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Payment Protection Insurance
In today`s challenging work environment and due to the global economic downturn, there is a real concern for many people regarding the security of their job with the threat of being made redundant ever increasing. The biggest fear for many is that they may struggle meet mortgage payments or pay other financial commitments should they be made redundant. As people try to protect themselves against loss of income, they may opt for cover in the form of the controversial Payment Protection Insurance (PPI). Payment Protection Insurance is there to cover you should you fall ill, have an accident so you are unable to work or lose your job. Although this type of insurance can offer you the necessary cover you require there have been many instances where people have been mis-sold the insurance cover. This had lead to complications when trying to claim against the policy and has also left people paying far more for their policy than they should. Following this, it has recently been announced that people who believe they have been mis-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) have now been given extra time to take their cases to the Financial Services Ombudsman. This specifically applies to people who have had a complaint rejected by the firm that sold them the loan, meaning they now have upto six months to take their complaint to the Ombudsman. At its peak, nearly 150 people a day registered official complaints regarding PPI with almost a third of the total number of complaints relating directly to controversial insurance payment product.

Everything seemed pretty simple when you purchased that insurance policy. If you have a loss, just tell the insurance company about it and you will get paid - Right? Well.... it may not be quite that easy. There are some basic steps you should follow to make sure your insurance claim is paid quickly and fully.

Prepare - in advance. The single most important thing that will make your life easier in the event of a loss is to be well prepared in advance. Do you have offsite copies of your computer files? What about paper files? If this is some kind of property loss, you will need to document the value. If you have to try to reconstruct records that were destroyed, it will delay your insurance payment and make it much harder for you to prove the value of your loss.

Estimate your loss. While it may not be possible to know the full extent of the loss, develop an estimate. If it is close to or below your deductible, you are probably better off not filing the insurance claim. Your rates will be based in part on your claims history so there is no advantage to you in filing a claim you will end up paying for out of your own pocket. Be careful, however, as most insurance policies require you to report a loss within a certain timeframe, usually 2 - 4 weeks.

Call your agent. Many insurance companies ask that you report your claim directly to the claims department. This is more efficient for them but not necessarily better for you. Your insurance agent may represent the company but his income depends on keeping his customers happy. Independent agents, in particular, are small business owners and owe their primary loyalty to their business. If you`re a small business owner, your insurance agent understands that his business depends on keeping his customers happy.

Keep in touch with the adjuster. Ultimately the insurance company will assign an adjuster to work with you to estimate and pay the loss. Work closely with the adjuster and respond quickly and completely to his requests for information. The easier you make his job, the quicker you will get paid.

Consider an independent adjuster. If your loss is large and complex, it may pay you to hire an independent adjuster to work on your behalf. If you do decide to take this step, make sure you hire an adjuster who has experience with your type of business loss.

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