| Don't skip the insurance on a car rental | | Posted Saturday, December 30, 2006 3:00:21 PM by Blog57 Team | | An array of fees - not necessarily calculated into an advertised rental rate - often accompanies a car rental. One optional fee may be for temporary auto insurance. A driver renting a car should always make sure the automobile is insured for accidents and damages. If you have rental insurance through a personal auto insurance plan or credit card program, it may not be necessary to buy the extra coverage. In that case, talk to your insurer. But if you do not have insurance, you'll have to purchase temporary coverage from the rental company. .... | |
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| | | Kentucky home, car insurance cost stable | | Posted Friday, December 01, 2006 1:02:51 PM by Blog57 Team | | This might be a good time to pull that homeowner's policy down from the closet shelf and to take a look at the car-insurance update that showed up in the mail. The cost of property and casualty insurance in Kentucky has stabilized after four years of increases, making this a good time for consumers and businesses to scout for better deals. .... | |
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| | | Travel Troubleshooter: Hotel lost her car, then billed her for the parking | | Posted Monday, November 13, 2006 3:24:36 AM by Blog57 Team | | Q On a recent visit to the Hilton Austin, I decided to have my SUV valet-parked. The valet service lost both my car and my keys. I have had to file a stolen vehicle report as well as a claim with my auto insurance company. The hotel did nothing except give me its insurance company's contact information. It also offered to make a rental car reservation for me -- but then told me that I would have to pay for the car. When I checked out, it gave me the full bill that included valet parking charges for the week that my vehicle was lost. I am completely appalled with the treatment I received. I have contacted the corporate office but other than saying it's a "local matter" it has done nothing. Is there something more that I can do?ELIZABETH LOGAN, HOUSTON A If Hilton's valet service permanently misplaced your car, it is reasonable to expect more than a phone number and an offer to make a rental car reservation.... | |
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| | | Man pleads guilty to torching car for cash | | Posted Friday, November 10, 2006 7:06:14 AM by Blog57 Team | | BRIDGETON -- A man with addresses in South Jersey and Florida pleaded guilty to stealing his aunt's car and setting it on fire in what a state deputy attorney general said was an attempt at insurance fraud. Jonathan Rodriguez could be sentenced to 120 days in Cumberland County Jail for his role in the attempted fraud, according to testimony at Monday's hearing before Superior Court Judge Timothy Farrell. Rodriguez, whose age was unavailable, had addresses in Orlando, Fla.; Axtell Apartments in Vineland; and Broad Street in Millville. .... | |
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| | | Ill. Insurance Officials: Urban Sprawl Fueling Car-deer Crashes | | Posted Tuesday, November 07, 2006 7:07:22 AM by Blog57 Team | | Albert Doyle hit the road early last month for a University of Illinois football game, but he says he wound up sidelined instead when a flash came out of nowhere along a familiar stretch of interstate. "The first I saw of the deer is when its head was almost to my front fender ... It happened so fast that it kind of numbs you,'' said Doyle, 75, of Rock Island. He walked away unhurt, but his car was crumpled in the Oct. 7 crash on Interstate 74 east of Galesburg. Officials say car-deer collisions are on the rise across the nation as more Americans trade congested city living for fast-growing suburbs or rural subdivisions that have invaded the countryside where deer once roamed. "All of the construction, whether for highways or new households, is pushing the deer out of their wooded areas,'' said Melissa Miles, a senior research analyst for State Farm, the nation's largest car insurer with 40 million policy holders.... | |
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| | | Low credit score can increase cost of private mortgage insurance | | Posted Saturday, November 04, 2006 11:19:38 AM by Blog57 Team | | If you're in the market for a new home and your credit score is marginal, your mortgage insurance rate might be hundreds of dollars higher per month than you expect. Some borrowers don't find out that their mortgage insurance will add significantly to their payments until they are sitting at the closing table. It's a nasty way to discover that credit scores affect more than interest rates. Lenders require mortgage insurance on loans in which borrowers finance more than 80 percent of the price. The Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Administration offer government insurance, but most insurance is provided by private companies, which is why the product often is called private mortgage insurance. The borrower pays for mortgage insurance, but the policy protects the lender by reimbursing foreclosure-related expenses.... | |
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| | | Car insurance still cheap - but watch the charges | | Posted Friday, November 03, 2006 1:31:16 PM by Blog57 Team | | Despite moves from Norwich Union to increase its premiums this summer, car insurance remains cheap and Britons faced with increasing premiums should change providers, new research shows. Currently the car insurance market is so competitive that providers are fighting for your custom, as such there are almost certainly discounts available for anyone faced with an increase in the cost of their car cover. "The intense amount of competition in the market at present is keeping comprehensive premiums from rising despite well reported industry views that they must increase," said Brian Brown, head of general insurance research at financial analysts Defaqto. "With the internet it is now so easy for customers to shop around and so many insurers are still giving introductory discounts, cashbacks or guarantees to beat other quotes, that there is little if any need for customers to stick with their existing insurer when faced with premium increases.... | |
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| | | Competition should keep UK car insurance premiums down | | Posted Wednesday, November 01, 2006 7:16:33 PM by Blog57 Team | | Consumers will continue to benefit from fierce competition in the car insurance market, despite fears of a widespread hike in premiums, according to a report yesterday. Financial research company Defaqto said drivers would still be able to find competitive deals, as competition intensifies in the £7.4 billion sector. That is despite motorists being warned that car insurance premiums were at the start of an upward trend, after Norwich Union announced price rises of up to 16 per cent in September. Firms trying to both raise premiums and maintain market share would find it "almost impossible", Defaqto said. Its report, Motor Insurance in the UK - Adapting to Survive, said average premiums, particularly for comprehensive cover, were almost static.... | |
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| | | Newest Entrant to Georgia's Auto Insurance Market Delivers Savings as Sweet as the State's Peaches | | Posted Sunday, October 29, 2006 11:11:49 AM by Blog57 Team | | ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2006 -- The Georgia Department of Insurance approved a filing for Unitrin Direct to do business in its state, and the increased competition could save Georgia residents money on their auto insurance costs. The Unitrin Direct auto insurance program streamlines its approach to business and often saves new customers up to 20% or more on their car insurance premiums. "Our customers can purchase and manage their policies directly with us online or over the phone," said Scott Carter, Unitrin Direct president. "It's convenient and dealing directly with us can result in substantial savings." Georgia is the 10th largest market in the country for personal automobile insurance and has recently experienced growth in the number of car insurance companies that sell policies there.... | |
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| | | Election becomes battleground in car insurance war | | Posted Thursday, October 26, 2006 11:02:17 AM by Blog57 Team | | The corporate dogfight over the future of the state's auto insurance system hasn't gone away, it's just shifted to a new arena: the race for governor. Commerce Insurance of Webster and Liberty Mutual Insurance of Boston, the two key players in the insurance fight, have placed big bets on the gubernatorial candidates they believe will do them the most good. Liberty is backing Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey , who has pledged to continue Governor Mitt Romney's push for a more deregulated system where companies would set their own rates. Campaign finance records indicate Liberty employees donated $19,700 this year to Healey and her lieutenant governor running mate Reed Hillman , and another $6,500 to the Republican State Committee, which is handling direct mail efforts for Healey.... | |
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