State Insurance

Can Beneficiaries to Life Insurance Policies Locate Unclaimed Life Insurance?



Life insurance is usually purchased to protect against the loss of income in the event of the death of a policy holder. It is a good security for your family in case of death.

You will find questions being raised by beneficiaries after they bury their deceased.

Questions like: how can you find out if you are the beneficiary on a policy? Or how do you find out if someone had a life insurance policy before they died?

A beneficiary is any person named in a policy as the one to be paid the benefits.

In these cases an insured policyholder fails to inform the beneficiary or beneficiaries of the existence of a policy in case of their demise.

So how can you find out if you are a beneficiary on a life insurance policy or if the deceased had a valid life insurance policy.

It is not an easy task to find out if someone had a life insurance policy before they died.

The relationship between the policyholder and the insurance company is one of confidentiality when the policyholder is alive.

There exists over $1billion of unclaimed life insurance death benefits as a result of the lack of awareness by the beneficiaries and other interested parties.

The onus of claiming these benefits falls on the beneficiary and in this case the beneficiary is unaware of the existence of the death benefits therefore the failure to claim the proceeds.

If these benefits remain unclaimed after a certain stipulated period which vary from state to state the insurance company is required by law to forward the unclaimed life insurance to the state governments.

These are the steps you can take in your quest to answer the questions above and trace any death benefits:

To find out this information you will need to get into the deceased records of credit cards and bank statements or payslips to check any premium payments to an insurance company.

This would include any safety deposit box and any other important documents.

Check with their lawyers, accountants or employer for any information.

Ask relatives, friends and colleagues for any information they might have.

Check with the State Office for Unclaimed Property for any records of insurance payments forwarded by insurance companies.

Conduct a free online search through the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators website at MissingMoney.com.

Employ the services of a private investigator to get you the information.

If you identify an insurance company, write to them to check if the deceased had a valid insurance with them.

To apply for any information you’ll require to provide a death certificate and a notarized application.

With due diligence it is possible for beneficiaries to life insurance policies to locate unclaimed life insurance benefits in most states in the US.

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 State Insurance No Comments

California Laws to Help You Save on Car Insurance



When it comes to saving money on car insurance, there are some obvious things that will help you out. As I’m sure you heard before, it always makes sense to get more than one quote. That way you can compare the rates from different companies and save. But there is a lot more that will help besides just comparing rates.

Did you know that California has set up laws for auto insurers? These laws are meant to protect drivers from fraud and abuse by insurance companies. The state of California is one of the best states when it comes to protecting its drivers from fraud and abuse from insurance companies.

One recent law to help consumers save is Proposition 103. Proposition 103 was passed in 1988 to change that, but went into affect July 14, 2008. The law states that that auto insurance companies must provide you quotes based on your driving record, not your zip code. Previously, drivers paid their premiums based on their location. So you could have been a better driver (and lower risk) than someone a mile away, but you would have had to pay a higher premium based on your zip code.

Another law meant to protect drivers in the state of California is Assembly Bill 2677. This law was passed in 2005 and says that auto insurance companies in California must provide drivers with the lowest rate available to them. If they do not show you your lowest possible rate, they are violating the law. Be sure to always ask to see the lowest rate available to you.

California has also regulated the rates that insurers can charge to drivers. Recently California mandated that Allstate must lower its insurance rates by 15.9%. Allstate covers roughly 10% of all California drivers, so the mandate was a huge win in helping California drivers save even more on car insurance.

Another benefit to California drivers in need of cheap auto insurance is the California Low Cost Auto insurance program (CLCA). This program is a minimum coverage insurance that helps drivers in dire economic circumstances get affordable car insurance. Through the CLCA drivers can get insurance for as low as $400 a year.

The more you know about auto insurance laws in California, the more educated you will be on your rights as a consumer. Knowing your rights will help you save money. Of course, don’t forget to compare your rates.

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Friday, February 26th, 2010 State Insurance No Comments

Georgia Auto Insurance News

Georgia auto insurance ‘Obtaining the cheapest possible insurance is not always the best bet. Obtaining the cheapest possible Georgia car insurance is not always the consumers best bet. What a consumer gains in low auto insurance and savings of- can actually be outweighed by the unforeseeable and cause them more trouble than if they had just paid out in the beginning. Sometimes it does take money to make and save money. This just might be the case here in Georgia and a handful of other states. Researching and using a little common sense is one of the best ways consumers can find the best auto insurance rates and premiums.

In the state of Georgia, it is required that everyone that owns their own transportation must obtain insurance for said vehicle. Provided they have a valid Georgia license plate of course. Now, the minimum cost for coverage is twenty-five thousand dollars for bodily injury to one person, fifty thousand dollars to all bodily injuries involved, and twenty-five thousand dollars for property damage. Now no one ever wants to be part of an accident, and if it should happen, these coverages might seem like acceptable amounts but to many consumers surprise, these premiums just don’t do anyone any justice. This day an age healthcare costs are astronomical, the number of uninsured motorists is rising drastically , and more and more people are finding any means to make an easy dollar (SUE CRAZY).

Hospital bills and medical bills alike are very expensive and depending on just what the injuries are, most consumers auto insurance only covers so much. This same fact holds true for property damages. In most cases, the minimum amount of car insurance coverage just won’t be sufficient enough and that leaves the person/persons involved in the accidents, having to pay the remainder out of their own pockets. This can pose a huge problem for consumers with inadequate car insurance, unless they just so happen to have a spare thirty-to forty-thousand dollars lying around to cover the additional damages and medical bills..

Depending on the different circumstances that arise from the accident, damage done to the opposing vehicle may also easily exceed a consumers insufficient auto insurance coverages. Some people might still claim that they just can’t afford the superior car insurance , however, if they will just take a little time to do some research, they might find that there are many places, especially on the internet, where affordable auto insurance coverage can be found and prices compared between top insurance coverages.

By utilizing online auto insurance comparisons sites, smart consumers will possibly be saving themselves financial hardship in the future but at least they can have some comfort in peace of mind. These special services are offered to all potential coverage owners regardless of the state in which they reside. Also, most states have varying bylaws so it would be prudent to make sure that the coverage rates being viewed apply to the state in which one lives. Auto accidents occur hundreds of times a year, why have inferior coverage if it can be avoided?

Sunday, January 17th, 2010 State Insurance No Comments