Archive for December, 2009

VA Refinance Lenders

Veterans who are interested in the VA streamline refinance program or the VA cash out refinance program do not need to use the same lender as they used for their initial VA home loan. Veterans can chose any lender VA approved lender’s list to do a VA streamline refinance or a VA cash out refinance. Veterans can shop around and chose the lender that they wish to deal with.

A good lender can help veterans and their families chose the right refinance to meet their needs. The current economic climate has effected families in different ways. The VA streamline refinance program is a great deal, but it may not be for everyone. Since there is no credit check, the VA streamline refinance must include all of the original borrowers. For some families, due to divorce, this may not be an option.
Veterans should always shop for a lender that is knowledgeable about the VA refinance options and how they can help families.

Shopping for the best lenders will also yield the best possible terms. Make sure that you shop around for your VA streamline refinance, there are many approved VA lenders to chose from. There are many options for veterans to refinance and save money each month and many lenders willing to offer their assistance.

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7 ways to get sued for insurance fraud

The hard times many of us had to face with the recession have made some people think of “special” ways for getting some extra money. And when every dollar counts, any measure will do. Insurance companies report records in claims these days, typically for small amounts, and there’s a growing number of frauds the carriers have to deal with. Having overwhelming numbers of claims may seem like the perfect way to get a fraud unnoticed, but fortunately for insurance companies it is not so.

Every insurance company has its own special investigation unit, which is usually comprised of people who have experience working in law enforcement domain. And as you’ve guessed it, this unit is dealing with cases when fraud is suspected. Taking into account that fraud is illegal, these guys are just as serious as police detectives and FBA agents – when there’s a crime, they are bloodthirsty for finding out the truth. And that’s what they typically see people trying to get away with:

1. Leaving the car unlocked and the keys in place.

Missing a set of keys when your “car” gets stolen and having no signs of forced entry when it is found will make the investigation unit suspect that you’ve just decided to get rid of your car and get money for it.

2. Blame vandals for setting your auto on fire after spilling some gasoline somewhere near the engine.

You may think that the fire will destroy all the evidence. Well, there are things like computer simulations, pattern analysis and other ways to investigate such cases that will get you red-handed.

3. Visit your doctor after the accident too often.

Some doctors will be quite nice to you and provide medical attention even when it’s not needed anymore, for a special price of course. Needless to say that there are medical experts in investigation units, who clearly now how much medical attention does the person need in every particular situation. Besides, insurance companies keep track of the doctors and attorneys who encourage more medical bills to be paid by the carrier.

4. Filing a claim for an accident that didn’t happen.

If there’s no damage to your car, but you claim to have been hit, insurance company investigators will analyze all the data and clearly see if you are telling the truth or not. And you’d better be telling the truth, otherwise expect to get sued anytime soon.

5. Add some people to the car, claiming they were there during the accident.

Remember that accident reports and accounts are analyzed thoroughly and if the information differs, investigators will get very suspicious. It’s not only your report that is read when the claim get filed, the police report, witness report and the other party’s report are also taken into account. Read the rest of this entry »

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How to save money when insuring your car?

1. Low mileage discounts really help. You can opt for one if you use a lot of public transportation, work at home or simply drive less than 10,000 miles annually. Carpools also give you the possibility to discuss low mileage discounts with your insurance carrier.

2. Raise the deductibles to be paid. Increasing your deductible two times will result in an average 10% decrease in your annual rates, depending on your insurance carrier. Also, if you have an old vehicle, you might want to go without comprehensive and collision coverage in general, because it may be just unreasonably costly. But in that case be prepared to pay for the repair out of your pocket.

3. Hybrids help you save money. Some insurance carriers offer up to 10% discounts for driving a hybrid vehicle. Still, if you don’t feel like owning one of such cars yet, you may go with a safe profile car instead. Insurance companies issue report containing the safety rating of car makes and models, so it’s a good idea to think about.

4. Do not pay for coverage you don’t use. Dropping coverage types such as Roadside Assistance, Towing and Rental Car coverage will give you another possibility to save money. Especially, considering the fact that some insurance companies actually provide roadside assistance to their customers as part of the policy.

5. Check your credit report on a regular basis. Your credit rating is one of the elements that strongly influence the final premium you will pay. Keeping your credit record clean of bad debts and outdated payments will earn you a higher credit rating and will help you get a lower insurance premium.

6. Don’t lapse your insurance policy. Missing your annual policy payment is likely to cause its cancellation, and it will be much harder and more costly to get a new policy even with another provider as this will be noted in your report. In case you don’t have the money to pay your premium in full, ask your agent if a partial installment will prevent you from losing the policy. Read the rest of this entry »

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