Posts Tagged ‘Protect’
Don’t Be a Victim- Protect Yourself with Quality iPhone Insurance
January 27th, 2012
www.securranty.com Owners of an iPhone simply can’t imagine a world without it. If you’re like most iPhone owners, then you probably understand just how important this tool has become in your daily life. But just like with every other possession- your iPhone could be damaged beyond repair, lost, or stolen. It would be a real shame to be the victim of such a horrible event- but you can protect yourself from expensive repairs or replacement costs with quality iPhone insurance. iPhone insurance makes a great deal of sense- just ask anyone who has foregone purchasing an iPhone warranty and ended up damaging their new phone or having it stolen. Repair costs for a damaged iPhone can be extremely costly, and you already understand the cost for a brand new iPhone. The logical step would be to protect yourself from possible repair costs or iPhone replacement costs with a high quality warranty. But not just any warranty will do- some warranties are better and cheaper than others. This is clearly evident when you stack up the iPhone warranties offered at Securranty against warranties offered at big box retailers such as Best Buy. What makes the iPhone insurance found at Securranty better than those warranties available elsewhere? Well, for one thing- our warranties are significantly less expensive. In fact, it may be the case that you could save up to 70 percent on your iPhone warranty by choosing Securranty instead of another warranty provider. The price is right at Securranty, but …
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OAI: Florida Auto Insurance Bills Aim to Protect the State's No-Fault System
January 17th, 2012
OAI: Florida Auto Insurance Bills Aim to Protect the State's No-Fault System
Experts say that has forced insurers to raise rates for all consumers, making it a challenge for anyone doing auto insurance comparisons in Florida to find affordable coverage. But a quartet of bills in the state legislature seeks to cut down on …
Read more on MarketWatch (press release)
Lower car insurance costs by going monthly
By Ed Towner As the cost of car insurance and fuel continues to rise, owning a vehicle has never been so expensive. But motorists can make driving more affordable by paying car insurance bills in monthly instalments, rather than forking out one lump …
Read more on Carfinance.co.uk
Car Insurance Site Reveals Potential New Drug Driving Laws
Leading car insurance comparison site Tiger.co.uk has learned of horrifying statistics from road safety charity Brake, showing that more than 10% of young drivers have driven under the influence of drugs. This has lead to calls from the charity for …
Read more on Press Dispensary (press release)
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Inside insurance: Protect yourself from being uninsured in 2012
January 14th, 2012
Inside insurance: Protect yourself from being uninsured in 2012
Why do I need renters insurance when someone else owns the place? The landlord is responsible for the building but not your belongings. If a fire or tornado or hurricane destroys the rental unit, without renters' coverage you cannot be compensated for …
Read more on Savannah Morning News
Consumer Reports: Beware Of Identity-Theft-Protection Offers
But ID-theft insurance is secondary to any other coverage that might pay out first, such as homeowner's or renter's insurance, and it mostly covers low-cost incidentals related to or resulting from the crime: notary fees, credit-report costs, …
Read more on Hartford Courant
ID theft services not necessary, but be careful on the CTA
They also recommend against costly identity theft insurance, since it's secondary to what your homeowner's or renter's insurance would already cover. A new year, a new look. That's what JS of the northwest suburbs was hoping for when she saw an ad …
Read more on Chicago Sun-Times
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How To Protect Your Family And Home From Nuclear Radiation
January 13th, 2012
How To Protect Your Family And Home From Nuclear Radiation
Ultimate Compendium On How To Protect Yourself From Nuclear Radiation, Nuclear Fallout, Environmental Contamination. Includes Interviews With World Class Experts, All The Information You And Your Family May Need To Avoid Radiation Poisoning.
