If you happen to be one of the unfortunate souls homebound due to blizzard conditions (like me and my staff), it might be a good night to get caught on your television viewing. CNBC’s American Greed program will feature one of the worst insurance fraud cases of all time.

Black Widows tells the tale of two grannies in California who help out old men down on their luck, offering friendship, shelter and food. In reality, Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt were con artists who took out life insurance policies on innocent old men and then had them killed.

Golay and Rutterschmidt, who are both serving life sentences in a federal prison, were inducted into 2008 Insurance Fraud Hall of Shame. American Greed airs at 9 p.m. eastern time on CNBC. Happy viewing.

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Motorists who take out their car insurance with Marks and Spencer are being offered free car washes for a year.

Consumers who are looking for a new deal for cover on their vehicles will receive 12 free washes if they purchase their insurance through moneysupermarket.com. The offer is worth up to 84 and is available until February 28th. Drivers who take it up will receive twelve vouchers which are redeemable at any ARC IMO location nationwide.

Policy holders will receive UK and European breakdown cover and up to 1,000 towards the cost of replacing keys, locks and locksmith services . Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at moneysupermarket.com, said: “The offer is a great incentive, providing customers with a good way to make the most of their cash.”

Last month, moneysupermarket.com commented on the increase in the cost of car insurance premiums and advised consumers to try looking for a new deal if their current one had increased dramatically.

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M&S Money is expecting a seasonal rise in the number of wedding insurance policies being taken out in the run up to Valentine’s Day, as the following fortnight is one of the most popular times for tying the not. According to M&S Money, February is one of the most popular months of the year for buying wedding insurance, as couples plan their big day and protect themselves in case something goes awry. Wedding insurance provides protection against a number of potential disasters, such as cancellation or rearrangement, supplier or venue failure, damage or loss of wedding dresses and suits, rings, damaged cakes, and loss, damage or theft of wedding presents. One of the only occurrences that wedding insurance does not cover is if the bride and groom change their minds, or one gets cold feet and leaves the other at the altar. David Wells, head of insurance at M&S, said: “Considering the cost of an average wedding and the current economic climate, wedding insurance really should be at the top of every bride and groom’s list. “When buying wedding insurance, it is important to think through all the services planned for the big day and make sure the right amount of cover is in place. Once the cover is in place couples can get on with the preparations for the big day.” Dave Simms, from Ecclesiastical Insurance which underwrites M&S wedding insurance, added that the main cause for wedding insurance claims in 2009 was supplier failure, which can disrupt even the most perfectly planned wedding day. “Suppliers struggling in the current economic climate can cause brides and grooms stress and heartache by not being able to deliver contracted services.

Read more…

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British consumers risk leaving their jewellery and other treasures underinsured to the value of around 4.9 billion because the cost of gold has risen by a quarter in the past twelve months, says a leading specialist insurance provider.

The RIAS Golden Age’ study found that there are more than 112 million items of gold in homes across Britain, with an average total value of 1,189 per household, giving the total value of gold jewellery and other items owned by UK consumers to be 19.7 billion.

However, almost two thirds (61 per cent) of these gold owners have never had any of their jewellery valued. This means that millions of consumers could be left under-insured, amounting to 297 per household.

Matt Graydon from The World Gold Council observed: “Due to its enduring value gold remains a sound investment for future family heirlooms. If you already own some gold items you may be surprised at how much they are worth and so it’s worth looking into a valuation sooner rather than later.”

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