We know there are many myths & truths of insurance floating around out there & we are here to try and help bring some clarity to the issue!

#TruthsTuesday

Having Great Credit Can Benefit Your Home Insurance Rates

The insurance companies (currently SGI Canada & Wawanesa Mutual) have designed this new method to try to give consumers another opportunity for discounting their home insurance rates.

We need two requirements to apply the discount:

1.      Express consent- For our client’s convenience, we are capable of accepting consent or withdrawal of credit score discounts verbally.

2.      The second type of information required is your legal full name and full date of birth, this information in most cases has already been obtained in the past for other insurance purposes.

Start saving more!

Lots of our customers have utilized this discount by taking those savings and purchasing additional coverage's such as, the newly introduced Flood Coverage. New this year to the personal homeowner’s line of insurance.

A little run down of how it works; once we have obtained your consent, the score is electronically requested from our credit score provider, depending on which insurance company you are with could either be TransUnion or Equifax. Credit score is then sent from the credit bureau through a secure data transmission channel and is automatically applied to the calculation of your premium. Your consent is kept and collected until or if you withdrawal that consent, and therefore annually the insurance company will access your credit score just before the renewal of your policy. We have been reassured by the insurance companies that this will not impact your credit rating.

To top off all this great news, Wawanesa Mutual has recently increased the credit score maximum possible discount, now allowing for an even greater discount.

*Your rates will not go up if you have an unfavorable credit score.

Privacy

At Al Hattie Insurance, we take your privacy very seriously. Our clients privacy is an office practice we have taken very seriously before credit scoring even came into play. We cannot see and do not have access to your credit score information. That information is restricted to only limited employees of the insurance companies who only access it in order to do their job.

Some Tips to Improve your Credit Score:

v  Always pay your bills on time.

v  Try to pay your bills in full by the due date. If you aren’t able to, pay at least the minimum amount shown on your monthly statement

v  Try to pay down your debts as quickly as possible

v  Don’t go over the credit limit on your credit card. Try to keep the balance well below the limit, as the higher the balance the more impact it has on your credit score.

v  Reduce the number of credit applications you make.

v  Make sure you have a credit history. Your credit score may be low because you don’t have a record of owing money and paying it back. You can build a credit history by using a credit card as long as you use it

We have a winner! Agnes Hyde was drawn out of the raffle on April 12 to win an autographed Blades jersey. She will be entered in IBAS's province-wide contest for the grand prize of a ttrip for two to Quebec City to attend two games of the MasterCard Memorial Cup. Thanks to everyone who entered, the Blades hockey team, IBAS, the WHL, and good luck Agnes in the final draw for the tickets to Quebec City!

LOCATION:
Town home

CAUSE OF LOSS:
Fire caused by an electric hair straightener

COST OF LOSS:
$263,000

DETAILS OF LOSS:
The insureds’ daughter was the last to leave the home in the afternoon to go to work. When the
insureds’ arrived home later they noticed smoke coming from the windows. They went to neighbour’s
house and called the Fire Department. The dwelling and contents in the basement sustained heavy
fire damage, while the remainder of the home sustained smoke and water damage. The Fire
Commissioner investigated and determined the cause of the fire to be the hair straightener left on in
a bedroom located in the basement.

LESSONS LEARNED:
When using electric curling irons, hair straighteners or other appliances that generate heat, be sure
to unplug it after each use and place them in a secure position away from any flammable materials.
Never leave your home without checking to make sure any irons, curling irons, etc. are unplugged
and in a safe location.

Your home is your family's headquarters, and it's best defense is the best insurance policy for your needs. SGI's latest insurance product is their Prestige home policy, which is aimed to provide supreme protection to Saskatchewan's rising home market. Does your home qualify for SGI's Prestige policy? You may be surprised.

Prestige home insurance is focused on providing a flexible and superior insurance coverage to tailor to each unique home situation in Saskatchewan's changing real estate market. Are you moving to a new subdivision? Are you concerned about matching siding, shingles, or flooring if a loss occurs? Have you made a substantial investment in your property's landscaping or outbuildings? Expensive hot tubs or home entertainment systems? Maybe you have a prized collection, have a home business, or store a large amount of expensive tools? You are who the Prestige home insurance is made for!

Do you know the current value of your home? Saskatchewan's housing prices have risen by an average 67% in the past four years. Your home may be worth significantly more than you realize! The Prestige policy is available to homes:

- that are worth over $350,000

- that have been built in the last 35 years (some older homes may still apply in specialty inclusions)

- you are the primary occupant and it is your principal location

- you have less than one claim on in the past three years

- that meet the Homeowners' Guarantee eligibility requirements (not under construction, not a log home, was not built with post and beam construction or non-traditional building materials)

- meet any two of the specialty inclusions! Call us to find out if your home qualifies.

So your home qualifies? What does Prestige offer you above and beyond what your current policy covers? In a nutshell, the benefits to SGI's Prestige home insurance are far beyond their previous plans, and are built to custom fit your unique and individual lifestyle. There are standard protections with all Prestige policies:

- Priority Claims Service

- Full Matching Roof/Siding/Flooring Replacement

- Home Systems Protection (Furnaces, Central Air, Deep Well Pumps + Pool Pumps, Electrical Power Panels + more)

- Homeowner's Guarantee Coverage

- Higher Limits on Property with Specific Amounts of Protection

- $3 Million Personal Liability Coverage

- Roof Snow Removal

- Single Amount of Protection (Providing 150% of the coverage of your home you  may allocate as you wish in case of a loss)

There are also customized lifestyle options that you may choose to add on to these standard coverages. The four options are:

- Lifestyle Option A: Home Business Owner

- Lifestyle Option B: Collectible & Treasures Protection

- Lifestyle Option C: Family & Security

- Lifestyle Option D: Recreational Protection

Give us a call (1-888-450-2700) or stop by our office if you would like to discuss what Prestige policy options may best suit your family's needs. The benefits and increased coverages available through SGI's Prestige policy are vast and go well beyond the major points that are highlighted here, and is offered at a very competitive pricing! Talk to us for a free quote on SGI's Prestige policy.

Full Policy Pamphlet PDF