offered accordingly. Nonetheless no two policies are ever quite the same and if you have particularly unique circumstances it might be worth getting separate deals.

Aside from that the old rules still ring true. The best way of knowing that you’ve got the best deal is to have looked at several other deals. Ask around and see if your friends have got any good deals. Some insurance companies offer policies aimed at certain demographics or situations and you may not necessarily have heard of them, so keep an ear to the ground.

Price comparison websites can be a good place to start, but they shouldn’t really be considered the be all and end all of the buying process. Comparison websites get paid commission for selling insurance and this can affect the price of the policies they offer, but they still offer you a good benchmark that you can use as leverage when haggling.

A further thing that you can consider is buying online direct from the insurance provider’s website. Many insurers offer online discounts and further discounts for being a new customer, this can save you a lot of money, but if you’re thinking of doing it regularly make sure that you check the small print as you may find yourself tied into long term insurance deals.

Home insurance policies are vastly different and the best deal is the one most closely suited to your particular needs. The best deal is not necessarily the cheapest, but you need to find a balance between coverage and the right cost.

There are any number of things that you can do to get cheaper insurance, and ultimately one of the best bits of advice is to do plenty of research, talk to your insurance company about how to get cheaper deals, and make sure that you know exactly what you need before you start looking. Ultimately, insurance is vital, but so is making the most of your money.

By Graham Ketty

In the modern age almost everyone is familiar with the concept of insurance. Some have the time and inclination to learn as much as possible about insurance to make sure they are fully covered, but for others the confusing array of promotions and policies can be alarming and time consuming. In these cases, many will use insurance brokers who are familiar with industry lingo and can get the cover needed arranged at competitive prices.

The concept of insurance in various forms is likely to date back to the very first human beings. In societies without money, there were still ways to secure assistance in case of unfortunate events. When explained, it is easy to see how systems and the etiquette that made this insurance effective are still deeply embedded in people today. Sharing food may well have been an early way of insuring against future hunger. If someone in your community you know and trust has a no food, and you have a surplus, you may provide them with sustenance. This is a kind act, but it is also performed on the assumption that if in the future the tables have turned, that they would help you in return. The same could have applied to damage to property, if your home was damaged, the community may well have helped to repair it – but if necessary you would have been expected to help others in similar situations. If you did not help others who had helped you, they would understandably feel annoyed and would remember assisting you is not a good investment of time and energy; they may well let the wider community know this is the case, and if you need help again, it may not be so easy to come by.

In modern times, families and friends often assist one another when needed. It is made clear that favours are still not often performed for free. If you often give a friend a lift to town when their car is unavailable, and on one occasion your car is not on the road, you may well approach this friend for assistance. If they will not help you, you understandably become annoyed and may well refuse to give them a lift in future. It is as though they have broken an unspoken contract. Over many years, different cultures began to develop new methods of insurance for a variety of purposes. In around 600AD the Greeks and Romans had what were called ‘benevolent societies’, these were guilds that would pay funeral expenses and look after a member’s family in the event of their death. Throughout the Middle Ages there were similar guilds in many cultures, and until the 17th century England still had ‘Friendly Societies’ who provided insurance when necessary to those who contributed by depositing certain amounts of money.

After The Great Fire of London in 1666, Nicholas Barbon introduced building fire insurance for brick and frame houses. It is from this point that insurance, and insurance brokers as we know them today, began to evolve. Next time you are looking at renewing any of your insurance policies direct, or though insurance brokers, it can be made a more interesting process just by thinking that the concept is probably as old as humanity itself.

Claims adjusters are no different than any other group of people. Some are trainees, some have limited experience and training, and some have lots of experience and training.

But how will you know what kind of adjuster you will be assigned when you have an insurance claim? Adjusters don’t show up and hand you a copy of their resume. Sometimes, you will be lucky to get their business card.

Usually, the qualifications of an adjuster are never mentioned. Yet, it is those very qualifications… or the lack thereof… that can make or break your claim.

People are way too trusting and compliant. They have a loss, call the insurance company and report the claim. But when the adjuster arrives to begin the adjusting process, it seldom seems to occur to policyholders that they have a right to question the qualifications of the adjuster. They just stand there like sheep waiting to be shorn. And then the shearing begins.