How To Protect Your Family And Home From Nuclear Radiation
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Renters Insurance – Protect Your Valuables And Family
December 13th, 2011
Renters Insurance – Protect Your Valuables And Family
Renters insurance protects уоur property agаinst damage оr loss, and insures уou in case ѕоmеоne іs injured whilе on уour property. It's offered by most companies that sell homeowner's insurance. If you rent or lease your home or apartment, …
Read more on EQuicknews
My Sh*t Got Stolen. Or Why You Need Renter's Insurance
The worst part of the ordeal was that I had planned on getting renter's insurance. I had planned on it. A plan that never materialized. I'm sure some of you are out there are thinking the same thing. You'll get insurance tomorrow, or maybe next week. …
Read more on Gizmodo
Sorry, But Your Building Might Not Fork Over A Dime If There's A Flood Or A Fire
According to police estimates, at least half of New York City renters don't have renter's insurance. If that includes you, maybe you're betting that nothing's going to happen. Or you think that if there's a flood or a fire, the building will reimburse …
Read more on Business Insider
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Home insurance: Protect your possessions with a home inventory
November 23rd, 2011
Craig Guillot
When disaster strikes, a home inventory can make all the difference in ensuring your home insurance company fairly compensates you for your losses. Few people can identify every single item in their homes — let alone the value. A home inventory creates a permanent record of what you own and how much it’s worth.
The nonprofit Insurance Information Institute says a home inventory can help you:
1. Get your insurance claim settled faster.
2. Verify losses for your income tax return.
3. Keep track of all the things you’ve accumulated over the years.
4. Buy the amount of home insurance you need.
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| Creating a home inventory can prevent headaches when you have to file a home insurance claim. |
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, nearly half of Americans don’t have an inventory of their household possessions. Of those who do, close to one-third don’t have photos of the items and 58 percent don’t have sales receipts.
Having proof of how much you paid for an item can help you obtain as much money as possible for that item if it’s lost in a fire or another covered disaster, experts say. If you have a “replacement cost” policy, you’ll be able to get the full amount of money needed to replace a lost item. But if you have an “actual cash value” policy, the value of a lost item will be depreciated.
“Many consumers are not able to recover after a disaster because they don’t realize how depreciation can impact their assets. The difference could be thousands of dollars,” Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger says.
The ABC’s of a home inventory
Experts say creating a home inventory doesn’t take that much time and is well worth the trouble if you ever need to file a home insurance claim. If you have to mentally walk through your home and try to recall all of your possessions after your home has been damaged or destroyed, you’re likely to forget some of them.
“One interesting thing I’ve seen from experience with fires is that people can’t often remember everything they had. Do you know every single thing you have in your home and garage?” says Jerry Davies, a spokesman for Farmers Insurance.
Experts say a home inventory should include:
• A comprehensive list of all of the items in your home.
• Descriptions of every item, including the estimated value and the date you acquired it. If possible, include sales receipts for big-ticket items.
• A photo of each item.
• A video walk-through of your home.
The Insurance Information Institute suggests recording items room by room, category by category (such as furniture or electronics), from newest items to oldest, or from most expensive to less expensive.
“It may seem hard at first to record information about everything you have in your house, but do not let that put you off,” the institute says.
Your home inventory should be stored digitally and away from your house, experts say. You should maintain a copy of your inventory on an online data-storage service and email a copy of it to yourself. You also may want to stash a copy of your home inventory in a fireproof safe or a bank safe-deposit box, the insurance commissioners group says, as well as share a copy with your insurance agent.
“A home inventory serves no purpose if it is lost in a disaster,” Davies says.
Technology to the rescue
Fortunately, today’s technology makes it easier than ever to create a home inventory. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the Insurance Information Institute both offer free smartphone apps that simplify the process. A smartphone also can come in handy for taking video of your belongings.
Of course, you also can go the old-fashioned route: Put everything on paper. Most major home insurance companies provide free booklets for home inventories. Or a simple notebook may do the trick. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers a printable home-inventory checklist online.
When you’re conducting a home inventory, document everything. Don’t overlook items that may not be in plain sight, such as your grandfather’s shotgun, your old wedding dress or your massive coin collection. Keep in mind that you may need to buy extra coverage for high-value items.
Your home inventory should be updated once a year and whenever you make a big purchase.
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November 23rd, 2011
General Binding Corporation Products – Laminating Pouch, 4 Mil, 9″x11-1/2″, 25/PK, Clear – Sold as 1 PK – HeatSeal RetrieveIt Thermal Laminating Pouches provide superior clarity and document protection with the ability to remove your item still intact. Simply cut open the pouch to remove the document. Great for protecting documents that cannot easily be replaced. Laminating pouches allow you to protect, preserve and secure your one-of-a-kind documents, photos, car titles, insurance cards and mor
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General Binding Corporation Products – Laminating Pouch, 4 Mil, 9″x11-1/2″, 25/PK, Clear – Sold as 1 PK
HeatSeal RetrieveIt Thermal Laminating Pouches provide superior clarity and document protection with the ability to remove your item still intact. Simply cut open the pouch to remove the document. Great for protecting documents that cannot easily be replaced. Laminating pouches allow you to protect, preserve and secure your one-of-a-kind documents, photos, car titles, insurance cards and more and still have the ability to retrieve them.
