More life insurance

A recent study by LIMRA International showed that 44 percent of U.S. households say they need more life insurance and 27 percent say they expect to buy life insurance in the coming year. If all these folks were to purchase insurance, it is estimated that the policies would add about $9 billion to industry revenues, almost doubling the amount of new premiums written each year.
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NAIFA PAC

The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors boasts the largest Political Action Committee in the insurance industry. The NAIFA PAC ranks among the top one percent of all 3,700 PACs registered with the Federal Election Commission. The PAC contributed approximately $3 million to federal and state candidates and committees during the last election cycle.
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Women

Women usually pay less for auto insurance than their male counterparts. Statistically, women take more care on the roads; they drive shorter distances and maintain safer speed limits than men. Additionally, women are more likely to buy smaller and cheaper cars than men, which are less costly to repair and require lower insurance claims.
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Insurance Daily

"Insurance for Dummies" introduces readers to the basics of every kind of insurance. It provides expert advice and step-by-step guidance for life, health, car, home, and other kinds of insurance. Author Jack Hungelmann, CIC, CPCU, has over 25 years of insurance experience and has taught several classes on personal risk management and insurance.
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Depression

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the World Health Organization as published in a recent New York Times article. It costs more in treatment and lost productivity than anything but heart disease. Only a very small percentage of those who suffer from depression receive appropriate treatment for their condition.
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Wars

There are currently over forty ongoing conflicts or wars occurring around the globe. Most of these conflicts are being fought in developing countries of Africa and Asia. The majority of the conflicts are classified as civil wars. The UN defines a "major war" as a conflict causing 1,000 battlefield deaths per year. As of 2005, there were eight major wars under way, down from fifteen at the end of 2003.
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Credit life insurance

Credit Life Insurance is insurance coverage on a borrower designed to repay the balance of a loan in the event the borrower dies before the loan is repaid. Credit insurance policies are often sold along with home mortgage loans and autos, and sometimes with credit cards. Although purchased by the consumer/borrower, the benefit payment goes to the company financing the purchase to satisfy a debt.
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Insurance-friendly autos

One way to save on auto insurance is to buy an "insurance-friendly" automobile. Insurance-friendly autos often cost less. They also will not show up in any of the following categories: vehicles with high horse power, sports cars, high performance vehicles, luxury vehicles, vehicles with technology features, large SUVs, very small vehicles and vehicles with high theft rates.
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Defined benefit retirement

A defined benefit retirement plan is a company retirement plan that promises the participant a specific monthly benefit at retirement based on salary history and years of service. The employer bears the investment risk and usually makes the contributions. An example of a defined benefit plan is a company sponsored pension plan.
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Insurance Daily

The 1944 Supreme Court Case of the United States v. Southeastern Underwriters Association found SEUA's practice of setting multi-state rates to be in violation of federal antitrust laws. This decision overturned an 1869 Supreme Court case decision that upheld states’ jurisdiction of regulation, and made the business of insurance subject to federal regulation for the first time.
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Indemnity health

A health insurance indemnity plan pays a pre-determined percentage of health care costs, while the insurance company pays the balance. Fees for services vary from physician to physician. Indemnity health plans allow individuals to choose any health care provider. Less than 10 percent of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored health coverage use indemnity plans.
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The Property Casualty Insurers Association

The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America was established in January 2004 by merger of the Alliance of American Insurers and the National Association of Independent Insurers. PCI serves more than 1,000 member companies, and delivers advocacy through more than 80 publications, bulletins and alerts, as well as through its standing committees and seminars. Visit PCI at pciaa.net.
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Insurance underwriters

Insurance underwriters are responsible for assessing the insurability of a policy applicant. They use applicant information, reports and studies to decide insurability and calculate terms and premium. According to the Bureau of Labor's Occupational Outlook, the number of underwriters will decline over the next ten years as the use of underwriting software increases worker productivity.
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Climate change

According to a recent article published in the Christian Science Monitor, insurers see an increased risk with climate change and are acting accordingly. Travelers Insurance offers hybrid car owners a 10% discount. Fireman's Fund has lowered premiums for energy-efficient and "green" buildings. Insurers also view environmentally-aware customers as better risks and therefore as preferred customers.
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Auto Insurance Rates

