Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Cheap Auto Insurance ,Yeh Right !

When it comes to poor auto insurance, one of the best places to get some, or at least to get the information you need, is via online devices. When it comes to cheap auto insurance, your choices are endless, with hundreds of insurance companies trying to allure you with the best possible cheap auto insurance tariffs and quotes. Really cheap auto insurance can be had as long as you, as an knowledgeable consumer, are prepared and ready with the full range of facts and information about how insurance companies calculate quotes for car insurance.
You should also look in the newspaper and see what companies are advertising cheap auto insurance. You can go through the considerable Web resources of these insurers to learn in detail what the various insurers have to offer and what their comparable cheap auto insurance rates and quotes are. Those looking for cheap auto insurance should be understanding of of the various types of coverage they will be offered and make a decision as to whether any of them are appropriate to their situation.
When it comes to cheap auto insurance, there are many different areas of the business that come into play. One of the easiest, fastest, safest and cost effectual ways to save money is getting cheap auto insurance rates. Choosing the best auto is very important to getting cheap insurance.
So we are all in search of the cheap auto insurance. There is the matter of shopping around for cheap auto insurance as well. Be on the lookout for advertisements on the radio or television pertaining to cheap auto insurance.
While searching cheap auto loans, it is the decision of a person whether he wants to go for new or used vehicle. Usually, cheap auto loans are secured on the automobile itself. Various other loans in the market demand for collateral but here in cheap auto financing there is no demandto keep collateral.
One of the elements which make auto financing cheap is making high down payment. Some key factors when shopping for cheap car insurance is to first make sure you get at least three or four quotes since the price you pay for your car insurance can disagree by hundreds of dollars. historically, auto insurance quotes help you to evaluate the insurance options available for your car.
It pays to look around for cheap auto insurance and there are things you can determine when you ask for certain appreciation in your price quotes. It definitely pays to do your homework, comparing cheap auto insurance prearranged by different companies.

We help people from anywhere with information about Kelley Blue Book and other subjects regarding Kelly Blue Book

Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Understanding How Your Credit History May Affect Your Car Insurance Coverage

The reason that some insurance companies use credit information is because there is a direct correlation between consumer's credit history behaviors and expected claims that may occur. Therefore, they feel that people with better credit behavior are less likely to have severe insurance losses.

The companies that do use credit scoring will still use other factors in determining your premium. They will also use your age, driving history, type of vehicle, where you live in determining how much you should pay for your insurance. Therefore, if you have not established a credit history yet, the companies that use credit history may not be best for you. They may not allow you to be eligible for certain discounts, which could result in higher premiums.

Is it fair for an insurance company even look at my credit information without my permission? The answer is yes. The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act says "Reasonable procedures. It is the purpose of this title to require that consumer reporting agencies adopt reasonable procedures for meeting the needs of commerce for consumer credit, personnel, insurance, and other information in a manner which is fair and equitable to the consumer, with regard to the confidentiality, accuracy, relevancy, and proper utilization of such information in accordance with the requirements of this title." Found at http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra.htm

If you feel that your credit history is better then the insurer can find, make sure the insurer has your correct name, address, social security number, and date of birth.

Some insurance companies will look directly at your actual credit reports when determining your rate, however most will use what is called an "insurance credit score." An insurance credit score is developed by using statistical techniques and methods to predict the likelihood a consumer will have a higher than anticipated loss. These are similar to what lenders use to predict the reliability of an applicant repaying a loan.

Insurance companies use many factors in determining your credit score. Here are some examples of those factors:

  • Public records: bankruptcy, collections, foreclosures, liens, charge-offs, etc.
  • Past payment history: the number and frequency of late payments and the days between the due date and late payment date.
  • Length of credit history: the amount of time you have been in the credit system.
  • Inquiries for credit: the number of times you have recently applied for new credit, including mortgage loans, utility accounts, and credit card accounts.
  • Number of open lines of credit: the number of credit cards, whether you use them or not.
  • Type of credit in use: major credit cards, store credit cards, finance company loans, etc.
  • Unused credit: how much you owe compared to how much credit is available to you.

