Post Date August 26, 2013 – Ohio auto insurance rates  being considered to be the lowest throughout the country, it has also been a fact Ohio auto insurance rates have been on the rise for the last few years.  Although many insurance professionals feel the market is hardening,  a report from the Ohio Department of Insurance  shows the average Ohio auto insurance rates from the states top 10 auto insurers have increased 4.1 percent between 2011 and 2012.  Ohio’s top ten 10 auto insurers account for 74 percent of the Ohio auto insurance rates in the entire state marketplace.

Ohio auto insurance rates in 2014 may increase……………….

Between 2008 and 2012, Ohio car insurance rates from the top 10 insurers in Ohio have increased  over 10%.   It has been known that Ohio’s largest car insurance company, State Farm,  showed the lowest overall rate increase with only 0.4%.  Zurich Insurance Group whom owns Farmers Insurance Company registered the biggest overall increase in the last decade with 26.3 percent.  The Ohio Insurance Institute spokesperson states that despite the hikes in car insurance prices, Ohio still has one the lowest average car insurance rates in the country

The one thing we can point to which is driving the increase in Ohio auto insurance rates is medical costs.   Weather related car insurance claims, and collision repair costs has the largest overall effect on Ohio auto insurance rates.  Recently, the only strong cause for the rate increases are the “derecho” storms that have plagued the state.  2012 brought strong winds and heavy rains.  Ohio auto insurance claims in the 10’s of  millions of dollars have hardened the car insurance market making it difficult for insurance buyers this year.  2012 had the highest record for insured losses due to the frequency and severity of bad weather.   Weather-related claims in 2012 are still within a manageable level.   Ohio auto insurance consumers are enjoying one of the lowest average auto insurance rates in the United States, with Ohio having rates much lower to the national average of $791.

Post Date August 21, 2013 – A Florida State Senator has a very strong desire to change the  no-fault auto insurance laws in the state. Florida senator David Simmons, said that he is dedicated to end Florida’s no fault auto insurance system. The law in comparison to other state insurance laws is outdated as no fault auto insurance fraud is very popular among no fault auto insurance thieves.

No fault auto insurance fraud could finally be on the decline

No fault auto insurance which is also known as PIP or personal injury protection has given out generous insurance payments to those persons who have been injured in an auto accident. States with the no-fault auto insurance has been a favorite target for fraudsters, milking  no fault auto insurance companies affecting the entire consumers who are burdened by higher insurance rates due to losses in the industry.

The PIP system in Florida has been in existence for 42 years already. Florida Law Makers have been wanting to reform the No Fault Auto Insurance Laws.  The want to make it harder to perpetrate auto insurance fraud, and hopefully would help lower the cost of auto insurance. Personal Injury Protection was installed as Florida’s Auto Insurance System to ensure their motorists have  their medical  costs are covered in a timely manner.   The sad thing is,  the system has been taken advantage by many through staging auto accidents, or by schemes that involve bogus health-care providers.  Although some groups support the elimination of Florida’a no fault auto insurance plan,  the reforms on Florida’s PIP law could go through the Court of Appeals and be deemed constitutional.  The state legislature might put the suggestion on the side to take on more pressing issues. Healthcare providers particular those that belong to the Florida Hospital Association (FHA) is not amenable to the new Simmons plan for they believe that a mandatory bodily injury system will slow down payments for injuries incurred by at-fault drivers.

Post Date August 17, 2013 – Admitting that she defrauded New York auto insurance company, a Utica, N.Y. woman is sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay close to $1, 500,000.00 in financial restitution for the car insurance fraud case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York identified the woman as Cynthia Morgan. She pleaded guilty on August last year that she conspired with her husband, David Morgan, along with three other people to commit mail and health care fraud seven years ago. The car insurance fraud case scheme involved staging a vehicular accident in Harbor Lock Road in Utica on March 20, 2006.

Car Insurance Fraud Case involves conspiracy 

Morgan claimed that she was injured when the van she was driving was struck by a truck driven by Michael Matrulli.  The van-truck collision did not happen and Morgan did not have any injuries.  The fake accident was planned and the car insurance fraud case involved her claiming to be injured and submitted false car insurance claims.  Aside from those no-fault benefits, she also filed a law suit for personal injury and permanent disability benefits.   She sought medical treatment for injuries that were non-existent or injuries that was not due to a car insurance incident.  Those medical benefits were paid  by Morgan’s Auto Insurance Company, Progressive Insurance Company. Morgan was also able to collect $108,000 in disability payments, and $30,000 from a settlement after she filed as a civil case to seek damages for what she claimed as personal injuries that were sustained due to the collision incident. InsureDirect.com has represented Progressive Insurance Company for nearly 21 years.  They are a superior car insurance carrier with some of the best rates on car insurance, motorcycle insurance, boat insurance and truck insurance.

When Morgan finishes up 27 months sentence, she will be placed under three years of supervision following her release.