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General Binding Corporation Products – Laminating Pouch, 4 Mil, 9″x14-1/2″, 25/PK, Clear – Sold as 1 PK – HeatSeal RetrieveIt Thermal Laminating Pouches provide superior clarity and document protection with the ability to remove your item still intact. Simply cut open the pouch to remove the document. Great for protecting documents that cannot easily be replaced. Laminating pouches allow you to protect, preserve and secure your one-of-a-kind documents, photos, car titles, insurance cards and mor
November 22nd, 2011
General Binding Corporation Products – Laminating Pouch, 4 Mil, 9″x14-1/2″, 25/PK, Clear – Sold as 1 PK – HeatSeal RetrieveIt Thermal Laminating Pouches provide superior clarity and document protection with the ability to remove your item still intact. Simply cut open the pouch to remove the document. Great for protecting documents that cannot easily be replaced. Laminating pouches allow you to protect, preserve and secure your one-of-a-kind documents, photos, car titles, insurance cards and mor
- Sold as 1 PK
- Manufacturer: General Binding Corporation
- Total percentage of recycled content: 0
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- Country of origin: CN
General Binding Corporation Products – Laminating Pouch, 4 Mil, 9″x14-1/2″, 25/PK, Clear – Sold as 1 PK
HeatSeal RetrieveIt Thermal Laminating Pouches provide superior clarity and document protection with the ability to remove your item still intact. Simply cut open the pouch to remove the document. Great for protecting documents that cannot easily be replaced. Laminating pouches allow you to protect, preserve and secure your one-of-a-kind documents, photos, car titles, insurance cards and more and still have the ability to retrieve them.
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Simple Steps to Protect Your Identity this Holiday Season
November 17th, 2011
Simple Steps to Protect Your Identity this Holiday Season
Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) November 17, 2011
The busiest shopping time of the year is here. Deal-seeking shoppers will hit the stores early to take advantage of massive Black Friday sales, and even more will shop online for discounted holiday gifts on Cyber Monday.
With all the credit and debit transactions that will be coming through, shoppers need to remain alert to avoid identity theft in a time when they are the most vulnerable. Grange Insurance, a Columbus-based insurance company, offers advice for shoppers to remain protected this holiday season.
1. Remove extra credit cards, social security card, birth certificate and passport from your wallet or purse.
In the case that someone’s purse or wallet gets lost, having personal information handy for a stranger to steal makes them susceptible to identity theft. If this happens, victims should call their credit card company and bank immediately to cancel accounts to avoid any unauthorized purchases.
“Social security cards, passports and birth certificates should be kept in a secure place at home,” said Mark Russell, vice president of insurance operations for Grange Insurance. “When you go shopping or out in public, only bring what you absolutely need, and never leave your wallet or purse unattended or in an automobile. These situations could give thieves easy access to your personal information.”
2. Reconcile check, credit card and bank statements.
“Regularly review your check, credit card and bank statements to ensure that all purchases listed are legitimate and authorized,” said Russell. “If you notice any transactions that don’t belong, call your bank or credit company immediately to challenge the purchase.”
Also, confirming that home and work mailboxes are secure for receiving important mail such as credit card and bank statements will reduce the likelihood of theft. When ordering new checks, arrange to pick them up in-person at a local bank branch.
3. Don’t click links in emails from financial institutions or vendors that log into your account or require personal information.
“Online shoppers should also be aware of emails they receive from vendors with links that, when clicked, ask you to enter personal information,” said Russell. “If you receive an email that looks like it’s from a financial institution or vendor, regardless if you’re familiar with that institution, don’t click on any links in the email to log into your account or provide information. Instead, go to your browser and type in the domain name of the institution (e.g. http://www.paypal.com). Often times, these emails are from identity thieves who are trying to obtain or phish for confidential information.”
