Liberty Mutual Offers A Free Natural Disaster Guide

Well folks, the season of natural disasters is here. The experts at the National Weather Service are predicting between 13 and 16 named storms, 8 to 10 hurricanes, and 4 to 6 major hurricanes from the Atlantic Ocean this year. Will the Gulf of Mexico deliver another Katrina this year? Where will the next monster Atlantic hurricane hit the Eastern Seaboard? Florida? South Carolina? New York?

And it's the wildfire / tornado season to boot. Everyone from California to Boston should be preparing for the worst that mother nature has in store this summer.

Free Liberty Mutual Natural Disaster Guide

The folks at Liberty Mutual, America's #7 home insurer by size, are doing their part to help Americans prepare for the 2006 natural disaster season. All of Liberty Mutual's home and car insurance customers--in all fifty states--will be receiving one of 3 regional editions of a natural disaster guide in the mail. And even if you're not a Liberty Mutual customer, you can still get the tornado, wildfire or hurricane edition of the guide for free by visiting http://www.libertymutualinsurance.com.

More details can be found below in the snippet from a recent press release:

"The 2006 hurricane season begins in one week, and homeowners from Corpus Christi to Coral Gables to Cape Cod hopefully are heeding the advice of government officials, disaster relief organizations, and insurers by taking actions to protect their homes and families against potential disaster.

This week and next, a helpful natural disaster guide will arrive in the mailbox of every Liberty Mutual home and auto insurance customer as a special four-page insert to the company's Liberty Lines safety magazine. The nation's seventh-largest home insurer is sending more than 3 million guides in three regional editions -- hurricane, tornado, and wildfire/earthquake -- to its customers in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, and other at-risk locales.

Anyone who is not a Liberty Mutual policyholder can obtain a free copy of the guide specific to his or her area online at http://www.libertymutualinsurance.com.

'Preparation is the best defense against a natural disaster,' said Ted Gramer, Liberty Mutual senior vice president, Personal Claims. 'You can't change the path of a hurricane, tornado or wildfire, but you can certainly take action to minimize the impact these catastrophes can have on your family and your home.'

Liberty Mutual also offers important preparedness tips for eight types of natural disasters and weather-related damage in the 'Claims' section at http://www.libertymutualinsurance.com.

Ready to Assist

Liberty Mutual claims professionals at centralized call centers throughout the country are available 24/7 at 1-800-2-CLAIMS for customers experiencing hurricane, tornado, or wildfire/earthquake damage this season.

Liberty Mutual disaster claims teams will again be in the heart of damaged regions to assist customers. For hurricanes, experts in the company's centralized catastrophe claims center monitor emerging storms to identify the areas most likely to be hardest hit. Prior to a storm, Liberty deploys adjusters and mobile claims units equipped with the most advanced global positioning, communications, and estimating technologies into those regions to ensure prompt and accurate claims service and payments to affected customers.

About Liberty Mutual

Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (http://www.libertymutual.com) is a leading global insurer whose largest line of business is personal auto, based on 2005 net written premium. As of December 31, 2005, Liberty Mutual Group had $78.8 billion in consolidated assets and $21.2 billion in consolidated revenue. Liberty Mutual ranks 102^nd on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations based on 2005 revenue, and is the eighth-largest personal lines writer and fifth-largest commercial lines writer in the U.S. Liberty Mutual employs over 39,000 people in more than 900 offices worldwide.

Liberty Mutual sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance through its own sales force in more than 400 local sales offices throughout the country, two direct response centers, Prudential agents and the internet. Liberty Mutual is an industry leader in group sponsored voluntary auto and homeowners insurance programs, offering personal lines insurance through payroll deduction and direct billing to employees and members of more than 9,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups."

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- >  SITEMAP  <

Is Your Home Insurance Policy Disaster-Ready?

With the hurricane / tornado / fire seasons almost upon us, you may have asked yourself, "is my home insurance policy disaster-ready?"

The good folks at Answer Financial have just released a set of tips that you'll probably find useful. For more, here's a snippet from today's press release:

"Answer Financial alerts homeowners that time is running out to get insurance policies disaster-ready, with tornado season in full swing in the Midwest, and hurricanes getting ready to roar along the coasts. Although property values are up, home insurance coverage is down. Ironically, 80 percent of homeowners do not have enough coverage to withstand a potential disaster, cautions Answer Financial CEO Alan Snyder. This year, homeowners should get educated and take a second look at their insurance plans.

