The CLUE reports are sold by LexisNexis and provide information about all claims relating to your home or your vehicle. The key problem is that, if the score is very low, it could cause your home address to be blacklisted. While this might be an accurate assessment of your risk profile, it would do a significant injustice to anyone later buying your home. As an aside, all the information is stored for not less than five years so insurers use your history of claims to assess the risk you will file another.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act is supposed to help you by requiring insurers to tell you when they share your information with anyone else, except CLUE reports are excluded from the Act. This brings us to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which does apply equally to credit and CLUE scoring. You have the right to ask LexisNexis and ISO Inc for one free copy of your insurance report every year. If you find any inaccuracies, you are entitled to have them corrected. If you feel the response of either LexisNexis or ISO Inc is unsatisfactory, you can insist a note is included in your file explaining your views. Unfortunately, you have no right to opt out of this sharing arrangement. Your insurers are entitled to continue sharing this information.

To protect yourself from higher home insurance quotes, you should routinely ask for a copy of your CLUE reports once a year. You also have a right to a free report if the insurer makes an “adverse decision” based on a CLUE report. The FCRA is there to protect your interests and, since home insurance rates can rise rapidly and without explanation, you should always find out what your insurance score is.

So why is it so difficult to detect fraud? Surely dishonesty should be obvious to an experienced insurance company? Well, sadly, detecting which claims are fraudulent is not easy. Let’s take a simple question. Both drivers involved admit there was an accident. One driver submits a medical report showing neck injuries. On what basis should the insurer challenge the medical report? Well, detailed investigation might show this particular clinic advertises for people to report accidents to them. Or this clinic may consistently be receiving business through referral networks. Either way, the clinic is found to specialize in the treatment of traffic accident injuries. This could make them highly skillful and deserving professional respect, or it could suggest the clinic exaggerates the injuries for its own profit when it bills for treatment, paying commission to referral agents and passing only some of the benefit on to “patients” who get settlements for their injuries. Is an insurer supposed to get a second opinion from an independent doctor on every patient from suspect clinics? Or suppose someone wants to get out of an auto loan so stages a small accident and pays a repair shop to set off the air bags and certify more serious damage so the vehicle will be totaled. If this is a one-off event and there’s no pattern to suggest this repair shop is dishonest, why should this particular claim set off alarm bells?

There’s no doubt the level of fraud has been at epidemic levels for a decade and more. Several billion dollars a year are being sucked out of insurance companies by criminals. In turn, all these losses are passed on to us in higher car insurance rates. This makes insurance fraud a political issue, albeit mainly in the no-fault states where the levels of dishonesty seem to be higher. Although there’s a National Insurance Crime Bureau established with the task of coordinating the fight against fraud, there’s little sign of success. It will take a major cultural change to deter people from this type of crime when the chances of being caught are so low. Even when staffing levels are improved by the insurers and the law enforcement agencies, there’s little observed change in behavior. The fraudulent claims keep coming in and the auto insurance quotes keep rising.

So, if you go back in time, printed words have always been used to manipulate people. They sell ideas to you. This means real power lies in the power to control access the means of publication. If a group can control what gets printed and distributed, the words can always tell the same story. But if the means of publication is open to other voices, this can give a completely different view of the world. This is why reputations can be made or unmade depending on who has the power to publish.

The problem for modern companies is anyone today can start up a blog or website. Many internet services are free to use. Similarly, the networking sites like Facebook allow people to write their opinions and describe their experiences. In the past, we would never get to hear Anne from Denver bought a steam cleaner that sprayed boiling water over her hands. Now she can write it and thousands of people can tweet it. It makes it very difficult for manufacturers and service providers to protect their reputations. This explains, in part, why insurance companies very rarely allow interaction on their sites. Since they cannot control what sometimes angry customers may say, they try to deny them a voice. Except there are now some very high profile sites on which people can complain about bad products and services. This movement is not yet sufficient to damage the vast insurance industry, but individual companies are finding it more difficult to prevent their reputations from slowly washing away.