4. Consider purchasing identity theft coverage as part of your insurance policy.
Many insurance carriers, such as Grange, offer identity theft coverage as part of or an endorsement to their homeowner’s or renter’s policy, according to Russell. Adding identity theft protection to a policy will provide some coverage in the case that identity theft occurs. Policy owners should check with their independent insurance agent to confirm what options and assistance are available.
“In addition to adding identity theft protection to your insurance policy, consider the monitoring and security options that your credit card company or other vendors offer,” said Russell. “Many companies offer protection tools, such as transaction alerts, to help their customers become less vulnerable to a breach.”
5. Check your credit score.
Holiday shoppers should also remember to check their credit score annually. Companies such as TransUnion, Experian and Equifax offer free yearly credit reports that allow shoppers to analyze their score for any suspicious activity.
To learn more about identity fraud and access additional resources, visit http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/.
About Grange
Grange Insurance, with billion in assets and .3 billion in annual revenue, is an insurance provider based in Columbus, Ohio. Through its network of independent agents, Grange offers auto, home, life and business insurance protection. Established in 1935, the company and its affiliates serve policyholders in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information, visit http://www.grangeinsurance.com.
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How state insurance regulators protect you from rogue insurance agents
November 8th, 2011
Nick DiUlio
State Farm promises that it’s a “good neighbor.” Allstate brags that “you’re in good hands.” Yet how do you know that an insurance agent — regardless of whether he or she is with one company or is independent — isn’t a bad neighbor or doesn’t have greedy hands?
That’s where state insurance regulators step in. Each state as well as the District of Columbia has a government agency that licenses and regulates insurance agents. It’s a safety net that’s designed to weed out crooked or unethical agents. And for the most part, experts say, the safety net works.
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| Reid Nelson was sentenced to jail and lost his Minnesota insurance license after being nabbed in an insurance scam. |
Consider, for instance, the case of Reid Nelson, a former insurance agent from Albert Lea, Minn., who was sentenced to three months in jail for theft and forgery.
According to news reports, Nelson pleaded guilty in May 2011 to stealing more than $ 220,000 through his company, Strong Agency Inc. He provided fake certificates of insurance to a local construction company while pocketing the premiums.
Nelson also was charged with stealing $ 30,000 from the former owners of a townhouse complex he managed, writing checks for personal reasons that may have included a compulsive gambling habit. In addition to his time in jail, Nelson’s penalty includes five years of probation for the theft charge, 10 years of probation for the forgery charge and the loss of his insurance license.
“When talking about a bad agent, a crooked agent, this is what you usually find — someone pocketing the money without writing a policy,” says Alan Haskins, government affairs director for the nonprofit National Insurance Crime Bureau. “This is why it’s important for each state to make sure its agents are upstanding citizens. There are bad agents out there taking advantage of consumers, and they need to be rooted out.”
Preventive measures
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, all insurance agents must obtain a license in the state or states where they plan to work. Separate licenses are required to sell life and health insurance and property and casualty insurance. Moreover, in most states, licenses are issued only after an applicant completes pre-licensing courses and passes state exams covering insurance fundamentals and state insurance laws.
“Getting licensed is a pretty extensive process,” Haskins says. “It’s not as simple as saying, ‘I want to be an insurance agent,’ and then hanging a shingle.”
In Illinois, the process has worked. In July and August 2011, the state’s insurance department announced disciplinary action against four would-be agents applying for licenses. The list of crimes was as varied as it was severe — everything from arson to marijuana trafficking.
Tim Cena, general counsel for the Illinois Department of Insurance, says most would-be agents report past offenses on their applications. If someone admits to having been charged with a felony in the past 25 years, Cena says, the department assigns an investigator to the case and eventually holds a hearing to determine whether the applicant is fit to sell insurance.
“This system exists to protect the public,” Cena says. “Lots of people think they can sell insurance, and sometimes their backgrounds don’t agree with that assumption.”
Other potential red flags on an application include a past bankruptcy filing or late child support payments. According to Cena, both of these categories often warrant further investigation.
Haskins says that while the current system of self-reporting past felony convictions may work for many departments, he would like to see every state mandate criminal background checks on people seeking to become insurance agents.