Post Date August 12, 2013 – Although farm truck insurance is not required in many states, farmers find the need to protect their major vehicle investments. And farm truck is only one of such major investment.  These farmer vehicles do not come in cheap and farm truck insurance is important if these investments are damaged by accident.  Those involved in farming must protect their farm vehicles with farm truck insurance policy. These type of policies can be purchased at InsureDirect.com or from any licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Agent.

Farm Truck Insurance Policies are available through InsureDirect.com

Farm truck insurance is specifically designed to answer the need of farm owners whom have motor vehicle insurance specifically tailored to their farm vehicles such as trucks and tractors not used on public streets, roads and highways.  These vehicles are not only pricey investments, they are also a vital part of  a farm’s operation, and therefore, it would be a must for any good businessman to protect all investments made for his business.  Although not legally required; all farm trucks need farm truck insurance. This policy is particularly recommended for farm vehicles operated within the vicinity of a farm land and it must be maximize in farming tasks such as transporting farm products, fertilizers, or the delivery or transport for repair of farm machines. Farm vehicles can also be maximized for personal use. They be used to transport family members from the farm to the town, used for shopping and other activities aside from farming.  Any vehicle including farm trucks are susceptible to untoward incidents. These vehicles are not so different with other types of vehicles which can be subjected to theft or can be involved in traffic accidents. No one really knows what can happen to a particular truck’s operation. It may cause damage to other people and their properties, or it may cause itself physical damages.

Post Date August 9, 2013 – The House of Representative has just approved a bill to increase the state  minimum car insurance in Illinois .  Presently, the state minimum car insurance in Illinois stands at a $55,000 total for a single accident. This amount is being broken down in sections. $20,000 liability coverage for bodily injury for one person in an accident, $40,000 bodily injury liability to all persons injured in an accident, and $15,000 liability coverage for property damages.

State Minimum Car Insurance Law Changes in Illinois

The proposal for State Minimum Car Insurance In Illinois  was presented by Senator Daniel Bliss earlier in 2013, will amend the state Vehicle Code in order to increase the mandatory minimum coverage. Upon going through the legislative process, lawmakers agreed to increase the State Minimum Car Insurance In Illinois to the following:

$50,000 – Bodily injury/death to one person in an accident;
$100,000 – Bodily Injury/death to all persons in an accident;
$40,000 – Property damage.

SB 1898 was approved by the Illinois Senate on May 1 with 45-9 votes. On May 26, the bill was then approved by the House but with slight disapproval from other law makers. The law is now on it’s way to Illinois governor Pat Quinn for the final approval. If the State Minimum Car Insurance In Illinois bill is signed into law, it will be implemented on January 1, 2015. The State Minimum Car Insurance In Illinois will affect Illinois auto insurance policies to be issued or renewed on the aforementioned date.

Illinois is not alone among the states that sought increase on their minimum coverage. In Ohio, legislative efforts are being made to double-up the current required Ohio auto insurance. On the other hand, the state of West Virginia also attempted to increase their auto insurance minimums through SB 443. But since the bill was introduced and assigned to the Judiciary Committee of its Senate, it has not seen any progress.

Post Date August 4, 2013 – Misconceptions about homeowners insurance or homeowners insurance questions and answers is common among  insurance consumers.  In this post, we will discuss some of these misconceptions that tend to confuse consumers and the Homeowners Insurance Questions and Answers.  According to the survey conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI), about half of the homeowners in the United States who have the standard policy or commonly known as an HO-3,  do not know that this does not include earthquake coverage. Many also do not know that mold damage is also not be covered.  Most homeowners are not aware that personal belongings that have been stolen from their car is not covered by their auto insurance policy.  A questionnaire listing many homeowners insurance questions and answers found they were not aware items stolen from their car would be covered by their homeowners insurance.

Homeowners insurance questions and answers should be more important to home buyers

These misconceptions stem out from the homeowners lack of understanding on their policy. Most home buyers are in such a hurry buying their  home and policy, they neglected to learn about the coverage’s which is really important.  Not having  any understanding of your homeowners insurance policy can cost you hundreds, or if not, 10’s of thousands of dollars. The Princeton survey showed what most homeowners do understand or know about their policy. 90% of American homeowners are aware that their homeowners insurance cover fire incidents. 75% also knew that their coverage includes lawsuits from visitors who have been injured in their homes.  These answers were identified through the same survey of homeowners insurance questions and answers.

On the other hand, the survey also showed the attitude of homeowners as they buy their insurance. A quarter of the homeowners buy their coverage from an insurance company that their peers will recommend to them. Others surveyed disclosed that they buy their homeowners insurance from Insurance agents like InsureDirect.com which will show them excellent service.  Surprising, 17% of those surveyed said that they decide based on a homeowners policy based on the  price being offered, preferably the cheapest. Sadly, these are the homeowners whom find out they have insufficient coverage when a claim occurs.