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Credit and Insurance Scores

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Credit and Insurance Scores What is a Good Credit Score? How to Improve Your Credit Score? Does Checking My Credit Score Hurt My Credit? Insurance scores and credit scores differ. Credit scores predict credit delinquency while insurance scores predict insurance losses. Both are calculated from information in a credit report, such as outstanding debt, bankruptcies, length of credit history, collections, new applications for credit, number of credit accounts in use, and timeliness of debt repayment. Insurers or scoring agencies then calculate the insurance or credit score by assigning differing weights to the favorable or unfavorable information in the credit report. Information such as income, ethnic group, age, gender, disability, religion, address, marital status and nationality are not considered when calculating an insurance score. Credit and insurance scores measure how well individuals manage their money—not how much money they make. And actuarial studies show that ...

What Determines the Price of My Auto Insurance Policy?

What Determines the Price of My Auto Insurance Policy? The average yearly auto insurance premium is almost $800, but there is wide variation around this average. Many factors can affect your premium, and they all help determine how likely you are to have an accident. Perhaps surprisingly, many of them do a better job than just your driving record. Not all companies use all of these factors, and some might use factors not listed here. Your premium may depend on, in no particular order: Your driving record. The better your record, the lower your premium. If you have had accidents or serious traffic violations, it is likely you will pay more than if you have a clean driving record. You may also pay more if you are a new driver and have not been insured for a number of years. How much you use your car. The more miles you drive, the more chance for accidents. If you drive your car for work, or drive it a long distance to work, you will pay more. If you drive only occasion...

How Much Auto Coverage Do I Need?

How Much Auto Coverage Do I Need? Almost every state requires you to buy a minimum amount of liability coverage. Chances are that you will need more liability insurance than the state requires because accidents cost more than the minimum limits. If you’re found legally responsible for bills that are more than your insurance covers, you will have to pay the difference out of your own pocket. These costs could wipe you out! You may want to talk to your agent or company representative about purchasing higher liability limits to reflect your personal needs. You may also consider purchasing an umbrella or excess liability policy. These policies pay when your underlying coverages are exhausted. Typically, these policies cost between $200 and $300 per year for a million dollars in coverage. If you have your homeowners and auto insurance with the same company, check out the cost of coverage with this company first. If you have coverage with different companies, it may be easier to buy...

Where can I buy insurance?

Where can I buy insurance? You can buy insurance through your local insurance agent and through insurance companies that sell through their own employees, over the phone, by mail and over the Internet. Consult your  state insurance department , the yellow pages of your phone book, and friends or relatives for the names of insurance companies doing business in your state. In most states, there are dozens, sometimes hundreds of companies to choose from, depending on the type of insurance you're looking for. You can go to our Find an Insurance Company tool for help. Compare all insurance policy before going to buy your insurance policy.There are many online sites like policybazaar.com which helps in choosing best insurance policy with good rates.

Choosing an Insurance Company

Choosing an Insurance Company There are many insurance companies, so choosing between them can be a challenge. Here are the main points to keep in mind when selecting an insurance company: 1. Licensing Not every company is licensed to operate in each state. As a general rule, you should buy from a company licensed in your state, because then can you rely on your state insurance department to help if there’s a problem. To find out which companies are licensed in your state, contact the  state insurance department . 2. Price Many companies sell insurance policies and prices vary greatly from one to another, so it really pays to shop around. Get at least three price quotes from companies, agents and from the Internet. Your  state insurance department  may publish a guide that shows what insurers charge for different policies in various parts of your state. 3. Financial Solidity You buy insurance to protect you financially and provide peace of mind. Select ...

Is there a difference between cancellation and nonrenewal?

Is there a difference between cancellation and nonrenewal? There is a big difference between an insurance company canceling a policy and choosing not to renew it. Insurance companies cannot cancel a policy that has been in force for more than 60 days except when: You fail to pay the premium You have committed fraud or made serious misrepresentations on your application Your drivers license has been revoked or suspended. Nonrenewal is a different matter. Either you or your insurance company can decide not to renew the policy when it expires. Depending on the state you live in, your insurance company must give you a certain number of days notice and explain the reason for not renewing before it drops your policy. If you think the reason is unfair or want a further explanation, call the insurance company’s consumer affairs division. If you don't get a satisfactory explanation, call your  state insurance department . The company may have decided to drop that parti...

Rental Car Insurance

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Rental Car Insurance There are more options for renting a car than ever before. In the past, you simply selected a vehicle from one of the many brick-and-mortar car rental companies found at airports, train stations or other locations. Today, technology has made possible other alternatives, including peer-to-peer car services, which enable consumers to rent personally owned cars from others; and car sharing programs in which—for a monthly or annual fee—consumers can pick up a vehicle at a wide range of locations for periods ranging from minutes to days. While these car rental options mean more choice for consumers, they mean more questions about insurance coverage. Fortunately, it is possible to be properly insured when renting a car without wasting money by purchasing duplicative coverage. The insurance coverage offered by traditional car rental companies is fairly standardized. However, coverage varies widely amongst other types of car sharing programs. The most import...