Customer Satisfaction With Home Claims Experience Much Lower Than Auto

According to a new J.D. Power and Associates study, satisfaction among homeowners insurance customers who file a property claim is significantly lower than that of auto.

The study found that customer satisfaction with the home claims experience averages 828 on a 1,000-point scale. In comparison, satisfaction with the auto claims experience averages 842.

"Home claims are typically far more complex than auto claims, and homeowners insurance claimants tend to have less knowledge of the specifics of their policy coverage than do auto claimants," said Jeremy Bowler, senior director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Although satisfying home claimants is particularly challenging, it's still crucial for insurance providers to meet the needs of these customers, given the significant impact the experience has on long-term policy retention."

If you are happier with your auto insurance than your home insurance, it might be time to find new homeowner's insurance!

The Value of Renters Insurance

One thing that I do whenever I go out of town (besides eat poorly) is worry about my apartment and whether or not my stuff is safe. Call me paranoid, but it's just what I do. For me, there would be few things worse than coming home from a trip to find that my apartment has been ransacked by a stranger. This is one of the main reasons I have renters insurance, and it really allows me to take a step back and not think about it so much.

According to a new AllState survey reported at USNews, one in three people think that renters insurance costs more than it actually does. Some respondents assumed that it costs as much as fifteen times the real amount. The truth is, there are many insurance policies that can be taken out for only a few hundred dollars a year. This is a small price to pay to protect your belongings, which can easily cost more than $10,000. Considering that apartments are 50 percent more likely to be burglarized than homes, the numbers start to point towards getting a renters insurance policy.

To read more about the AllState survey, visit USNews. If you're interested in renters insurance, you can always get help with WhiteFence.

Auto Insurance Deals for Teenagers?

Typically, there are a few constants about our society that we tend to accept. Green means go. Red means stop. Turn off your cell phone at a movie theater. You know, the usual. One of those staples of our modern world happens to do with teenagers and car insurance. More specifically, that it's typically expensive to insure a teenager to drive. However, it seems that things are changing.

According to CarInsurance, more and more insurance providers are starting to offer better, cheaper coverage for young drivers. It seems that this "move comes amid greater competition among insurance companies, and at a time that young drivers are not quite the risk they once were for a variety of reasons".

Some of the factors that are easing the bill on young drivers include:

• State restrictions on teenage drivers. Texas, for instance, has a curfew for young drivers. In addition, some states have "no cell phone" policies and a limit on whether or not teenagers can drive others to and fro.
• Parental involvement and investment with devices like DriveCam, which "can record what's going on inside a car and the view outside through the windshield". There are even mechanisms which act like a GPS signal on the car, telling parents where the car is. This device can also be used to shut the car off.
• Safety programs. Some auto insurance agencies are offering discounts for drivers with good grades, or who participate in certain recommended safety courses.

All in all, it's good to get informed about what insurance companies are doing when it comes to young drivers. To read more about auto insurance for teenagers, head to CarInsurance.

If you're currently in the market for auto insurance, did you know that you can find that in addition to other insurance services online at WhiteFence?

Experts Predict Above-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season

Experts at the NOAA Climate Prediction Center are projecting a 75 percent chance that the Atlantic Hurricane Season will be above normal this year—showing the ongoing active hurricane era remains strong. With the start of the hurricane season upon us, NOAA recommends those in hurricane-prone regions to begin their preparation plans.

"For the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA scientists predict 13 to 17 named storms, with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could become major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher," said retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. An average Atlantic hurricane season brings 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, including two major hurricanes.

"With expectations for an active season, it is critically important that people who live in East and Gulf coastal areas as well as the Caribbean be prepared," said Bill Proenza, NOAA National Hurricane Center director. "Now is the time to update your hurricane plan, not when the storm is bearing down on you."

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with peak activity occurring August through October. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center will issue an updated seasonal forecast in August just prior to the historical peak of the season.

For more information, check out the NOAA site.

Yahoo Goes Antiphishing

Yahoo Inc. is testing a security service designed to prevent Web surfers from landing on sites that look like they are from Yahoo but actually fakes set up by criminals to carry out phishing scams. The service, currently supporting only U.S. Yahoo Web sites, lets users know if they have landed on a legitimate Yahoo sign-in Web page, preventing them from entering their Yahoo ID and password on a phishing site. A Yahoo spokeswoman said it is being tested and hasn't been officially announced.