A commonly held auto insurance myth is that the state or federal government sets the auto insurance rates you pay. This is not the case. Although auto insurers are regulated by each state, the government has no direct bearing on how much you pay for auto insurance. Rates are established by the type of car you drive, where you live, your credit score, marital status and your driving record.
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Chartered Life Underwriter

Insurance agents that specialize in life insurance and estate planning may denote a CLU credentials in their title. A Chartered Life Underwriter is a professional designation granted by American College of Life Underwriters. CLU designation requires an individual to complete five core courses and three elective courses, and successfully pass eight two-hour, 100-question examinations.
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Pricing auto insurance

Save money by pricing auto insurance before you make a car purchase. The cost of auto insurance varies and depends on the type of car and its driver. Do not wait until after your car purchase to pay unexpectedly high insurance rates. Save yourself some time and effort by making the insurance cost part of the car buying decision.
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GEICO

GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company. Leo and Lillian Goodwin established GEICO in the mid-1930s, selling auto insurance to federal employees and military officers in the Washington, D.C. area. GEICO enjoyed steady growth over the next several decades. In 1995, GEICO became a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. GEICO is the fourth largest auto insurer in the U.S.
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Auto insurance factors

Insurers use as many as twenty factors to underwrite auto insurance policies. All things being equal, an auto policy holder will pay less if any of the following conditions apply: clean driving record, reside outside an urban area, credit rating is high, age 25 or older, female, married, make and model of vehicle is not prone to theft or is not considered high-performance.
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Insurance Daily

Almost two-thirds of all U.S. states have enacted "I'm Sorry" laws. These laws allow a doctor to apologize for medical mistakes without allowing the admission to be used against them in court. This legislation responded to malpractice defense strategies that make victims feel angry and further encourage law suits. Malpractice insurers advise doctors against the use of any admission language.
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Three basic benefits

Every legal American worker is entitled by federal law to three basic benefits. Workers' compensation provides insurance for work-related injuries or death. Social security provides retirement income and disability coverage for workers and their dependents. Unemployment insurance provides payments for a period of time presumably long enough to allow workers to find new jobs.
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Dog bite claims

Nearly five million Americans are bitten by dogs every year, with an estimated 800,000 requiring medical treatment, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dog bite claims paid by insurance companies fell from about 21,000 in 2002 to 15,000 in 2005. During that same period, the average dog bite claim increased significantly, from about $16,600 to more then $21,200.
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Strategic risk

According to a recent Ernst and Young study of the insurance industry, potential climate change is the greatest strategic risk currently facing the property/casualty insurance industry. Other high risks include: demographic shifts in markets; catastrophic events; competition from new players; and regulatory intervention.
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Hurricanes

There is growing national concern of vulnerability to hurricanes. A major hurricane hits the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coastline on average every four years. There are ten times more people living in the Atlantic and Gulf coastal counties as there were twenty years ago. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of people vacation in coastal regions during the height of hurricane season.
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Insurance Daily

Most property insurers use one of two major property claims databases for underwriting a policy: the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) and the Automated Property Loss Underwriting System (A-PLUS). These systems enable insurers to check the claim history of both the homeowner and the property that the homeowner is purchasing.
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First auto accident fatality in the U.S.

Henry Hale Bliss was the first recorded auto accident fatality in the United States. In September 1899, Bliss was struck by a taxi cab at the intersection of 74th Street and Central Park West in New York, when he paused to help a woman passenger get out of a trolley car. Bliss died the next day. A ceremonial plaque was dedicated to at this site in September 1999.
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Term life insurance

Term life insurance is a type of life insurance policy that provides death protection for a stated time period or term. It was developed to provide temporary life insurance protection on a limited budget. The first term life policies were issued in Philadelphia in 1759 to benefit the families of Presbyterian ministers.
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Insurance Daily

Term life insurance pays money to a designated beneficiary upon the death of the policyholder. A general rule of thumb to determine the amount of term insurance to buy says multiply your current annual income by the number of years until retirement, but no more than 20.
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