Purchasing Insurance

>> Thursday 5 March 2009

Insurance was traditionally sold by agents who worked for insurers and had a vested interest in selling you their specific policies. Now, there are more consumer-friendly options for acquiring insurance coverage. Independent agents can sell policies from several different companies, allowing them to be more objective about your personal needs. These individuals may even be able to provide a complete review of your insurance needs, something you should do on a regular basis to keep your policies up to date with your current financial situation. The web has also become an excellent resource for shopping for and even purchasing insurance.


It is important to research any company that you are considering to identify the quality providers. When choosing an insurance company, it is important to find one with a good independent rating from Standard & Poor's or another leading rating service. This will tell you whether the company is likely to be able to pay off claims even in the event of a disaster that leads to an abundance of payouts. Recommendations from individuals and consumer information publication in print and on the web may be able to provide additional information related to the quality of service. These considerations may include likelihood of a claim being paid, speed of payout, customer service and other services available from the company.

Purchasing more than one policy from a single insurer can save you money in the form of discounts. Therefore, it may be in your best interest to single out companies that will provide quality coverage in all of the areas that you are interested in, instead of piecing together your coverage from many different insurers. (investorguide.com)

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Property insurance

>> Thursday 26 February 2009


Property insurance provides protection against risks to property, such as fire, theft or weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance, inland marine insurance or boiler insurance.

* Automobile insurance, known in the UK as motor insurance, is probably the most common form of insurance and may cover both legal liability claims against the driver and loss of or damage to the insured's vehicle itself. Throughout the United States an auto insurance policy is required to legally operate a motor vehicle on public roads. In some jurisdictions, bodily injury compensation for automobile accident victims has been changed to a no-fault system, which reduces or eliminates the ability to sue for compensation but provides automatic eligibility for benefits. Credit card companies insure against damage on rented cars.
o Driving School Insurance insurance provides cover for any authorized driver whilst undergoing tuition, cover also unlike other motor policies provides cover for instructor liability where both the pupil and driving instructor are equally liable in the event of a claim.
* Aviation insurance insures against hull, spares, deductibles, hull wear and liability risks.
* Boiler insurance (also known as boiler and machinery insurance or equipment breakdown insurance) insures against accidental physical damage to equipment or machinery.
* Builder's risk insurance insures against the risk of physical loss or damage to property during construction. Builder's risk insurance is typically written on an "all risk" basis covering damage due to any cause (including the negligence of the insured) not otherwise expressly excluded.
* Crop insurance "Farmers use crop insurance to reduce or manage various risks associated with growing crops. Such risks include crop loss or damage caused by weather, hail, drought, frost damage, insects, or disease, for instance."[12]
* Earthquake insurance is a form of property insurance that pays the policyholder in the event of an earthquake that causes damage to the property. Most ordinary homeowners insurance policies do not cover earthquake damage. Most earthquake insurance policies feature a high deductible. Rates depend on location and the probability of an earthquake, as well as the construction of the home.
* A fidelity bond is a form of casualty insurance that covers policyholders for losses that they incur as a result of fraudulent acts by specified individuals. It usually insures a business for losses caused by the dishonest acts of its employees.
* Flood insurance protects against property loss due to flooding. Many insurers in the U.S. do not provide flood insurance in some portions of the country. In response to this, the federal government created the National Flood Insurance Program which serves as the insurer of last resort.
* Home insurance or homeowners' insurance: See "Property insurance".
* Landlord insurance is specifically designed for people who own properties which they rent out. Most house insurance cover in the U.K will not be valid if the property is rented out therefore landlords must take out this specialist form of home insurance.
* Marine insurance and marine cargo insurance cover the loss or damage of ships at sea or on inland waterways, and of the cargo that may be on them. When the owner of the cargo and the carrier are separate corporations, marine cargo insurance typically compensates the owner of cargo for losses sustained from fire, shipwreck, etc., but excludes losses that can be recovered from the carrier or the carrier's insurance. Many marine insurance underwriters will include "time element" coverage in such policies, which extends the indemnity to cover loss of profit and other business expenses attributable to the delay caused by a covered loss.
* Surety bond insurance is a three party insurance guaranteeing the performance of the principal.
* Terrorism insurance provides protection against any loss or damage caused by terrorist activities.
* Volcano insurance is an insurance that covers volcano damage in Hawaii.
* Windstorm insurance is an insurance covering the damage that can be caused by hurricanes and tropical cyclones.

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