To turn in a claim or NOT

I had an interesting conversation with a client yesterday. It concerned the issue of claim history and how claims, even if nothing is paid in the end, can affect what you pay for auto and home insurance. EXAMPLE: Client calls and says they have hail damage. These type of claims can be extensive and costly. We report the claim to the insurance company. After securing an estimate and an adjuster visits the homeowner, it is determined the damage is under the deductible or the client decides to pay the damages out of their pocket. Therefore, nothing paid by the company. PROBLEM: Since it is a "reported" claim, that claim is on a permanent data bank that ALL companies access. They charge for "report but not paid claims." With today's sophisticated technology, claim history is available to all insurance companies with a few key strokes.

RECOMMENDATION: Buy higher deductibles (the higherst you feel you can absorb) and only turn in claims when you are sure you want to make a claim to the insurance company.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance

Treyton's Field of Dreams

Treyton Kilar was killed by a drunk driver on 9-2-2010. The Kilar family with 100's of friends are trying to raise money to build a "Field of Dreams" Little League field here in Whitewater in his honor. You can support their efforts by voting for them in the PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT. Visit www.refresheverthing.com/trey and click on "vote for this idea". You can also text 108723 to 73774 or log onto Facebook. You can vote all 3 ways in the month of September every day. EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

Don't Drink and Drive.

Ron Binning
ron@binningdickens.com

Number of Uninsured drivers in WI

Effective 6-1-2009 Wisconsin passed a mandatory insurance law for all drivers. Across the US 1 in 7 (14.3%) drivers are uninsured, according to a new study from the Insurance Research Council (IRC - 2011) Mississippi has the highest uninsured motorist percentage at 28%. In WISCONSIN the estimated uninsured motorist percentage is 15%.

Unisured Motorist (UM) and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) are mandatory coverage on every auto policy in WI and these coverages are optional on all Personal Umbrella policies. Contact us or your current agent if you have questions about these important coverages.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
ron@binningdickens.com

Multi-tasking vs texting

Multi-tasking is a term that was never meant to include driving and texting. Have you noticed how many people are looking "down" at interesections or when you pass them on the Interstate?
Do you think they are looking at their fingernails? These two activities are like mixing gasoline and a lighted match. There are too many unexplained accidents occuring in Wisconsin. Some people say they can text without looking........ya right!

Make smart decisions - Don't drive and text.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance Services
Whitewater WI

Health Insurance and the SUN

Here are new rules from www.health.com to follow when in the sun this summer:
1. Old Rule: Throw on a t-shirt or coverup when you're in direct sunlight.
New Rule: If you're not into sun-protective clothing, wear dark colors and tightly woven fabrics during peak hours.
2. Old Rule: Use a teaspoon of sunscreen for your face, a shot glass worth for your body.
New Rule: Layer your protection to MAKE sure you're covered.
3. Old Rule: A little sun is healthy - 20 minutes 3 times per week is good for Vitamin D.
New Rule: It's not smart to go outdoors UNPROTECTED.
4. Old Rule: Never, ever use a tanning bed.
New Rule: STILL, never, ever use a tanning bed. 75% increased chance of melanoma.

All of these rules apply to your kids and grandkids as well. Be smart this summer - use sunscreen.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance
ron@binningdickens.com

Proposed New Auto Insurance Law

As I mentioned last week, The WI State Assembly passed "Choice in Auto Insurance" this past Tuesday. It must now go to the WI State Senate for approval before it becomes law. The bill did NOT repeal Gov Doyle's Auto Insurance Law of June 2009 but I think it made some significant changes. Here are the major changes: 1. They lowered the limits back to 25,000 per person, $50,000 per occurrence, $10,000 for property damage. 2. Lowered Uninsured Motorist and Underinsured Motorist coverage to 50,000 per person and $100,000 per occurrence. 3. They eliminated the "stacking" provision where drivers could use coverage from up to 3 of their vehicles from an accident involving just one of their vehicles.

Watch this site for further developments because the Senate must pass a similar bill before Gov Walker can sign this legislation into law.

The more you know, the better decisions you can make about your insurance coverage.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance
ron@binningdickens.com

Change in Auto Insurance Law in WI

The Wisconsin Legislature has been debating many topics in preparation to passing the budget and one of the topics is a CHANGE in the Auto Insurance Law. Remember a major change occurred in June 2009, January 2010, and finally June 2010. Many of those changes will probably be overturned. Check back to this BLOG for the details as they become known.

That being said, we DO NOT recommend any client or any potential client lower their liability limits back to the lower limits in force prior to the June 2009 changes. The goal of liability insurance is to protect your assets from plaintiff suits. Your auto coverage is the greatest exposure you personally have for impacting your assets.

Drive safe. Drive defensive.

Ron Binning - ron@binningdickens.com
Binning & Dickens Insurance

SPRING FLOODS

It's mid February and warming up. With all of our snow melting, Spring brings FLOODS. With that and the 30 day waiting period for flood coverage to take effect after a policy is submitted, NOW is the time to buy Flood coverage. Don't wait. Call us TODAY for a quote. The quote is free. We use AUTO OWNERS Insurance Company, a leader in the Midwest for Flood Coverage.

Ron Binning
Binning & Dickens Insurance
262-473-3930
ron@binningdickens.com

Potential Auto Insurance Changes

The bill, authored by Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Sen. Frank Lasee (R-De Pere), will help restore fairness in Wisconsin’s auto insurance market and could reduce recent auto insurance cost increases imposed on your customers.

LRB-0524/2 – known as the Consumer Choice in Auto Insurance Act – will make the following changes to current state law:
Prohibits stacking of insurance coverages.
Changes the definition of underinsured motor vehicle to compare the at-fault driver’s liability limit with the insured’s underinsured (UIM) limit to determine if the at-fault driver is underinsured.
Establishes Bodily Injury limits at $25,000/$50,000/$10,000
Establishes Uninsured Motorist (UM) limits at 25/50
Establishes Underinsured Motorist (UIM) limits at 50/100
Restores medical payments coverage limits to $1,000
Repeals the automatic indexing of limits to inflation every 5 years.
Clarifies that the requirement of UM/UIM offer does not apply to umbrella/excess policies.
Restores the reducing clause

Watch this site for updates to this important new legislation,
Ron Binning
ron@binningdickens.com

Credit Score and your Auto Insurance

How can I improve my Credit Score and get lower auto insurance premiums:

Get copies of your credit report and make sure they are free of inaccuracies.
Avoid the types of credit that can ding your insurance score, such as department store credit cards, credit accounts at a local tire dealer, auto parts store, or service station, as well as retailer credit cards issued by finance companies, not banks.
Use oil company credit cards and national bank credit cards (like those from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover), which are preferred by insurers.
Talk to your insurer about your score, using the information to build a case if you wish to complain about incorrect scoring.
Avoid running up sizable credit card balances, which could be reported as high relative to your overall credit limit, by paying balances in full every month or even sending smaller credit card payments weekly.
Try not to apply for new credit too often, since scoring systems look down on excessive new credit and credit inquiries.
Pay your bills on time, perhaps using automatic bill pay from your checking account to avoid late payments or having the check get lost in the mail.
Request exceptions for circumstances beyond your control that could have hurt your credit report, such as divorce, job, loss, medical problems, or Hurricanes Katrina or Rita.
Give us a call for your FREE Auto Insurance QUOTE today.
Ron Binning ron@binningdickens.com