Your insurance credit score may differ from company to company, as they will use different factors in determining your premium. Notice that we call it an insurance credit score. This means that it encompasses many factors including credit.

Since each insurance company uses different techniques to determine your credit score it is hard to tell you what a good credit score is. Usually a good credit score will result in lower premiums.

Your agent or company is not obligated to tell you your credit score. In fact, they might not even know what it is. All they usually know is that your credit score qualifies you for a specific rate or policy. Some companies also offer better rates under each qualifying tier.

If you feel that there is incorrect information on your credit report, you should tell the credit bureau. If you report an error, the credit bureau must investigate the error and get back to you within 30 days. You can ask the credit bureau to send a notice of the correction to any creditor or insurer that has checked your file in the past six months. Once the errors are corrected, it is a good idea to get a new copy of your credit report several months later to make sure the wrong information has not been reported again.

The three national credit bureaus are:

Trans Union (www.transunion.comor 800-888-4213).

Equifax (www.credit.equifax.comor 800-685-1111).

Experian (www.experian.com or 888-397-3742).

Tell your insurance company. Do not wait until the credit bureau investigates the errors to contact your insurer. Tell your insurance company right away and ask if the errors will make a difference in your insurance. If the errors are big, tell your insurer that you are disputing the information and ask if they will wait to use your credit information until the errors are corrected. Small errors may not have much affect on your insurance credit score. If the errors are big, it can make a significant difference in your premium. Some companies are unable to adjust the premiums until the score is corrected, but it does not hurt to ask.

If you have taken the steps to improve your credit score, you should ask your insurance company to re-evaluate your credit score at renewal.

Source : www.carinsurance.com

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Best Car Insurance Company - How Is A Person To Choose?

How is the average insurance buyer ever going to determine which car insurance company is the best? That sounds like a nightmare instead of a shopping comparison. Insurance agencies are located in every major city and suburb in America. These agencies are either independent agents that represent several insurance companies or exclusive agents that represent one company. These are insurance companies that use the agent distribution as their method of marketing their products.

Some insurance companies have chosen to eliminate the agent and use the mail, the telephone, or the internet to sell their products. The property and casualty companies are always in a battle for market penetration. The insurance companies have to walk a fine line between new acquisitions and expense to do business. This is important information for the consumer because they are the ones making the final decision on who is winning. The best insurance company for you may be completely different than one preferred by your next door neighbor. Time and experience have a way of guiding you to your choice of companies.

Things to Consider

1. Insurance Agent - The car insurance agent has been the single most successful means of insurance distribution in insurance history. The neighborhood agent has ties to the community and is easily accessible. That is a great value to a great many people especially with people who want person to person advice and counsel.

2. Direct Distribution - This is the name that we will give to the insurance companies that sell you insurance with 800 telephone numbers or through the internet and mailing services. They sell direct to you and you are serviced by them through customer service call centers. The direct distributor claims to have lower rates because they have eliminated the agent.

Once you determine how you want to be serviced then you can begin a search for those types of insurance companies. AM Best is a rating guide that you can find in your local library that gives you the financial strength of each insurance company.

Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Cheap car insurance; a good example for oxymoron.

Whenever you think about car insurance you already know it is going to cost a small bundle.

Not to mention those of us who have had a couple of fender benders, they certainly know that their policy is not going to be anywhere close to be called cheap.

I think that a better way to look at insurance in general is from the bottom up. What does that mean?
Well, think of how much it would cost you to have to pay out of your own pocket for the repair of two, or more, vehicles. Or even worse, what if the accident has caused serious injuries?

You see, suddenly the insurance rate you are considering to pay does not seem all that expensive anymore.

Anyway, the fact that cheap insurance is definitely one of those expressions we can define as oxymoron remains. Unfortunately car insurance will never be cheap. But there are a few things we can pay attention to which, over time, may result in significant saving.

- Insurance is a product like any other therefore you know that if you buy "more" you usually get a better price, right? So why not bundle up two or three kind of insurances? Many insurance companies can cover your needs for home insurance, life insurance and car insurance.

Offering to do business for all your insurance needs with the same company will certainly give you the leverage necessary to obtain lower rates, for all your polices.