This makes the recent announcement of a new online forum all the more encouraging. The intention is to allow people from both sides of the insurance relationship a chance to ask questions and have their say. Instead of a blank screen on which insurers give you the news they think you should hear, you can now ask about how to get more affordable car insurance rates, what to do if a claims adjuster low-balls the fair market value offer, and so on. This does not mean everyone on the forum will be an “innocent” consumer. There will inevitably be anonymous industry experts giving balancing views and opinions. But this is a hopeful sign of change. You may even get cheap car insurance quotes because of pressure through forums like this.

Let’s start with the good news. The courts in most states operate the rule that any ambiguity in the policy is always resolved in your favor. Courts reckon insurers can afford the best attorneys to write the contracts. If they can’t get the wording clear enough, that’s their problem and they have to pay out on your claims. But if the wording of the agreement is clear, you’re caught by whatever it says. If you never bothered to read the policy or read it and failed to understand, that’s your problem.

As an example, here’s a recent case from sunny Florida. M lived on her own. She owned and insured a car, but allowed her granddaughter to drive it. Her granddaughter lived with her parents at a separate address. On the fateful day, the granddaughter was driving the car with the family as passengers. There was an accident. The driver and passengers were injured. So here comes the first question. Can you say who your “relatives” are? That’s easy, isn’t it. This is anyone related to you by blood or marriage, and it has nothing to do with where they live. So if the policy says the insurer will pay on a claim when the car is driven by the insured and his or her relatives, you know what that means. Does the policy also cover the car when it’s driven by anyone else with the insured’s consent? That can be important if, for some reason, you need a neighbor or friend to drive you around.

So what do you make of this phrase: there’s no coverage for any injuries to an insured or a family member living with the insured. Is the “insured” always M, the policyholder paying the premium installments, or does it include relatives or others driving with the owner’s consent? The Florida appeals court has just held the word “insured” always refers to the driver. This meant the granddaughter and her parents could not claim for their injuries because they lived together in the same house. You would have known that, right? This car insurance policy is unambiguous. You didn’t think M was the insured and so the driver and her passengers could claim?

Courts have a habit of thinking some words have obvious meanings. If you are covered when you drive, you are insured no matter whether you pay the premium. So to prevent being caught, read the policy before signing. Don’t just accept the car insurance quotes on the basis of cost. If you have any doubt, ask what the policy means.

So let’s say you decide to make the long drive, here are a few basic precautions before you set off. First, the farther you are proposing to drive at a busy time of the year, the higher the risk of an accident. Sadly, the holidays bring out a lot of weekend drivers who suddenly switch from short runs to a long journey. They tend to lose concentration. Some even fall asleep at the wheel. So now is the time to think carefully about collision and comprehensive cover (assuming you don’t already have them), and check your health insurance to ensure there will be enough money to cover any visits to the ER out-of-state should you have an accident. That way, you can avoid unpleasant surprises if your journey is interrupted.

Now spend a little money on some routine maintenance. You trust your vehicle when it’s just running around locally. A long run is a whole different ballgame so check the tires and have the engine serviced. The last thing you want is a breakdown in the middle of nowhere when no local garages want to come out and rescue you. Remember to pack emergency supplies should you be stuck by the road in bad weather.

Now suppose you decide to rent a big comfortable people mover for the journey or you fly and rent at the airport. You need to think carefully about insuring the rental. The rental company must give you the basic minimum liability insurance for the state(s) in which you will be driving. Remember, most of these policies do not cover you if you drive into Canada or Mexico. Now the big decision. Even if you have a collision and comprehensive policy on your own vehicle that covers you when you drive a rental, you can find your premium rates climb if you make a claim. It therefore makes sense to buy the Loss Damage Waiver. This pays all the bills if the rental is damaged or stolen. Finally, check your homeowners insurance to see whether all your possessions will be covered in a rental vehicle. It’s probably better to deal with this before you confirm the rental agreement. Get auto insurance quotes for the different possible types of cover. If you are paying for the rental by credit card, there may be some auto insurance thrown in but check the terms and conditions carefully.