So today, I’m going to walk you through the process of determining the qualifications of any insurance adjuster. Once you’ve gathered this information, you’ll be able to make a decision whether or not to accept this adjuster to handle your claim.

This process only works for first party claims, in which you are the policyholder. You cannot use this process when you are the claimant against someone else’s insurance policy.

1. After you have submitted your Notice of Loss to the insurance company, they will assign an adjuster to handle your claim.
2. Know that there is nothing in your policy that requires you to accept any particular adjuster who is representing the insurance company.
3. The adjuster will contact you to make an appointment to meet with you. Make the appointment and keep it.
4. When the adjuster arrives, take control of the situation. Before the adjuster begins his inspection or investigation, ask him:
a. Is he a licensed adjuster in your state? Get his license number. Adjusters in my state are required by law to carry their license card with them.
b. Is he a temporary adjuster?
c. How many years has he been an adjuster?
d. How many years has he worked for this company?
e. What specialized claims training classes has he taken?
f. Has there ever been a complaint filed against him with the Department of Insurance of your state?
g. What is the name and telephone number of his supervisor?

Once you have obtained this information you can make the decision whether or not to accept this adjuster.

My recommendations:

1. Do not accept a temporary adjuster. Commonly known as “Storm Troopers,” temporary adjusters have had very little training. Do you want an ill-trained adjuster handling your loss?
2. Do not accept an adjuster with less than two years of experience handling your particular type of loss. With less than two years experience, he’s still a rookie.
3. Do not accept a non-licensed adjuster. However, if your state does not license adjusters, you have no choice.
4. Do not accept an adjuster than has not had specific training in your type of loss. For example, in disasters, sometimes the insurance company will have auto adjusters helping out with the high volume of property claims. But why should you accept an adjuster that is not a specialist in your type of claim?
5. Check with your state’s Department of Insurance to verify if the adjuster has had complaints filed against him. If he has had a complaint, find out why. What’s most important is the cause of the complaint, like violating a law, unethical acts or fraud.
6. If you get any unsatisfactory answers to your questions, and you want a more qualified adjuster, send your request by letter, US Post Office Certified Mail, to the adjuster’s supervisor.
7. If the insurance company rejects your request, file a complaint with your state’s Department of Insurance.

Adjusters are not accustomed to getting this type of challenge from policyholders. Don’t be surprised if some adjusters resist your questions. Adjusters are taught to control you, the policyholder, in the claims process. If you are in control, they can feel very threatened. But their insecurity or lack of control should not deter you from getting these questions answered.

Remember that your job as claimant is to submit a very accurate claim that maximizes your recovery. Dealing with an unqualified adjuster would only serve to complicate your claim submission.

By Russell Longcore

Public Adjusters (PAs) are licensed claims adjusting professionals that represent the policyholder in the calculation, preparation and submission of a claim. They do not work for the insurance company. They work for YOU, the person or business who suffered the loss.

Public Adjusters only work on property claims, such as homeowners, apartment complexes, and businesses. They do not represent clients in auto or liability claims.

The biggest challenge for a policyholder who has had an insured loss is the calculation, preparation and submission of his claim. Most people do not have the expertise to submit an insurance claim, and they end up leaving hundreds or even thousands of dollars “on the table” that they are entitled to collect…but don’t collect. A PA will maximize your claim settlement.

I strongly recommend that you contact a PA any time you have a property claim. A consultation will customarily cost you nothing, but their representation could collect thousands more for you.

When it’s time to find a Public Adjuster, do the following:

1. Use your computer search engine and search for “Public Adjuster” along with your city or zip code.
2. Look in the Yellow Pages under “Public Adjusters.”
3. Go to: www.napia.com which is the website for the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters and get referrals in your area.

Contact at least two PAs in your area and interview them with these questions:

1. Are you licensed in your state?
2. How many years have you been a PA?
3. Do you have a specialty?
4. Can you provide a list of at least ten satisfied customers with phone numbers?
5. Do you have documentation of your success in insurance settlements?
6. Have you ever had a complaint filed against you with the Department of Insurance?
7. Please explain your fees and how you are paid.
8. Please provide a copy of your retainer contract.

