The New York State Department of Insurance (DOI) just released the 2008 Annual Ranking of Automobile Insurance Complaints. The report has been issued to help consumers find the automobile insurer that best meets their needs. You can use this report to compare the ranking of the insurance company you are doing business with now, or check another company you may be considering.

This report analyzed data collected from 2006 and 2007. It only ranks companies doing business in the State of New York. However, as New York is a heavily populated state, with both big urban centers and big suburban areas, the report can be considered a good representation of insurance company performance nationwide.

How The Ranking Works

The insurance companies are ranked on a complaint ratio. The ratio is calculated by the number of complaints upheld against companies as a percentage of their total private passenger auto business.

Insurers with the fewest upheld complaints per million dollars of premiums are shown at the top of the list. The companies with the highest ratio of complaints are ranked at the bottom.

Other Information to Consider

The ranking of an insurance company is important, but it is only one characteristic that consumers should weigh when considering doing business with an insurance company. Others are:

o Referrals from friends, relatives, neighbors or co-workers about the experiences they had with their insurance companies
o Price of the premium versus perceived value
o Search the Internet for other ideas
o Check your state’s DOI website, which may contain valuable consumer information about companies doing business in your state.

What The Ranking Does and Does Not Contain

o Private passenger insurance is the only type evaluated.
o It only includes the complaints referred by consumers to the DOI. It does not include complaints made directly to the insurance companies.
o Complaints are “upheld” when the DOI agrees with a consumer that an insurance company made an inappropriate decision.
o Information from prior years is included in the tables so consumers can see if the company has improved or gotten worse.
o All companies with at least $10 million in premium in 2006 and 2007 are included in the ranking. Insurers with less than $10 million were included if they had 10 or more complaints against them.

Top Three Most Common Complaints

1. Monetary settlements – settlement amount is too low.
2. Policy terminations
3. Promptness of insurance payments

2007 Auto Complaint Listing (ranked lowest number at top, higher as you go down)

1. Mercury General Group
2. American Express, Amex Assurance, IDS Property Casualty
3. Eveready Insurance Co.
4. Electric Insurance Group
5. Amica Mutual
6. Preferred Mutual Insurance Co.
7. United Services Automobile Assurance Group (USAA)
8. Chubb
9. Utica Mutual
10. State F*arm
11. Central Services Group, Central Insurance Group, NY Central Mutual Fire Ins.
12. Main Street America Group, National Grange Mutual
13. Progressive
14. Liberty Mutual
15. Kingsway Insurance Group, Lincoln General Ins.
16. Response Insurance Group
17. Nationwide Insurance
18. American Modern Ins. Group, American Family Home Ins.
19. St. Paul Travelers
20. Unitrin Group, Kemper
21. Erie Insurance Group
22. Berkshire Hathaway Insurance, GEICO
23. Allstate Insurance
24. The Hartford Insurance Group
25. Hanover Insurance, Citizens Ins., Allmerica Financial Alliance
26. Metropolitan Group
27. American National Financial Group
28. Allianz Insurance Group
29. GMAC, Integon, MIC P&C, National General Ins. Co.
30. Zurich Ins.Group, Foremost, Maryland Casualty
31. Hannover RE Group, Clarendon National
32. State Wide Insurance
33. White Mountains Group, OneBeacon, Esurance, Auto One Ins.
34. Countrywide Insurance
35. Safeco Insurance Group
36. American International Group (AIG)
37. Tri-State Consumer Ins. Group
38. Interboro Mutual
39. Infinity Property & Casualty
40. Long Island Insurance

Conclusion

If your auto insurance provider is not shown on this list, it could be that they don’t sell insurance in New York. Or, it could be that their number of complaints is worse than the company in the #40 position!!

Think about this statement, my friends.

The only thing that truly matters about your auto insurance is what happens when you submit a claim. Claims are about KEEPING PROMISES. When the insurance companies don’t keep their promises, the complaints pile up!

So, why would you EVER consider doing business with any insurance company LOWER than NUMBER 10 on the list?

If you are one of the unfortunate people who experience an automobile loss of any kind, you’ll need to know how to handle your insurance claim so that you maximize your recovery. I’ll even be so bold as to say this: If you do not use the strategies for submitting a claim found in my book, you will not collect all the money you are entitled to collect. You will need to know how to take control of your insurance claim, and add hundreds or even thousands more dollars to your claim settlement. For more information, check out the website shown below in the Resource Box.

A homeowner is practical when he insures his home and the content. One must know whether the area he is residing in is high-risk, moderate-risk, or low-risk. The rates depend on the risk and the flood insurance coverage is also determined. The insurance premium covered by the company depends on these factors.