This is where statistics hit the wall of prejudices from all the individual employees who resist being rousted out of their comfortable offices and set workplace routines. The evidence suggests that every $1 spent on a comprehensive wellness program saves about $3 in health costs. Even more interestingly from the employer’s point of view is that healthy employees tend to have better morale and work more effectively. When you add in better attendance and greater productivity, employers tend to be pleased by the outcomes. So how are employers persuading their employees to play ball (literally and metaphorically)? The answer comes in two completely different elements.

First, the program must be well-designed. This starts with an analysis of the health records of all the staff. When the employers look back through all the health claims made over as long a period as possible, it’s possible to identify the health problems most consistently affecting the loyal workers. Pleasingly, this may indicate changes to work practices to reduce the incidence of these problems. For example, if too many staff are affected by repetitive strain injuries, a simple redesign of the work may avoid the problem. This will improve the attitude of the staff who will no longer feel victimized and save money on health claims. To speed this process along, it’s often a good idea to establish employee committees to discuss workplace problems and suggest improvements to minimize injuries. Again the evidence shows directly involving the employees in changing workplace routines to make life easier and safer is highly motivating.

Second, staff have to feel motivated not just in theoretical discussions but also in participation. This relies on financial incentives. Look at bonuses for completing a course of activities, or in hitting a weight target, or being able to meet a jogging target. This can be in cash or in contributions to the health savings accounts. The more employees receive incentives, the better their active engagement. The result of the best programs is cheap health insurance rates for all active participants. The word of mouth generated by those with savings encourages the slackers. Health insurance rates will be lower if all if employers plan and reward their staff.

Yes, it’s a fact that you can get a different premium just because of your gender. But before you start calling in the court for a discrimination case take a look at the facts that drive the insurance companies to act so strange. First of all you have to understand that insurance companies are crazy about assessing the risk they take upon themselves when insuring someone. They will use any awkward factor that will allow them to predict how it is likely for a person to file an insurance claim. And while the place of residence, education and marital status may seem logic from that perspective the gender of the driver isn’t something rational from the customer’s point of view. Yet, the statistics state otherwise and insurance companies are happy to use them in order to support their approach.

According to statistics female drivers file less claims then male drivers. And not because there are more men on the road in general. In relative terms the percentage of women filing claims is less compared to men. Moreover, female drivers tend to end in far less serious accidents, causing less damage and implying less costs to cover. Because of that the insurance companies usually charge female drivers with lower auto insurance rates than men. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all female drivers are good on the road and don’t cause any trouble. There are always good and bad drivers no matter the gender, age, social status and place of residence. However, the general trend is as described above and insurance companies take in consideration every aspect of the statistics that allows them to handle their risks.

If you are a male driver and find yourself offended by such a trend in auto insurance price formation there’s only one solution available – shopping around. There are many companies out there with different statistics concerning their customers, so there is a chance to find a company that has as many accidents with female drivers involved as men. Still, the best thing to really set your mind to is having a good auto insurance policy. Does it really matter who is paying more or less? The really important thing is that your policy would be adequate to your personal needs and priced as competitively as possible.

If the roots from one of your trees produces cracks in your neighbor’s home, or a stranger passing by falls over a cracked sidewalk, you can face a claim. This will usually be covered under the liability section of the policy. You can also face enforcement action from your local council. Local laws usually entitle the council to order you to remove “dangerous” trees and make good the sidewalk. If you refuse, the council can come on to your land, remove the tree and send you the bill. Whoever’s responsible for maintaining the road outside your home is likely to have similar powers. Completely removing a large tree can be an expensive business. Unfortunately, your insurance policy only covers you when your trees cause loss or damage to others. It does not pay out for preventive work to cut back the branches or roots. You get to pay the tree surgeon to do that out of your own savings.

When the snow and ice builds up on the branches, the additional weight can bring them down. This is where your study of the policy terms can pay off. Most policies pay for the repair of your own home or garage if a tree blows over or heavy branches fall through the roof. The unknown is whether the policy will also cover the cost of removing the tree or branch. Hiring men with chainsaws and a truck to remove the pieces does not come cheap. If the tree simply falls to the ground without damaging any structure, the chances of a successful claim for removal are small. Remember if your tree falls on your car, only comprehensive cover will get you back on the road. There are standard terms covering storm damage and, damage caused by falling branches or lumps of ice from trees is usually included.