- How many accidents are you planning to have in the next ten years? That sounds like a tricky question, does it? Of course you are not planning to be involved in any accident, but if you are an average driver statistics say that you will have one accident every ten years.

If you have a deductible of five hundred dollars your insurance premium will be low enough to save you at least three thousand dollars over a time span of ten years. There you have it! If you get your "statistical" accident you'll have to pay the five hundred dollars deductible, but because you have bought a higher deductible, in time, you will actually save a bundle since your monthly payments are lower than what they would have been if you had chosen to buy a smaller deductible.

- Do you know that you can reach an agreement with your insurer about the amount of money you would ask for pain and suffering? Yes, it is called "Limited Tort".

This is how it works. Because you agree not to request more than a certain amount of money for the inconveniencies occurred consequently to an accident, your monthly payments could be considerably less.

You will still be able to sue and receive monetary relief if you had to go through rehabilitation or if you have lost money because you could not work for some time. You are just agreeing that you won't be asking for a few million dollars.

Check with your insurer, not all states have limited tort options, but if you live in a state that does you can save up to twenty percent of your policy rate.

Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Five Steps to Choosing Car Insurance

So you're looking for different types of car insurance?

Finding the right car insurance can be a difficult task. You can search and search for what you're looking for, but you may never find the right car insurance because the insurance companies give you the good information on them and the bad of others. You could spend hours on end looking and deciding what auto insurance to buy and in the end most people aren't satisfied with what they choose.

It is difficult to rest your mind and decide to spend money on a certain car insurance company because most of them are different. Many car insurance companies do not offer the same services as others. For example, Geico may offer better rates than Allstate, but Allstate may offer more protection. It is important to be aware of what insurance companies can give you and what they can't.

The difficult part of choosing an insurance company is really deciding which one is better. The truth is none of the insurance companies are any better than the other. Just because Nationwide is not as well known as, let's say Progressive, Nationwide can give your car as much coverage as its competitor. An easy way of choosing auto insurance is to read about a few of them and decide which one has the better offer in your eyes and how it can benefit your life.

Choosing car insurance can be done in five easy steps:

1. Type car insurance into a search engine such as Google or Yahoo.
2. Scan through the multiple links to different car insurance sites such as Statefarm and Esurance.
3. Pick one of them and read about what they have to offer.
4. Go back and research the other available insurance companies.
5. Once you have found one that satisfies you, then you have found the best car insurance for you.

I know I might sound very general when giving these steps, but the main point is to research and learn. Don't make a big deal over choosing what type of car insurance to get. Some companies give more coverage than others, but that is only one out of many services. If you truly want the best car insurance then decide for yourself by researching them.

Another good way to decide which car insurance company is better is to get a free quote. Some companies offer car insurance quotes for free, but remember that they are competing against other companies so they are going to try and make their company and coverage seem better. One way they will do this is by comparing their best contracts with other company's worst contracts. But, just because some companies do this, it doesn't mean all of them will. The best thing to do is either get multiple quotes from different companies or get quotes from unbiased point of views (someone who is not being paid by the insurance companies).

Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Finding Car Insurance For Teenage Drivers Is Not Always Easy!

I can remember it well. Passing my driving test was perhaps the single most important day of my life. I was simply overjoyed, no, overwhelmed, ecstatic, elated. In fact, I was so thrilled at having passed first time that I gave myself a throbbing headache with all the overexcitement, but who cared. I had arrived. Look out girls, the new man about town will be cruising down a street near you!

Alas, it wasn't so long after that that the bubble popped and the realities set in. Oh, I had saved hard enough and long enough with my part time work to buy my first motor, but being a young and inexperienced driver meant that finding affordable car insurance was not going to be an easy task. Actually, some of the early quotes I got worked out more than what the car was worth. Can you believe that!

Good ole dad came to the rescue and gave me a much needed reality check. First he explained why car insurance for young drivers was so pricey, and then he gave me some real useful tips on how to adjust to the situation so that I can get my first motor and gain some much needed experience. Here's what he told me:

The first and obvious fact was that young drivers, and in particular young male drivers, are among the most reckless on the roads, therefore making them a high risk to the insurance companies. As the insurance business is out to make money, many are reluctant to hand out policies to young drivers. Many will deter you by offering a ridiculous premium that is well out of the reach of Joe the average teenager, or they will simply refuse to quote.