Answer Financial, the nation's leading independent insurance agency, offers these top five tips to ensure homeowners are ready for disaster:

• Be sure to have adequate coverage for your home. With property values significantly up across the country, make sure your home's replacement value has been updated on your policy since the time of purchase. Particularly with significant structural home-improvement changes, you must notify your insurer to update the home's value. Because insurance policies cover a home's replacement cost rather than its market value, consumers also should not confuse purchase price or assessed value with rebuilding costs.
  
  
• Annually review the replacement value of your home's contents. For many families, a home is their largest investment and most valuable asset. In actuality, the home's contents are usually more difficult to replace. Items like jewelry, art, antiques, furs and other valuables require a separate rider
  for insurance. Homeowners can visit AnswerCenter.com to find out exactly what 'replacement value' means and how much coverage is necessary. Because homeowners' insurance needs are not static, ignoring your coverage limits will present a problem when disaster strikes. Aside from contents, also
  take into account the cost of remodeling, new construction or upgrades to fixtures, appliances or furnishings.
  
  
• Plan accordingly for a separate policy. Certain risks may not be covered by standard homeowners insurance. The more common types of disaster, such as earthquake, floods and hurricane/windstorm, may need a separate policy. Different states run insurance pools to offer policies for particular disasters -- for example, in California, most policies are sold through the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), in New York and Georgia, wind/hail coverage is available through the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR), and the federal government runs the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Insurance rates have skyrocketed in regions affected by floods, and some carriers will no longer write policies in states like Florida and Mississippi. And many homeowners discovered too late that their private insurance policies did not cover the extensive water damage caused by these natural disasters.
  
  
• Update your auto insurance policies, too. Disaster survivors also suffered major property losses with their automobiles, which were either swept away in floods or deemed totaled due to the extensive weather damage. Auto insurance holders often will forgo optional coverage items such as collision or comprehensive to save on monthly premiums. However, for disaster-prone areas, comprehensive coverage is the only way to insure losses to your vehicle caused by windstorm, hail, flood or earthquake disasters. Without it, you could be left making payments on a car that is not even drivable. Compare comprehensive coverage, and if making car payments, ask your lender about payment requirements during special circumstances such as these.
  
  
• Do your homework first and consider ways to reduce overall costs. Like car insurance, raising your deductible can save money on premiums. Most insurance companies recommend a deductible of at least $500, while a deductible of $1,000 can save you up to 25 percent of premium costs. Another way to save is to get discounts by making your home more resistant to natural disasters likely in your area. For example, you can save on premium by adding storm shutters, reinforcing your roof or retrofitting for earthquakes. Or by bundling auto and home insurance coverage together with the same carrier, premiums can be cut by 5 to 15 percent. Do extensive shopping before choosing homeowners insurance. Get quotes from different carriers. Since rates can vary, make sure you compare coverage on an apples-to-apples basis so you can realize when a lower price really represents less coverage.

About Answer Financial Inc.

Answer Financial (www.answerfinancial.com) is one of the nation's largest independent insurance agencies, providing consumers with comparative quotes and custom policies from 400 top-rated insurance companies. Since pioneering its automated shopping engine in 1998, the Insurance Answer Center, Answer has delivered more than 20 million quotes for auto, home, life, health, dental and specialty insurance products in all 50 states. Consumers can consult with one of Answer's 400 licensed Insurance Agents by calling 1(800) 233-3028, or they can visit www.answerfinancial.com to receive secure, real-time insurance quotes and buy their insurance policy Online. The Insurance Answer Center is also offered as a voluntary benefit program or cross-selling platform to hundreds of financial institutions, large employers and affinity groups serving millions of American families."

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- >  SITEMAP  <

Get Acquainted with Your Home Insurance Policy, Before The 2006 Fire/Storm Season Starts

Here's an interesting statistic from the good folks at the Homeowners Consumer Center: A recent survey of 1,000 U.S. homeowners by the Homeowners Consumer Center found that less than 15% understood their home insurance policy, or the areas of homeowner's insurance coverage they should have. Yikes!

With the 2006 Fire/Storm season just around the corner, homeowners should do their best to prepare themselves for the worst by understanding their policy, and making changes to it, if necessary.