The coverage varies from one homeowner to the next. But first, they must be eligible for the coverage at the rate that they prefer and the rate that the insurance can offer them.

Preferred Risk Policy premiums are said to be really low if it is made available through the NFIP. The building and the contents of the flood insurance coverage is reasonable. As a matter of fact, it starts at only $100 per year.

If the homeowner fails to qualify for the Preferred Risk Policy, he can check the standard rated policy that is made available to him. This is $25 of all federal claims for those residing in moderate-to-low risk areas.

However, is the homeowner resides in a high-risk area, coverage from insurance companies are also made available to him. There is a separate content and buildings coverage which is more reasonable when it comes to the flood insurance rates.

One can check the form that is provided by the insurance companies. The General Property Form that a customer fills up requires the information that the insurance company needs in order to determine the rate and whether the client is eligible because he is within the insurance coverage.

The calculation of the premiums depends on the following factors. There are the years of the construction of the building and the years the occupant has been staying there. If it is a condominium, the number of floors is also a factor.

The location, as said in a previous paragraph is a crucial indicator whether the client is still within the flood insurance coverage, as well as the flood risks. If the customer is in a flood zone, there are still companies that can provide them with the flood insurance that they need but at a higher price.

Also, the federal law requires the homeowner to purchase a flood insurance policy especially when the area he is residing is high-risk.

By learning one’s risk and estimating the premiums by checking the flood insurance coverage, and finding an agent one can speak with regarding concerns, the homeowner can sleep better at night.

Homeowners in need of a lower price on their homeowners insurance policies should simply shop their policy with other carriers or consider raising the deductible on their current policy. They should not short themselves on coverage. The last thing that should be done is to lower the coverage on a homeowners insurance policy to save money. The proper amount of coverage needed on a homeowners insurance policy is just that, the proper amount of coverage.

If homeowners are not able to find a rate that is within their budget they could also consider increasing the deductible on the policy. Many insurance companies offer higher deductible options. The exposure that the insured would have with a higher deductible would be significantly less than if you were to lower your coverage. Raising the deductible on your policy could save your hundreds of dollars per year.

The amount of personal exposure from raising the deductible on homeowners insurance is, simply, the amount of the increase. A policy that was written with a $1000 deductible and raised to a $2500 deductible exposes the homeowner to a potential of an increased $1500 out of pocket. This is a minimal expense when compared to lower the dwelling coverage or personal property coverage by tens of thousands of dollars. The decrease in premium would be close to the same between raising the deductible and significantly lowering the coverage.

If policy holders find that you are still in need of additional savings, they should shop their auto and homeowner insurance policies together. They would receive a discount on both policies. Generally, the discount for having multiple insurance policies with the same company will be around 10 percent per policy. If you pay $1000 per year on your auto insurance and are able to get the same rate with your homeowners insurance company, you would save $100 per year on your auto insurance.

1. Assemble a list of all your insurance companies for the past 10 years with dates of coverage and policy numbers so your broker can obtain your loss runs (history of loss/claims), which normally should be requested within 60 days of your renewal (anything older may not be acceptable to the insurer).

2. Make copies of your licenses, update your CV, and assemble your letter head and any marketing pieces. The CV is important, since a potential insurer wants to see that you have adequate training. The letterhead, website and any marketing pieces are there for the underwriter to see if you are advertising services that may not be apparent on your application.

3. Write narratives on all claims for the past 10 years, as well as any medical board issues, if applicable. This is your opportunity to give your brief version of the events that occurred. Be concise and brief.

4. Your broker should give you one application, which he/she will use for your renewal and to shop for your coverage. Take your time filling this out, paying attention to the procedure list and marking all procedures that you perform (do not add things that you do not). Never delegate your application to your assistant. If you leave a procedure off in the application or there is a material misrepresentation, though unintentional, the insurer can deny your claims. Also, do not leave any blanks on your application rather add NA if something does not apply.

5. Your broker will send you letters to sign, which will be addressed to your former and current insurer(s) for the past 10 years. List your policy number, sign, and send this back to your broker first thing, prior to finishing your application since obtaining the loss runs can take some time. The purpose of loss runs is that the insurer wants third party confirmation on your losses.

6. Once you get your renewal and other quotes, read them carefully and ask lots of questions. Also, check your retroactive date to make sure it matches your current policy. Some people miss this and stare at a cheap price, while ignoring the terms of the quote. If you lose coverage to save money, you are not saving much.