A huge online security problem, phishing scams set up legitimate-looking Web sites from well-known companies, such as banks, online stores, and Web portals, and try to lure people to them via e-mail and other methods. The scammer's main goal is to convince people to enter sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card numbers, leaving them vulnerable to ID theft and fraud.

Each Yahoo sign-in seal will be associated with an individual computer, requiring to installation on every computer a person plans on using. Once installed, the seal will appear on Yahoo sign-in screens, letting the user know the site is genuine. To create a seal, users will need to either enter text terms or upload an image unique to them. This information is displayed in the seal that only appears on legitimate Yahoo sign-in screens.

Test this new Yahoo! service or read more about it in the PCWORLD article Yahoo Tests Antiphishing Service. 

Preparing for the hurricane season

Hurricanes present several dangers, including storm surges, high winds, tornadoes and flooding. Because of all of these dangers, you need to be prepared. You should have a plan for any type of disaster that can occur during a hurricane. You should plan escape routes as well as consider where you would go should a hurricane occur and you need to evacuate.

When planning where you will go should you need to evacuate, you need to make provisions for your pets. The need for having an emergency plan for your pets was brought to light by the tragedies that occurred during Hurricane Katrina. Because hotels and shelters may not take pets, you will have to make sure other accommodations are available.

Additionally, everyone in a hurricane prone area should have disaster supply kit. It should include water, non-perishable food, batteries, flashlights, bedding and pillows, clothing, first aid kit, pet supplies, toiletries, radio, telephones and other essential items. If you have a kit prepared from a previous hurricane season, you should review the items and make sure you do not need to replace anything.

To reduce the damage to your house caused by the storm, you will need to secure your home. The most important precaution you can take to reduce damage to your home and property is to protect the areas where wind can enter. According to recent wind technology research, it is important to strengthen the exterior of your house so wind and debris do not tear large openings in it. You can do this by protecting and reinforcing five critical areas, namely the roof, straps, shutters, doors and garage doors of your home.

Finally, before hurricane season, you should make sure your home and property is properly insured. If you are renting, you should get a renters insurance policy, since your landlord's insurance policy only covers structural damage to the building.

Guide for first-time renters

Are you a first-time renter? If you never rented before, you should check out the article 7 sins of first-time renters. The seven sins it lists are:

1. Underestimating your cost of living
2. Not prioritizing correctly your list of needs and wants for your new apartment
3. Not seeing the property before you sign the lease
4. Failing to read the lease completely
5. Not connecting your utilities on time
6. Failing to get renters insurance
7. Forgetting basic items.

At worst, forgetting these items can have potentially disastrous results. Make sure to read the article before you begin your apartment search so you can avoid these pitfalls.

Learning about Renters Insurance

Not really sure why you would need renters insurance? Many renters are shocked to find out their apartment complex's insurance only covers structural damage to the building. That means if you don't have renters insurance, any damage to your personal belongings will not be covered. That's why all renters should get renters insurance. Policies vary, but many cover direct physical loss to personal property if damaged by:

• Fire
• Lightning
• Windstorm
• Hail
• Riot or civil commotion
• Smoke
• Vandalism or malicious mischief
• Theft
• Falling objects
• Weight of ice, snow or sleet
• Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam
• Sudden accidental tearing, cracking or burning of certain appliances or water heating systems
• Freezing of certain systems or appliances
• Sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electric current
• Volcanic eruption

MSN Money has a great article on the basics of renters insurance. You should take a look at it if you are a renter. You can find out the benefits of renters insurance as well as tips on how to keep your premium low.

Staying informed during hurricane season

Since hurricane season began last Thursday, it is good for you to know where you can go to get up-to-date information on hurricane activity. One good cite is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center Web site. This site gives you information on current storms, hurricane predictions and hurricane history. If you are in a hurricane prone area, you should check out this Web site.

Busy Hurricane Season Expected

Although the National Hurricane Center doesn't expect a repeat of the record-making 2005 hurricane season, they have predicted that their will be between four to six major hurricanes, with as many as 16 named storms. Additionally, Max Mayfield, the director for National Hurricane Center, suggests that everyone on the gulf coast prepare for a storm, since it only takes one hurricane hitting your town to make it a "bad season."

Along with putting together emergency supplies and learning evacuation routes, now is the time to check your insurance to make sure you are covered in the case of a hurricane. Once you know that a hurricane is on its way to your hometown, it is too late to buy additional insurance. If you find that you do need insurance, you can get renters insurance quickly using WhiteFence.