Insurance World

Severe storms can cause enormous property damage to your home. They can also do the same thing to your car. With storms getting worse, what can you do? Take a look at your insurance policy. “Too often, people don’t notice they lack certain types of coverage until they try to make a claim,” says Ron Berry, senior vice president of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

In fact, the number of reported claims for vehicle losses due to severe storms nearly doubled in the first five years of this century, according to ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS) unit, the recognized authority on insured property losses from catastrophes in the United States.

Fortunately, the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), a nonprofit organization, says comprehensive coverage will reimburse you for loss due to fire, falling objects, storms, vandalism, animals and floods.

Comprehensive insurance usually has a $100 to $300 deductible, though you may want a higher one to lower your premium. Comprehensive insurance will reimburse you if your windshield is cracked or shattered.

“But, even if you have comprehensive coverage, it is not always guaranteed to meet your individual needs,” says Carolyn Gorman, vice president of the I.I.I. “For example, you may be surprised to discover that after a storm your auto insurance does not automatically cover the cost of a replacement rental car while your car is in the repair shop or you wait for authorization for a new car.”

She added that an individual could pay as much as $1,000 to rent a replacement car. “Rental reimbursement coverage, which is only a couple of dollars a month, covers the cost of a rental car while your car is being repaired or you are waiting for authorization for a new car. Renting a car for one day can cost more than one full year’s coverage for rental reimbursement,” Gorman said.

If your car is ever damaged in a storm:

• Know what your insurance covers. Don’t wait to find out it doesn’t include comprehensive or won’t cover emergency roadside assistance or a rental car.

• Report damage as soon as possible. If your car is not drivable, your agent or claims center may be able to save you time and money by having it towed directly to the repair facility and providing you with a replacement rental car.

• Know your deductible and any other additional charges before authorizing work. Expect your insurance adjuster, claims representative or repair facility appraiser to review the damage with you and explain the process, including the use of original or generic auto parts.

According to one of the largest UK life insurance companies, just 1% of life policies are written in trust. That is disgraceful and reflects poorly on the financial industry.

Let’s explain.

If your life insurance policy is “Written in Trust” then, in the event of a claim, the insurance company pays out directly to the beneficiaries you name on the policy. The significance of this is easily missed.

It means that if the policy is “Written in Trust”, the proceeds from the policy never form part of your legal estate and are not subject to Inheritance Tax. The importance of this is illustrated by the following figures:

Take Mr A. He’s a widower and wants to leave everything equally to his two sons. He owns his home which is currently worth Ј245,000 with a Ј10,000 outstanding mortgage. His investments are valued at Ј52,000 and his car and other chattels are worth Ј18,000. He also owns a life insurance policy for Ј100,000 which is not written in trust. We assume that the costs of administering his estate and obtaining probate would be Ј5,000.

If Mr A were to die now, his estate would be worth Ј400,000 less Inheritance Tax. Inheritance Tax is currently levied at 40% on the value of his estate over and above Ј275,000 – that means that the taxman will walk off with Ј50,000 and his sons would each receive Ј175,000.

Now lets assume exactly the same figures except that in this case the life insurance policy is “Written in Trust” with Mr A’s sons as equal beneficiaries. Because the life insurance company pays out directly to his sons, they each receive Ј50,000 straight away and non of the money is included in Mr A’s estate. This means that his estate is now worth Ј300,000 and the taxman can only walk away with Ј10,000. Each of his sons receives Ј20,000 more and tax-free!

So simply by signing a few forms, Mr A saves Ј40,000 tax!

Is there a catch? No – all the documentation is standard and is provided totally free of charge by the life insurance company. Your broker through whom you buy the policy, should complete the documentation for you, again free of charge. All you have to do is give the details of the beneficiaries to the broker and sign the form. Solicitors are not required. In the event of a claim, the life insurance company then has to pay out directly to the beneficiaries. Job done! Poor Mr Taxman!

Even if your policy is designed to repay a mortgage, it should be “Written in Trust” for your partner. Then, rather than your estate receiving the money and using it pay off the mortgage, the money can be paid directly to your partner. This saves legal delays, solicitor’s and probate fees and loads of hassle. Your partner can then use the money to personally pay off the mortgage. Whether this also saves you Inheritance tax will depend on the value of your estate and how you have structured your Will.

So we believe that a life insurance policy “Written I Trust” is a win win situation. And there aren’t many of those around these days! We can’t see any drawbacks.

Bye the way, no matter what you decide to do, always ensure that you have an up-to-date Will.