7. If you are in the non standard market, a market reserved for doctors with malpractice claims, you will want to review premium finance options. The interest rate should be lower than a credit card. If it is not, start asking questions. Also, the norm is that you pay 25% as a down payment and finance the rest over nine payments. Ask your broker for a 10 payment plan. Most finance companies will do this as a favor to the broker.

8. Send your down payment right away to your broker, and make sure you have the funds in the bank. If you are late, the insurer may pull the quote. The broker will not bind coverage without the down payment, because the insurance company can require the broker to pay it. If this happens, then your policy will not be activated.

9. Pay your premium early. Don’t ever be late. This is the one bill to never float. The insurance company can cancel and refuse to reinstate you for coverage. May sure your book keeper knows to pay this bill first and foremost.

You may be wondering if dog medical insurance is really worth the money. Many dog owners consider purchasing insurance after experiencing an emergency with their pet.

For example, when my dogs decided to chow down on raisins (in case you didn’t know, raisins are toxic in dogs), I ended up with two dogs in the vet ER. After coughing up a bunch of money, I started to think about dog medical insurance.

Purchasing insurance for your pet can be a worth while investment. Something you hope will never be needed. But very happy to have in the event of an emergency. Before you purchase a policy, consider a few helpful tips to choosing the right policy.

Dogs Have More Medical Options.

We all know that human medicine continues to rapidly advance, but have you thought about the progression in veterinary medicine? Our dogs have medical options that simply weren’t available 10 or 20 years ago. However, these treatments don’t come cheap. And we’re forced to face the agonizing decision of how much we can afford to fork out.

Read the Policy’s Fine Print.

When looking for a policy, make sure to read the fine print. A great premium may lure you in the door, but it’s important to consider the details. Here are a few questions to ask before purchasing:

o What are your deductible choices (typically the higher the deducible, the lower policy premium you pay)

o Does the policy have limits? You purchase a policy to cover your dog’s emergency. Make sure that you won’t be underinsured should a situation come up.

Can you Choose your Own Vet.

Some insurance plans have networks just like your personal insurance. If you’re happy with your vet, make sure it will be covered under the plan. Otherwise, you could be faced will an unpleasant surprise when submitting a bill for payment.

Watch out for Exclusions.

Some insurance companies will exclude certain medical conditions. For example, since German Shepard’s are predisposed to hip dysphasia it may not be covered. It’s important to have all of the information up front. This way you don’t feel let down when an emergency arises.

If you have just bought your very first home, you are probably unaware of how your purchase has affected your insurance profile and that you need to review your existing insurance cover. In fact, even upgrading from a small, cheap house to a larger family home will impact on your insurance. Most people think that adding some form of homeowners insurance is all that is needed when purchasing a new home. While the addition of a homeowner’s policy is by far the biggest change, your other insurance policies will most likely need to be reviewed too. The following are some of the more prominent policies you may need to revise.

Homeowner’s insurance

If you successfully applied for a home loan, your bank will have required that you take out a homeowner’s insurance policy. The questions that you need to ask yourself are did I get sufficient cover and did I shop around for the best deals?

When analyzing your coverage needs, your assessment needs to be based not only on what is required by your bank, but also on the actual value of the property. Banks often pressurize you to take whatever insurance policy they put in front of you. Except for a few conniving banks, taking the bank’s own cover is not mandatory. This means that you have the option of shopping around for better insurance.

Car insurance

If you just bought a house, your marital status may have changed. If this is the case, then congratulations! You may be eligible for a lower premium as marital status affects your risk profile. Married couples are considered a lower insurance risk by insurance companies. You may also want to cover both your and your spouse’s cars under one policy. This should work out much cheaper than having two separate vehicle insurance policies. You may even want to go one step further and combine your vehicle and homeowner’s policy to get even cheaper premiums. Lastly, it is essential that you update your car insurance policy as your change of address will also affect your policy. This is essential because should you need to claim due to theft from your new home and you have not updated your policy, your claim might be turned down.

Disability and life insurance

If you were to become disabled or unable to work due to an accident or disease, your mortgage will still need to be paid. Disability cover will pay you a monthly benefit if this happens which could very well save you from financial ruin until you are able to work again. Similarly, life insurance will help pay off your debts and perhaps even the mortgage on your home should you pass away. If you are the breadwinner in your family, this type of cover is essential.

Purchasing a new home can be a very exciting experience, but it is important that you remember to review all your insurance policies to make sure that you and your loved ones are adequately covered. If you are unsure of where to start contact your insurance broker and without a doubt, shop around for the best insurance deals!