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This UK insurance directory provides an excellent series of guides, articles and links to the field of money, news, loans, risk, value and insurance as research journalists.

Covering online quotes for - cars, money, mortgages, credit cards, loans, debt, banks, travel, health, life & pets.

There is much uncertainty in our daily lives. We should endeavour to mitigate our losses and expand our opportunities.

This website does not give financial advice. However, we only provide journalistic views and reviews to help our website visitors.

Always ensure that you consult an Independent Financial Advisor before taking up and signing any contracts.

UK Insurance directory for companies and brokers.

Why take out insurance?

Insurance is essential to give you protection from the loss of any money you have invested ins assets such as property and personal protection. Property covers such things as houses, business premises, cars, belongings, electronic items, mobile phones and warranties. Personal protection covers against harm to yourself and other people.

The premium to be paid to the insurance company is based upon the insurer’s risk calculations based upon the number claims received in a year to cover the insurance companies losses. The premium may depend on your age, gender, location and health conditions.

In short: Insurance is cover for things which may get damaged or are lost and the insurer will compensate your loss for a premium for exactly the event that is covered by the policy. The extent of cover is agreed at the start by both parties.  The premium may be lower if the excess limit can be raised. Excess is the sum you have to pay for any given claim. The premium may be also lower if you increase the time you are willing to money from the insurance company. Exclusions in a policy means that you are not insured for that event and will not be paid if those events arise. A claim will be only paid for those items or risk covered by your policy. You will have to complete a claims form and sometimes obtain a crime number from the police within 24 hours. Understanding the claims procedure is essential and vital, do a dry run to understand the claims procedure with the insurance company. The payment amount of your claim will depend on whether it is a fixed lump sum or its market value at today’s prices and not when it was new or replacement cost of a new item (new for old policy).

Insurance can help by:

• Replacing a large item such as a cargo ship which you could not self insure
• Protecting you from loss of income
• Protecting you in paying back your large loans for your home
• Protecting your from the loss of small items such as mobile phones

The level of protection entirely depends on the terms and conditions of the insurance policy. The limit of cover and the excess you are willing to bear.

The insurance company will take your premium and provide cover in strict compliance with their conditions. If an insured event does arise, such as flooding and this is covered under your insurance policy the insurance company will pay to you the amount insured after carrying out a full investigation. The sum payable will be subject to deductions called the excess. The insurance company is buying the risk from you in exchange for the premium.

Insurance is essential for items where the amounts involved are excessive and where it is not worth self insuring. For example, insurance for a property is important as the amount of money involved is quite high compared to the premium to be paid monthly.

Not all insurance policies are the same. They offer different benefits and you need to be satisfied that they cover your needs and wants. There are also a variety of policies to choose from that cover such things as:

• Health, life, accidents and sickness
• Cash and jewellery
• Pet and other animals
• Building, home and contents
• Cars, vans and vehicles
• Contractor’s plant
• Business, commercial, liability, professional indemnity, loss of profit
• Third party and public liability
• Product liability
• Key person, business owner
• Travel
• Income, loans and mortgages

Both parties agree to the terms and conditions of the insurance policy in writing with signatures. The insurance policy will state:

• The premium to be paid by you
• The amount covered under the policy
• List the cover provided and all the exclusions
• All other terms will be fully detailed
• The cover schedule

There are a few places where you can buy insurance from:

• The internet comparison sites
• The insurance broker – must be registered with Financial Services Authority classed as a Independent Financial Advisor.
• The insurance company direct

Further information can be found on the following websites:

Association of British Insurers: http://www.abi.org.uk/

Association of Insurance and Risk Managers (Airmic): http://www.airmic.com/

Association of Consulting Actuaries: http://www.aca.org.uk/

British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA): http://www.biba.org.uk/

Chartered Insurance Institute: http://www.cii.co.uk/

Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA): http://www.cila.co.uk/

Financial Ombudsman Service: http://www.financial‐ombudsman.org.uk/

Financial Services Authority (FSA): http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

Institute of Actuaries: http://www.actuaries.org.uk

Insurance Institute of London: http://www.iilondon.co.uk/

International Underwriting Association of London: http://www.iua.co.uk/

Insurance Industry Internet Network: http://www.iiin.com/

Insurance Links: http://www.insurance‐links.com/

Insurance Times: http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/

International Insurance: http://www.internationalinsurance.org/international/toc/

Life Assurance Bureau: http://www.life‐assurance‐bureau.co.uk/

LifePro: http://www.lifepro.co.uk/

Where can I buy insurance? You can buy insurance plans from an insurance agency or those insurance companies listed on the websites. There are many providers or services for insurance where you will be able compare rates and premiums. Insurance information is readily available from the internet, insurance companies, insurance agents, insurance brokers, dentists or doctors. There are also comprehensive insurance directories on the internet where you can find car insurance, home insurance, health insurance, life insurance and auto insurance. There are many insurance companies providing free quotes. When making a claim it is best to report the incident to a police department and hopefully there will be a report registered on your behalf. Insurance companies want to cut out fraud and reporting to the police helps avoid excessive insurance premiums. Without the insurance industry there will be chaos.