Al Hattie Insurance

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Insurance Truths Tuesday

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

Insurance Myths Mondays

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!

#MythsMondays

Travel Insurance Doesn't Pay Out!

Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss. Insurance companies exist in order to help mitigate unforeseen and sudden events thus protecting the insured's financial well-being upon the occurrence of a specific event, specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a premium. In the case of one of our travel insurance providers, Allianz Global Assistance, they have an excellent track record in Canada, with exceptionally low claim denial rates. In 2015, AGA recorded a 92.5% payout rate. Clients are best encouraged to carefully read their travel insurance policy to understand the benefits, exclusions and limitations. When you have questions, WE are the reliable source and trusted expert to provide clarification. We also carry many providers to meet a wide variety of clients needs. To name the major carriers we have, Saskatchewan Blue Cross, Group Medical Services, & Allianz Global Assistance.

Saskplates.com - Your Saskatchewan Insurance Online

Plates expire? Licence expire? Sitting on the side of the road with an unregistered vehicle? 

 

Did you know Saskplates.com can get you back and on the road in no time, even from a mobile or tablet device? Set-up your account today through www.Saskplates.com and don't get left on the side of the road.


It's even simpler now! If you have an active SGI policy you can set up your account directly on the website without having to call us. 

 

Here are some of the many transactions you can now do online from your home computer or mobile device through Saskplates.com:

- vehicle registration

- plate cancellation

- driver's licence renewal (non-photo)

- address and personal information changes

- print vehicle registrations

- get quotes on Auto, Home, Condo, Tenant Paks and more!

- make payments

- pay your receivables

 

You can also contact US about any of your insurance needs! Phone 1-888-450-2700, email us at broker@alhattieinsurance.ca, or come by for a visit at our office located at 3020C Arlington Ave, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

 

Blades Autographed Jersey Raffle Winner!

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!

 

Learning From Losses: Collision With A Locomotive

LOCATION:
Rural Saskatchewan road

CAUSE OF LOSS:
Collision with a locomotive at an uncontrolled railroad crossing

COST OF LOSS:
Total paid/reserved: $650,000. (Trailer: $50,000; Property damage to train: $600,000;
Loss of earnings/business interruption due to damage to train tracks and locomotive: undetermined)
In December, the insured was driving a load of wheat to a terminal. Distracted, he drove through an
uncontrolled rail crossing. An approaching train split the trailer in half. The insured’s package policy
protected him for $1 million of liability, which covered the loss.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Avoid financial ruin by carrying the appropriate insurance coverage; for a minor cost (an extra $30 in
this case), you can protect yourself from unnecessary loss.