The fact the northeast has just experienced record snow for October should convince you of the need to review your home insurance policy. In 2010, the Insurance Information Institute reports total claims of $2.6 billion for winter storm damage alone. The weather is causing an increasing amount of damage and, unless you have good cover from your homeowners insurance policy, you might find it difficult to repair your home.

The point of this cover is simple. No matter how hard you try, no pre-estimate of the cost of rebuilding is ever absolute. It’s only when you get on the ground and start work you find out what all the problems are going to be. Costs have an unfortunate habit of rising and it’s relatively common for owners to have to sacrifice features of their old home to get the building work finished within budget. But, if you’re prepared to pay about 10% more on the premium rate, you can buy guaranteed cover, i.e. the insurer will pay the actual cost.

Let’s go back to the beginning again. Many insurance policies have a cap, i.e. the insurer places an upper limit on the amount you can claim. This may be a limit for all standard policyholders, or the cap may vary depending on the amount of premium you pay. The only way you can avoid the cap is by buying the extended cover. Why might costs go up significantly more than you expect? Suppose you bought an older home. It was picturesque with a wooden frame and shingles. If you now come to rebuild it, you can find reproducing the traditional building methods are expensive when you face compliance with the current building code. Everything may need to be redesigned including the electrical and plumbing systems. Once you are talking in hundreds of thousands for rebuilding, paying an extra 10% in premium can be very good value to get guaranteed completion.

Stepping outside the scope of the homeowners insurance policy, some insurers are now offering Home Value Protection policies to safeguard against a fall in the resale value of your property. In reality, this is slightly closer to a bet than most insurance policies and you need to read the terms carefully. Most have a high deductible if you claim during the first two years. Since most experts believe the housing market will begin to pick up again within the next two years, you may conclude such policies are not good value for money. Nevertheless, the next time you’re reviewing your insurance portfolio, it may be interesting to get additional quotes for Home Value Protection when you get your homeowners insurance quotes.

Many insurance companies are already increasing the deductible whether you asked for it or not. The reason for this is the rise in the number of claims from bad weather. No matter what your view on global warming or climate change, the last two years have seen record-breaking claims for damage caused by snow, flooding, tornadoes and hurricanes. This year is ending on another unusual note with unexpected snowfall disrupting the northeast in late October, early November. The amount of snow and disruption to more than 2 million homes has broken new records for October for West Virginia through to Maine. All these additional claims mean premium rates will be going up again next year, and the deductibles are being adjusted on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Don’t be caught out. Before you raise the deductible yourself, find out what your insurer has done. Second, if you do increase the deductible, can you afford to self-insure all the small accidental losses around the home? If not, resist rises in the deductible.

Now on to the other discounts. In the good old days before the internet, people used to rely on the agent to claim all the discounts. These people knew you and your home. They understood the inner working of the insurers. They used to protect you (well, they were supposed to protect you). Now you have moved online, you are the only one who can look out for your own interests. There are a range of monitors and sensors you can fit to your home that will save you money. The details will vary from company to company so, before you spend any money, get a list of the approved devices and cost their installation. Never fit anything unless you can recover the cost in savings within a reasonable period of time. These include central station alarm systems for both unauthorized entry and temperature rises, smoke, water and gas leaks, and so on. Whenever you renovate, ensure your rebuilding cover is increased and that you gain access to the discounts.

Finally, revisit the question of bundling policies together with the same insurer. Almost all companies will give you a discount if you give them more business. So if you have one or two family cars, giving the same company both the auto and homeowners insurance policies can represent at least 10% in savings. This needs quite careful research to confirm. Get as many quotes as possible for individual cover with different companies, and then look at what savings you will get if you bundle with any one of them. Never assume one of your existing companies will give you the best deal. Always shop around and get as many car and homeowners insurance quotes as possible.