Texas law requires you to have insurance on your vehicles and mortgage companies and banks require homeowners to insure their homes and if you don't buy and maintain this insurance, you can face fines or other penalties. Aside from these requirements, it makes just good sense to insure yourself and your property so you can avoid catastrophic losses. You should consider the following types of insurance:
Gathering your information:
You undoubtedly have seen the many TV ads for insurance companies, so you probably already know about the major companies, but how much do those ads really tell you? Not much. The Texas Department of Insurance maintains a database containing information about all kinds of insurance companies: http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/webinfo/08qconsumers.html. This website contains useful information and advice about:
When an insurance company handles applications, it is prohibited by state law from unfairly discriminating or allowing unfair discrimination between individuals of the same class and of essentially the same hazard, including unfair discrimination in
If you believe you may have been discriminated against in any of these ways and have suffered economic harm as a result, you may have a claim against the insurance company. Contact an attorney as soon as possible after the insurance company has done any of these things, because you have limited time in which to file suit.
Insurance agents represent the company, not you, so always be aware that the agent's actions are guided by the fact that his or her loyalty ultimately lies with the companies he or she represents. That's not to say that many, if not most, agents do right by their customers to the extent that they can, but remember that the agent can only do what the company will allow.
All of us will at one time or another have to make a claim under an insurance policy and all too often getting the insurance company to pay our claims in full is like pulling teeth. Mike McCormick and Boyd Law Firm and its lawyers and staff are ready to aggressively handle the claims of disappointed policy holders, but here is some information that will help you make your claim.
As soon as the need arises to file a claim, gather all the information you can to support your claim.
Policies of every type require you to notify your insurance company of any loss within some period of time, so you should find that provision and the contact information for reporting the claim in your policy when you first get it and keep that information handy, should the need arise. You will eventually need the following information to report and support a claim:
Again, if the claim is a substantial one or a complex one, you should not accept a settlement until you have obtained legal advice or the advice of an independent adjuster.
When all else fails if an insurer refuses to pay a claim in full, you may have a claim against your insurer for bad faith or violations of state laws that regulate claims handling practices.