Mortgage protection insurance cover can be a valuable asset to have in your corner in case you should lose your income. If you were to find yourself unable to work after suffering from an accident, illness or if you became unemployed via redundancy, you would be left struggling. In some cases, you could even lose your home due to repossession.
In 2005, the Citizens Advice made a super complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) about the payment protection insurance sector. The OFT began investigating along with the Financial Services Authority. Several well-known names were given fines for mis-selling payment protection insurance, However, mortgage payment protection insurance came through fairly unscathed, with the majority of mis-selling relating to other areas of protection insurance products. The Competition Commission then began an in-depth review and it is hoped that many changes will be seen within the sector when they release their findings.
When taken out correctly mortgage protection insurance cover can give the policyholder an income each month. This would ensure that they were able to keep up with the mortgage repayments. Falling behind by just a couple of months can lead to the lender seeking repossession. If you were to be recovering from illness then this would add more stress onto an already anxious situation. The same would apply when it came to finding another position.
A policy can start from between day 30 and 90 of continually being unemployed or from becoming unable to work. It would then continue to provide for between 12 and 24 months depending on the terms laid out by the provider. Some providers will backdate the cover to the first day so you have to check the terms of the individual policy when comparing the cost. This is also, where you can find out what exclusions exist in the protection policy.
Getting several quotes from independent specialist providers will get you cheaper cover. However, some homeowners are under the impression that mortgage protection insurance cover has to be taken with the lender. This is untrue. Some lenders can ask that you do take protection for the amount you are borrowing; however, you can choose to take it independently. By doing so, you are able to not only make great savings but also get access to the vital information needed.
All specialists will make essential information available and encourage the homeowner to read this thoroughly. They will do this by providing FAQs and making information available in plain English instead of being filled with the technical jargon usually associated with insurance. Taking out a policy with a lack of knowledge is what has led to mis-selling of cover. It also leads to individuals paying more for their policy than necessary.
Relying on the State can be a letdown. This is due to the fact that even if you were eligible to claim if you took out your mortgage after October 1995 you would have to wait several months. Then you would only receive help with the interest part of the mortgage up to £100,000. You could also fall short if you were to rely on savings as a way of mortgage protection insurance cover. Savings could possibly get you by in the short term. However, if you remained unfit or unemployed for any length of time they would soon disappear.
About the Author:
Simon Burgess is Managing Director of the award-winning British Insurance (www.britishinsurance.com), a specialist provider of low cost income payment protection insurance (PPI), mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) and loan payment protection insurance.
Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:41:02 - 100%
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