My dad went on to say that there are ways to get into the good books of insurance companies and methods to lower your early quotes. One of the first tricks is to forget the snazzy sports car as your first purchase. It's always wise to go for a car that has a low insurance group number both for safety and cost reasons. If you are purchasing in the UK, these numbers range from 1 to 20, and the higher the number, the higher the premium. So, it's important to narrow down your first choice of car by the insurance group number. Higher numbers are usually determined by a few factors including bigger engines, faster vehicles, and a higher price tag etc.

A low insurance group vehicle on the other hand, is obviously cheaper, smaller and less expensive. Ok, so this probably means your first wheels are not going to be the lady puller you hoped for, but be a little patient, play by the rules, and you'll be getting your experience and no-claims bonuses banked in no time at all. Another advantage of purchasing from the low insurance group is that you will be looked at as a responsible kid by the insurance company. Many folks stay with the same company or broker for years and once they build up a good relationship with the insurer, there are some great deals and discounts offered over time.

Another cost cutter is to purchase only third party fire and theft insurance which will drastically reduce your premium. If your first car is old and inexpensive, maybe you don't need to take out fully comprehensive cover. However, if you have spent a fair bit on your first motor, then only fully comprehensive will do of course.

Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Can Gap Insurance Save You Thousands Of Dollars On Your New Car?

Have you recently purchased a new car? What if an accident occurred soon after taking your brand new vehicle off the lot and your car was totaled? Your car insurance policy has full coverage insurance on it so you' think that your vehicle is covered... or maybe it isn't.

Did you know that when you drive your new car off the lot, the value of your vehicle immediately goes down, sometimes as much as 20%-30%.

Let's say that you paid $20,000 for you new vehicle and you have an accident a month later, and your vehicle is totaled in the accident. Maybe you made at the most one payment and if you did not put very much money down, your loan amount is still close to the $20,000 purchase price. Especially considering that you would have financed the tax and other fees.

Unfortunately, even with full coverage on you car insurance, which includes comprehensive and collision, you will only receive the fair market value of your vehicle which could be as much as 20%-30% ($4,000 - $6,000.00) lower than the purchase price.

That means you may be stuck paying that 20%-30% ($4,000 - $6,000.00). On a $20,000 car. Just a 20% depreciation on that vehicle would be $4,000! That amount could be more if you financed your taxes and license into your loan.

If you have purchased Gap insurance with your current insurer, it would insure you for the difference between the loan amount on the car and the actual fair market value. But, not all insurance companies offer Gap insurance.

Gap insurance can also be purchased seperatly from other insurance companies than the one insuring your vehicle.

The most frequently asked questions about Gap insurace are as follows:

What is Gap insurance? Gap insurance will insure a vehicle for the difference between what is owed on it and what an insurance company determines to be the fair market value of the vehicle. A very cost effective way to financially protect yourself from a total loss when buying a new car is to purchase Gap insurance.

Is Gap insurance required on all new vehicles? No.

Can I buy Gap insurance for my older vehicle? Gap Insurance is available on new, used, and refinanced cars, trucks and SUV's purchased or refinanced within the past 12 months.

What does Gap insurance cover? The difference between the actual cash value of your car and the balance on your car loan is called the Gap. If your car is stolen or declared totaled, your auto insurance company will pay you the actual cash value of the car. Without Gap Insurance your lender will hold you responsible for paying the Gap (difference). The net effect is that you will have to come up with hundreds or thousands of dollars to pay off that debt.

Does my leased car automatically come with Gap insurance? Frequently, Gap insurance is built into the lease rate but don't assume it is since every lease is different.

Can I buy Gap insurance from the dealership? Yes, most dealerships offer Gap insurance but usually at a higher cost. Check your current policy to see if you already have Gap insurance before shopping for a new Gap policy. Before buying a new car you should call your current insurance company to see if they offer it.

Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com