14 Jul
Posted by Tiffany Parker as Insurance News
Around one in four UK households have made a claim as a result of school holiday misadventures, according to research conducted by Swinton .
The survey polled 1,200 customers and found 23 per cent had made a claim in the past five years to repair either a broken window, piece of furniture or electrical item that had been damaged by children during school holidays . The main reason given for breakages was playing ball games, both indoors and outdoors, followed by over exuberant activity using a Nintendo Wii and riding bikes and skateboards indoors.
The home insurer predicts an increase in claims again this summer and advises homeowners to check their home insurance policies to see what is and isn’t covered, as not all will cover broken windows.
Steve Chelton, Insurance Development Manager said: “Damage to carpets, electrical equipment and sofas generally top the list of claims during school holidays and are covered on most standard policies, but it’s still worth checking exactly what’s covered on your policy.”
Fortis is claiming to be the UK’s first leading personal lines insurer to invest in a new suite of computer models that can predict the relative risk of claims for a number of insured perils across the country.
The Perils Insight suite from Business Insight can give a detailed perspective on the distribution of risk relating to household insurance.
Using the latest available information on the weather, the economy and the local environment, the suite can identify areas most likely to experience a deteriorating loss ratio across a range of perils. <
If you’re like most of us when we got our first apartment, you dumped everything in the living room in boxes, called it good, and just lived out of boxes for a few days. After that, depending on your personality type, you either got up and put everything neatly where it belongs (you sick minded person, you) or you just kind of let everything gravitate where it was supposed to go slowly, naturally, over a long period of time, following the natural evolutionary order of things (you slob, you). Renters insurance? That can wait. Utilities? Well, hopefully you didn’t make them wait, or you’re probably reading this at the local coffee shop while waiting for them to turn your power back on.
Seriously, though, most people rent several apartments over the course of their lives as their needs change, they move, or they just decide it’s time for a move. From there, many people go on to rent or buy a house. It’s important that you develop good habits early, since your reputation can follow you as a renter, especially if you live in a small community.
Don’t get me wrong, technically and legally no one’s going to turn you down for an apartment because you’ve been messy in a different apartment. In many communities, though, landlords know each other, and it doesn’t take long for your reputation to go before you. While no one will tell you that’s why, if a landlord has a choice between several tenants, reputations can make a big difference.
When you move into the apartment, put things away as you unpack them. It’s a lot easier that way. If you’ve found yours
11 Jul
Posted by Danielle Bailey as Insurance News
Whether it’s via new media like social networks or “old school” technology like your home phone, don’t let your guard down. The FBI recently has issued warning about two scams that are surfacing.
Denial of service phone attacks
The FBI has issued a warning about a new phone scam which uses telephone denial-of-services (d.o.s.) attacks to overwhelm victims’ cell phones and land lines with thousands of calls. This diversionary tactic ties up service to give criminals time to empty out the victim’s bank or brokerage accounts. Prior to the phone attack, the criminal would have obtained the victim’s bank account numbers and password, either via malware that the victim has inadvertently downloaded or via information the victim gave out on the phone or in response to e-mail phishing. The subsequent DOS attack serves both as a distraction, and also prevents a victim from calling to make account changes to protect their accounts.
Social networking scam: your friend is stranded
Scammers send notices to your Facebook or Twitter contact list posing as you and telling your contacts that you are stranded after a robbery (or some similar calamity) and that you need help quickly. Of course, the requested help is urgent and would be in the form of cash. To avoid being taken in by such a scam, be alert and aware and simply verify any pleas for help before acting on them. And if you think your account has been hacked and that false messages are being sent to your contacts, post a note on your page alerting your friends and family that your account may be compromised and to ignore any such messages.