Personal Identity Protection and Your Homeowners Insurance
April 9, 2010 by Gary Sides
The time to file taxes has arrived again, and there’s another obligation expected this year: the census.
While you give information about your earnings and the number of people in your household, be careful not to give away your identity. Identity theft and fraud run rampant this time of year and it’s important to keep your personal information secure. The good news is there is protection available by adding an inexpensive endorsement to your homeowners insurance policy.
The Census Bureau has posted the exact questions that will be mailed to you on their Web site. If you are asked anything other than these questions, don’t answer. Census workers are required to come to your household if you have not submitted census information by the April 1 deadline.
Here are some tips from the Census Bureau Web site to distinguish a legitimate census worker apart from the fakes:
- Every legitimate census worker wears a government badge that has his or her name in red and a color picture. The badge will be headed “U.S. Department of Commerce” and will also reference the U.S. Census Bureau and will show an expiration date. Do not provide any information until you see the badge. If you still feel uncomfortable, ask for a second form of ID to compare.
- Census workers will never ask to enter your home, nor ask you to submit information on the Internet.
Filing your taxes: prepare and protect
Giving out personal information is more difficult to avoid when filing your taxes than filling out the Census. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not communicate with you through e-mail either.
Increase your safety by following these helpful hints offered by the IRS:
- Be wary of digital photocopiers. Their disk drives are used to remember and reproduce documents, so avoid copying your tax returns. Also, shred any unsecured documents containing personal information used in preparing your taxes.
- If you’re e-filing, consider having a tax preparer from the IRS Web site assist you.
- If you e-file on your own, make sure your Internet connection is secure and don’t e-file if you have a file sharing program like LimeWire or share an Internet connection over Wi-Fi.
- Do not save your password for a bank account or credit card in any Web browser to avoid it from leaking or being hacked into.
- Encrypt your files for further security. After getting a PDF copy of your return, go to My Documents, right click on file name and select Encrypt.
- If you’re mailing your taxes, only do so from a post office or a U.S. Postal Service collection box. Avoid letting it sit overnight in the box because it could be stolen.
Just to be sure our carriers offer Identity Recovery Coverage. That can be added to your homeowners insurance policy. For a low annual fee, the coverage will help you recoup fraudulent charges and, more importantly, ease the stress of restoring your identity after theft occurs.
Insurance agency office
Grease Clog Removal Fills Home With Sewage
January 7, 2009 by Gary Sides
On the evening of April 6, 2008, Meg McCormick says three city workers were trying to clear a sewer line in front of her southeast Charlotte house by blasting a grease clog out with a high-pressure hose.
The plan backfired, literally. It forced sewage through the home’s pipes, up through its toilets, throughout the first floor, and down into the crawl space under the house. It lasted 55 minutes.
Over the next few days, the McCormicks spoke with city risk managers, Mecklenburg County environmental engineers, and their homeowners’ insurance carrier. They were distressed to discover that their insurance didn’t cover sewage backups –then again, they’d never considered the possibility.
Four inches of sludge covered the floor. Sewage had leaked into the central air and heat system, and solid waste had collected in the heat ducts. Total estimated sewage? 3,000 gallons.
After a lengthy process, The City of Charlotte agreed to pay for the damages and repairs and for the McCormicks to stay at a hotel for as long as the work lasts.
Such back-ups aren’t uncommon, especially in a city like Charlotte, whose growth threatens to outstrip its infrastructure. Grease clogs are usually the culprits.
BE COVERED: Most homeowners’ insurance policies can be endorsed to add sewer and drain back up coverage for around just $25.00 a year in additional premium.
Homeowners Insurance Rates to Change May 1
December 31, 2008 by Gary Sides
Insurance Commissioner Jim Long signed a settlement agreement with homeowners insurance companies Thursday, allowing rates to increase by an average of 4.05 percent.
The North Carolina Rate Bureau, which represents all of the homeowners insurance companies doing business in the state, had requested a 19.5 percent average rate increase.
Rate changes will vary by territory. Some coastal territories could see increases by as much as 29% while western areas could actually decrease. The changes will take effect May 1, 2009.
“There has been a lot of speculation surrounding this homeowners rate filing, but I feel that we’ve reached a settlement that is fair to both consumers and insurance companies in North Carolina,” Long said in a statement. “No one likes to see their insurance rates go up, but the industry made a strong case for allowing some increases this year. The silver lining is that most consumers won’t see nearly the increases that were initially proposed.”
The settlement also realigns several insurance territories along the coast so that homeowners who live farther inland pay less for insurance. Long said that makes sense because these homes have less exposure to the impact of a hurricane.
The increase will be the first since May 2007, when homeowners insurance rates went up 5.4 percent.