Further details, along with some other great home insurance tips, can be found below in the snippet from today's press release:

"The Homeowners Consumer Center is making and urgent appeal for all US homeowners to check their homeowners insurance policy, before the start of the 2006 hurricane, storm or fire season. After surveying over 1000 homeowners representing every US state, it was discovered that less than 15% of those surveyed, understood their homeowners insurance policy, and or the areas of coverage the typical homeowner should have. From this survey, the Homeowners Consumer Center ( Http://HomeownersConsumerCenter.Com ) has come up with a very simple list of do's & don'ts for every homeowner, when it comes to their homes insurance coverage. as follow:

Do's & Don'ts

1. If you live in a state on or close to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Coast, Hawaii, a river, stream or an area prone to flooding, get flood insurance coverage, and make certain you get the maximum insurance coverage ($250,000).

2. If you live in a state on, or close to the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Coast, Hawaii, a river, stream or an area prone to flooding, be certain to get the $100,000 supplemental flood coverage. This will cover personal property loss due to flooding. 95% of the homeowners surveyed were not even aware this type of coverage exists. In the event your home is destroyed by flooding, contents coverage will pay up to $100,000 for personal property replacement. The typical homeowners policy & or standard flood insurance exclude personal property. To see if your home is in a flood plain or potential flood plain go to FEMA's web site.

3. Make certain your homeowners policy has at least one years coverage for 'loss of use', for at least $2000 per month. Loss of use will help pay rent, or living expenses in the event your home is rendered unusable as a result of a flood, fire or storm damage.

4. Of the over 1000 homeowners surveyed, only 3% knew if their homeowners insurance policy has 'full replacement' coverage. In other words, if the house was destroyed by wind & rain, fire or flood, they were not sure if the policy called for actual replacement. Further complicating the matter; many homeowners don't understand their insurance coverage because it was added on, when they financed or refinanced their home by the mortgage lender. In other words they have little or no idea of what is covered or what is not covered on the policy.

5. Only 9% of homeowners surveyed knew that certain types of valuables (jewelry, art, guns, etc) must be included on a separate sheet provided by the insurance agent/insurance company. These items must be listed on your policy and agreed to by your agent & insurance carrier. If you do not have this additional documentation, in most instances there is no insurance coverage in the event of a loss. If you have expensive jewelry, art, antiques, collectibles, guns, etc call your insurance agent & get them listed on your homeowners policy.

6. Don't do business with an insurance company you have never heard of before. Before signing on with an insurance carrier, check with your states insurance commissioner about the company, and or check the internet for complaints about your current or proposed company.

7. When looking for an insurance agent for your homeowners coverage ask around to find out who has a good reputation, or a reputation for excellent customer service. If you ever have a significant loss related to your home, make certain you have a good insurance agent/company in your corner.

8. Don't forget to take pictures of every area of your home (exterior & interior-actual building & contents). This way you can prove to the insurance company, you had what you say you had, and special or unique features of the home/contents are shown.

9. Try to keep receipts or proof that you had what you say you had in your home. After Katrina, many homeowners had no way of proving they had an upgraded refrigerator, TV set, computer system, stove, etc. Receipts will help you prove to the insurance company what your homes condition was prior to the loss and or what you had in the house.

10. Don't keep important records like insurance policies, an inventory of your home contents, pictures of your home (exterior & interior), financial documents, receipts, in your home, etc, unless they are in a secure, fire-proof and water-proof container. In this instance the Homeowners Consumer Center strongly recommends a bank safety deposit box.

The Homeowners Consumer Center is dedicated to protecting the American Dream for all US homeowners. Their goal is to educate homeowners in order to protect their assets and to educate the homeowner so they get the right product for their situation or circumstance. Their web site is located at http://HomeownersConsumerCenter.Com. The Homeowners Consumer Center also offers useful consumer information on numerous other aspects of homeownership. Homeowners and or consumers are encouraged to share this information with their friends, co-workers and neighbors."

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- >  SITEMAP  <

New Home Insurance Video Clip Is Short, but Informative

The folks @ Allstate Insurance released a new video clip that features some good advice related to home insurance. A short clip, but every little bit of information counts.

The clip can be found here:

http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=31903

And here's a snippet from the corresponding press release:

"Owning a home is a major milestone -- and making sure such a huge investment is protected is necessary for peace of mind. Home insurance can prepare you for recovery from the unexpected.


See video at: http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=31903

Insurance protection can help you rebuild your home in case the worst happens -- like a fire or other natural disaster. Homeowners insurance covers many of your personal possessions -- like your television, stereo or DVDs -- if they are stolen or destroyed. Other items -- like collectibles, jewelry or computer equipment -- may need extra coverage.

You also don't have to worry in case you have company over. If a guest is injured in your home, insurance can protect you if you are sued -- allowing you to enjoy your home without the worries that usually come with it."

--> www.FedPrimeRate.com Privacy Policy <-- >  SITEMAP  <