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Who Does the Insurance Company send the Totaled Vehicle Payment To?

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Ask An Insurance Question Last Updated: 06/23/2012

Even if the insurance policy says one name, the totaled vehicle payment always goes to the person listed on the title.

After an insurance company declares a vehicle from an accident a total loss, it is time to make the payment. During this process the insurance company is essentially buying the car from you and if you are not on the title, you can’t sell the car. This also means that if you are not on the title, the insurance company will not send the totaled vehicle payment to you.

If your lienholder (the company you make your car payment to) is on the title, the insurance company will send the totaled vehicle payment to them. The lienholder then uses the check towards whatever you still owe them and will then send you what is left.

In the case of a married couple, if only one spouse is on the title, that is who the check is made out to, even if both spouses are on the insurance policy. This is why it is so very important to get the correct name on the title of a vehicle after you sell it or go through a divorce. You don’t want someone else to get the money you are entitled to from a totaled vehicle payment.

 

How Do I get Insurance in the United States if I am not a Resident and I have a Foreign Driver’s License?

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Ask An Insurance Question Last Updated: 05/02/2012

Insurance for drivers with a foreign driver’s license is not available everywhere.

If you are a driver with a foreign driver’s license and wish to find insurance in the United State, it is more difficult that you may first think.

Some insurance companies will insure a driver with a foreign driver’s license and others will not. The best way to find an insurance company that insures a driver with a foreign driver’s license is to call agents in your area and insurance companies to ask.

If you want to save time, make sure that this the first question you ask them. That way if they don’t insure drivers with a foreign driver’s license then you don’t have to waste your time going through the whole quote process for nothing.

 

If You Cause an Accident, will your Collision Coverage Still Pay for your Totaled Vehicle?

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Ask An Insurance Question Last Updated: 06/23/2012

The collision coverage on your insurance policy works no matter if you are at fault for an accident or not.

Causing an accident is not something we set out to do as part of our day. This is why we purchase collision and comprehensive coverage just in case we do.

These coverages make sure that the damages to our vehicles from an accident will be covered by our insurance policy (after deductible). Whether or not they pay for the damage is not dependent as to who was at fault for the accident.

 

 

How is a Young Adult Child Covered When he is Moving in and out of my House?

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Ask An Insurance Question Last Updated: 04/18/2012

Covering a young adult moving in and out of the house can cause both the parent and the insurance company to pull their hair out.

Let me start off by saying that this question really, really, really needs to be answered by your insurance company. This is a complicated question and each insurance company can have a different policy in regards to this situation.

Now, let’s break this down into the 3 main scenarios that happen in this case and what I would tell the clients of the insurance companies that I worked for:

1. If the young adult is living under your roof and driving your vehicles, they have to be on your insurance policy.

2. If the young adult is no longer living with you and has their own vehicle, they have to have their own insurance policy.

3. Lastly (and this is the one that gets everyone), if the young adult is temporarily away at school they should remain on your insurance policy. This will keep them covered for when they come home on vacations and want to drive your vehicle. It will also provide coverage if they are hit by a car while they are walking (if you have that coverage) or if they drive another person’s vehicle.

If you have already taken them off and the student is coming home for a vacation, you need to call you insurance agent to find out if you need to add them for the short period they will be home.

 

If I Have “Full Coverage”, do I Pay for the Damages to my Car if the Accident is my Fault?

Written by Michele Wilmonen. Posted in Ask An Insurance Question Last Updated: 04/16/2012

The person liable for the accident you were in and who caused the damages to your vehicle is the one that has to pay for the damages.

Because you are the person that caused the damages, it means that you or your insurance has to pay for the damages to your vehicle. In addition to any other damages that you may have caused to property that is not yours.

Now, the term “full coverage” technically does not exist. If you are saying that you have comprehensive and collision coverage on your vehicle, then your insurance company can help pay for the damages. That’s what the coverage is there for right?

You do not have to pay anything out of your pocket (if you have coverage) other than your deductible. Unless you decide to not have your insurance company pay for the damages, then you have every right to pay for them out of your own pocket.

 

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