Smart Auto Insurance Blog

Allstate Insurance continued its crackdown of insurance fraud in New York state to close out 2011.  Many insurance companies have a big problem with insurance fraud because of the no-fault coverage issued in the state of New York, according to Insurance News Net’s “Allstate Files $1.1M Insurance Fraud Case in NY.”  This most recent lawsuit for $1.1 million is against sixteen people accused of falsely running companies they said were owned by a medical doctor in order to submit false claims to Allstate.  This is Allstate’s ninth insurance fraud lawsuit in New York this year and their thirty-sixth since 2007.

Unfortunately, no-fault auto insurance has been causing a fraud nightmare in the state of New York for years.  Consumers in New York pay more for their auto insurance because there is so much fraud, dubbed a ‘fraud tax’ by some.  An Allstate spokesperson urges New York lawmakers to enact and enforce regulation that will eliminate no-fault insurance or find a way to eliminate the fraud it is causing.

This most recent scheme involved multiple small companies and individuals sending medical claims and referrals in violation of the no-fault law.  Everything was under the guise of a named medical doctor who does not really exist.  Allstate’s Special Investigative Unit filed this lawsuit to recoup the more than $1 million it feels it lost.  Allstate Insurance is joined by many other insurers, like Donegal Insurance, and state leaders in New York in their battle to reform the no-fault auto insurance system.

Written by Sara Smart

Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SaraSmart55

Many insurance companies across the nation felt the harsh effects of the spring storms throughout April and May including Donegal Insurance.  Donegal Group, INC, expects to feel a $13 million to $15 million hit in the 2nd quarter from all of the recent claims brought upon by the devastating storms the swept the mid-west and affecting many areas of the US.

The article “Donegal Sees $13M-$15M Effect From Claims” by Tim Stuhldreher on CentralPennBusiness.com points out that claims of about $7 million to $8 million will be paid due to mid-Atlantic hail and storm damages and another $4 million to $5 million paid to the South due to the tornadoes that hit this area.  Another $2 million is going to the mid-west for wind and hail.

Donegal plans on covering additional losses through their reinsurance programs.  This is to help the blow of the loss be less painful.  Their subsidiaries will give about $3 million to keep their reinsurance coverage throughout the rest of 2011.  Many companies have felt the impact of all of these home and auto insurance claims, but Donegal remains positive that they are handling the situation and their preparation for such events has paid off.

Written by Sara Smart
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SaraSmart55

The provider of affordable auto insurance, Donegal Insurance, has a user-friendly guide on their website outlining fire and home safety.  This is valuable to customers who want basic information on what to look for in their home in order to keep their family as safe as possible.

The article provides a checklist for safety features to look for in any home.  It’s encouraged to go through the checklist as a family and ensure each bullet is addressed.  Some of the items on the checklist include:

• Smoke detectors installed and tested
• Carbon Monoxide detectors installed
• Fire Extinguishers accessible and working
• Fire escapes accessible
• Updated wiring throughout home
• Sidewalks in good condition
• Handrails on all stair cases

These are a handful of examples of what type of safety features every home should have.  Each county has different requirements for what is a must, but in general these items and the rest of the list will ensure you are in a safe home and can have peace of mind that you are doing the right thing to keep your family away from harm.

It’s well known that you can get car insurance quotes from Donegal Insurance, but many people do not realize how easy it is to get boatowners insurance coverage.

Donegal Insurance offers many types of insurance products, one of which is boatowners insurance protection.  Boatowners insurance provide the extra coverage you need to ensure your boat is protected.  Donegal covers the entire boat from bow to stern and provides coverage on water or land.  Their policy extends to motors, controls, electric equipment, and standard fuel equipment.  They ever cover extras such as boat oars, anchors, life preservers, and additionally a boat trailer.

Legal liability is taken care of with boat liability and medical payment coverage.  Coverage is extended in the case of a boating accident and there are many other optional coverages.  Some of these options include Boater’s Emergency Towing and Labor, Boat Replacement Cost, Uninsured Boaters Protection, and Boater’s Personal Property Coverage.  You can even get discounts through boatowners insurance.

Specifically noted on Donegal’s website are discounts for the completion of certain safety courses, built in fire extinguishing systems, depth finders, and of course if you have other insurance products through Donegal Insurance you can find yourself with an up to 10% off discount on your boatowners insurance.

Pretty much everyone is looking to save a dollar where they can in this struggling economy and luckily there are companies out there willing to help their customers.  Auto insurance rates are causing many consumers financial stress, and these people often are not aware of the dozens of discounts out there that they may quality for.

Donegal Insurance is an example of a company going above and beyond to offer substantial discounts to their customers.  Their auto insurance policies not only offer a wide variety of options for every type of driver but they give discounts based on good behavior.  Some of these discounts include good student discounts, high chargeable accident thresholds, first accident forgiveness, extra edge discounts for superior drivers and a PACE protector endorsement.

According to the Donegal Group website, you can also save money on your auto insurance if you have passive seat belt restraints and/or airbags in your car.  There are additional discounts for anti-theft devices, and anti-lock brakes.  Even more discounts are made available for those who have completed a driver’s education course or who participate in car pooling.  There’s a multi-car discount and savings if you have multiple product policies with Donegal.  As you can see, there is a long list of readily available discounts for a variety of drivers on auto insurance

offered through Donegal which is headquartered in Pennsylvania.  This is great news for those of us pinching pennies, and it’s useful to know where we can save a little bit of money.  It adds up over time and can make a big difference.