“Requiring all applicants in every state to go through that would certainly go a long way in preventing some of these bad players from getting into the industry,” Haskins says.
Caught in the act
Even if someone obtains a license to sell insurance in his or her state, there are several mechanisms in place to protect consumers from bad behavior.
“I’ve seen (insurance) departments become really aggressive against rogue agents in the last 15 years,” says Sonja Larkin-Thorne, a former insurance executive who is a consumer liaison with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. “They’ve gotten much better at educating both the public and the agents out there.”
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| State insurance departments keep an eye out for bad insurance agents, but experts say consumers must be proactive about protecting themselves from insurance fraud and other misdeeds. |
Most state licensing authorities, for instance, have mandatory continuing education requirements agents must complete every two years. These requirements focus not only on insurance laws and the technical aspects of writing policies, but also on consumer protection and ethical business practices.
“No matter what state it is, insurance departments are good at keeping on top of this,” says Mike Barry, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute and former director of public affairs for the New York State Department of Insurance. “Agents have to jump through a lot of hoops, not only to get licensed but to keep the license.”
Penalties for crooked agents vary from state to state and depend on the severity of the offense. For example, Phyllis Golden of Seattle was fined $ 250 in September 2011 for providing false information about continuing education courses. Meanwhile, a Texas agent was fined $ 100,000 in July 2011 for failing to acknowledge the receipt of a claim in a timely fashion, failing to notify the consumer of the claim’s acceptance or rejection and failing to provide complete data to the state Department of Insurance.
Interstate communication
Robert Hunter is director of insurance at the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America. With more than 50 years of experience in the insurance industry — including a stint as Texas’ insurance commissioner — Hunter praises the current level of communication among the states, which often prevents bad agents from simply closing up shop and skipping town. These days, if an agent is fined or forced to forfeit his or her license, the state department responsible will notify the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which then will alert all of the state insurance regulators.
“It used to be that if an agent got busted in one state, he would just move to another,” Hunter says. “You’ve now got a repository of bad actors that is available to all states, and they can look at that repository anytime someone applies.”
That being said, Hunter would like to see state insurance departments conduct more thorough examinations of large insurance companies.
“The system doesn’t work so well at protecting consumers against big, giant entities,” Hunter says. “It works pretty well at catching smaller agents who are cheating people out of their money, but you don’t usually see many big names on the list.”
Mark Briscoe, a spokesman for the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), a trade group, says the industry does a good job of self-policing. Since of the level of communication among state agencies, consumer advocates and watchdog groups has become ever-present and immediate, dishonest agents don’t last too long, he says.
“There are, of course, bad actors in every profession, but NAIFA members have dedicated themselves to their profession,” Briscoe says. “They are honest and dedicated to their clients. They rely heavily on referrals and repeat business to be successful, so those who are dishonest probably don’t stay in business long.”
Be proactive
Barry says the majority of state investigations into insurance agents begin with consumers’ calls to state insurance departments.
“If you think something’s amiss, get your state insurance department involved immediately,” Barry says. “You need to speak up and say, ‘Wait a minute. Something’s not right here.’”
Several consumer complaints led Hunter to one of his most memorable investigations during his tenure in Texas. He was alerted by several consumers to a fraudulent agent who claimed to be selling life insurance to soldiers at one of the state’s military bases. But rather than writing policies, the agent was pocketing the premiums.
“You have to be your own advocate when dealing with insurance agents,” Hunter says. “You can’t trust the state to protect you from every bad agent out there. Keep good notes. File complaints or lawsuits. You have to be ready to defend yourself.”
Illinois’ Cena says consumers must be prepared to follow through with complaints, even if the process takes awhile.
“We are required to hold a formal hearing in order to revoke someone’s license, and if we can’t get consumer witnesses to come down and testify, we’re probably not going to prevail,” Cena says. “This is a big problem for our prosecutors.”
The crime bureau’s Haskins says you can protect yourself from being victimized by a shady insurance agent. For one thing, you should visit your state’s insurance department website to make sure the agent you’re dealing with has an active license. Also, you should call the insurance department to find out whether that agent has had complaints lodged against him or her.
“The overwhelming majority of agents are honest individuals with deep roots in communities,” Barry says. “But you need to protect yourself from a few crooks out there.”