Based upon the information you receive from each PA, and how you get along with them, make your choice which PA will be on your team. Then work together to collect every dollar that you are entitled to collect.

Those residing in Northern Ireland were somewhat limited to finding cheap insurance; usually the only way that insurance could be taken was with lenders on the high street. This was due to unrest in Northern Ireland which included the stealing of cars and using them as burning barricades. Thankfully times have changed for the better and now when looking for cheap insurance ni those living in Northern Ireland can now take the same option as the rest of the world and look online for insurance with specialist websites.

Along with having options for looking for insurance there are also many ways that you can help yourself to make savings on insurance. These savings would sometimes depend on the particular type of insurance you are considering while other savings could be made in general. For instance when looking for cheap insurance ni you could take a look at the amount of excess that the provider asks for when considering taking out car or home insurance for example.

The amount of excess is what you have to pay out before the insurance company would take over the rest of your claim. While all insurance companies will set a minimum amount of excess that you would have to pay, you can offer to pay out more to keep the premiums of your particular policy premiums down to the minimum. However you would need to take into account that if more than one claim had to be made on your insurance this could rule out any savings you might make.

Another way to make savings on home or car insurance is to ensure that your car or home is as secure as possible. In the case of looking for car insurance then you could install additional security features such as a steering lock, an immobiliser or a tracking device. All of these will make your car harder to steal so your premiums for your car insurance should work out cheaper. The same would apply if you were to park your car locked in a garage overnight rather than leaving it on the side of the road.

Home insurance premiums could be kept down by adding door and window locks, installing an alarm and having security lights around the property. It would also help if you have fencing around your home which hides your property from view and if you have a good strong gate with a lock on it. Keeping valuables out of site and locking any outer buildings with good quality locks will also help you to keep down the cost of your insurance.

Finally when looking for cheap insurance ni you would have to ensure that you read the small print of any policy you were considering taking out. All insurance providers will include limitations and exclusions so these would need to be checked. For instance you could have to payout extra excess to make a claim for windscreens or items which are of particular value might not be included in the standard policy. Go through the policy with a fine tooth comb before taking it out.

The global economic meltdown has had its effects on many people. This has made many of them to turn to personal ways of looking for insurance online. It has been found out that many people sit in front of their computers searching the whole day for the best insurance quotes. For those doing this, it would be recommended that a lot of research is done so that you can be able to get insurance companies that offer competitive rates that will be of interest to you and your dependents (if any) and also that is pocket friendly.

In this area of getting insurance online, there are various steps for the same. I will use an example so that you can understand.

Say you are looking for health insurance. You would go to search engines and if you are living in the US you would type ‘health insurance companies US’ in the search engine box. This will bring you all the company websites that might be offering health insurance. In most of these US insurance companies, one will be requested to submit details about themselves as concerns the type of insurance wanted. The information given is known as a lead. In other terms it is known as insurance lead. Once you submit this information, it will be received by various insurance agents. Most agents will contact you and give you more details about the various insurance policies that they have. The reason why getting insurance online is wonderful is because one will get competitive rates. What I mean is that after insurance agent A and B got your details, they sent you a quote. If the quote for A is higher, you can inform them that you have received a better offer from insurance agent B. You can even give them proof if they ask. In most cases, this may lead to insurance agent A revising the quote to a lower rate. This is the beauty of getting insurance online: you can always get the best deal.

But when looking for insurance online, there are certain risks involved. There are some certain companies that advertise on search engines as insurance providers using the “pay per click” adverts. The visitor is allowed to complete a form with their personal details (insurance lead) so that they can receive a quote. What such companies do after that is to sell this information to many different insurance agencies across the internet. These agencies compete against each other to give the quote in the shortest time possible. This may be good but the worst part is that these third party insurance lead resellers don’t know how to control the sign ups from the various agencies. This means that potential customers will be getting a lot of junk mail from various insurance agents. We all know how junk mail is annoying. This is one of the risks involved when purchasing insurance online.