Most car owners are probably well aware of the fact that their insurance rates are strongly influenced by their current credit score. The majority of insurance companies make a direct link between a person’s credit record and risk grade, because statistically those who have bad credit ratings are usually filing more insurance claims and represent a high risk to insurance providers. And those, who have good credit score, are typically the less risky drivers that tend to have the smallest numbers of insurance claims and traffic violations.

Of course other factors besides credit rating are also taken into account as insurance providers will base the rates you will get on your driving record, type of car you drive, your sex, age, and area of residence. But if you don’t have an established credit history yet, the companies working with the credit score may not be the best option to look into as you can have higher premiums and lack of special discounts for a good credit score.

Some of you may question the legal right of insurance providers to use your credit history for their purpose. However, it’s perfectly legal and allowed by state authorities for insurers to look into their clients’ credit scores. So don’t be surprised when your insurance company uses your credit information for setting up your rates. Still, only a small number of providers use the exact current credit score of their customer. Most companies have a special “insurance credit score” that is mathematically and statistically derived from the current record and helps the insurers determine your risk grade and how likely you are to file a claim in the future. And if you feel that your credit score does not reflect the actual situation you should tell the insurance company to review their calculations.

Besides the actual credit rating the insurance companies also use the following factors in order to determine a customer’s insurance credit score:

• Records on bankruptcy, charge-offs, and other public notices
• History of payments and due bills
• Duration of credit history
• Number of open credits and credit applications
• Types of credit lines used

The insurance credit score will be different with every insurance company as each provider uses a whole different set and weight of factors when determining the score. So when you get car insurance quotes and worry about the effects of your credit score on the rates you will get, keep in mind that they will be different from one provider to another.

If you feel that your credit score is not that good and may result in high rates you have two possibilities. The first is clearing your credit record of all due bills and unused credit lines in order to improve the score in general. Get a free copy of your credit report at a national bureau and see what can be improved. The second possibility is shop around using free car insurance quotes and seeing what companies offer the most competitive rates with your current rating. The best would be combining these two methods, of course, as this will surely result in better rates.

Buying a new vehicle is a long-term purchase for most owners and requires quite a lot of money if you want a good vehicle. And there are two ways you can do it. The first one is simple and fast: you go to the local car seller and get the car you have the money for. It saves you a lot of time but in turn you can get a car that costs more than it is on the market and can have inconvenient conditions. The second way requires more of your time: decide which car make and model you want to buy and research the market for a real price. Yes, it’s not as fast as the first method but when use it you go to the dealership with plain facts and figures and not just a general conception of what you want that the dealers can use to sell you an expensive vehicle. When you have all things sorted inside your head it will be much easier for you to get a good car at a good price.

The most important decision you have to make is the type of car you want to buy. Different car types cater to different needs and will also have different maintenance and insurance costs. Once you have determined whether you need a truck, a SUV, a sedan or a fast muscle car, you will have to look deeper into sub-classes. Having 2 or 4 doors, different engine power and other features will contribute to the final price and subsequent costs. It’s better to have all of the options you want with your car on a list, and compare different cars according to the criteria you have, rather than shop only by car make and model. Why buying things you don’t need just for a name?

Once you have decided on what you need, it’s time to research your options. But don’t rush to the dealership right away. First stop is the Internet, as it’s simply the best source of independent information you can use for researching your options. There are numerous sites offering you comparison charts between different makes and models, so you could find the car that fits perfectly into your list of needs. Usually, you will find more than one car and that’s a really good thing, because you have something to choose from, and this choice usually means different prices and different car insurance quotes.

Insurance rates should also be considered as the difference in rates between two cars can make up hundreds of dollars. So when you have the approximate list of the cars to consider, do a little research on insurance costs and get car insurance quotes for the models you think about buying. This will usually eliminate one or two contenders from your list, as some cars will have quite expensive insurance rates to be suitable.

When you have all the information you need, it’s time to go to the seller. The prices you will see at the dealership will certainly be higher than you have researched but it doesn’t mean you can’t bargain. If the dealer tells you one price, and you know that it’s way over what the car costs then you should say it. Don’t expect the price to drop dramatically, but you will certainly manage to get the price lower if you know how to negotiate.

You probably know that your car insurance policy is comprised of different coverage types that each protects you against certain situations you may encounter. And knowing them and their purpose will help you tailor your policy for the best coverage and reasonable price. So before you choose to modify your coverage amounts, make sure you know the essence of the following coverage types:

Bodily injury liability. This type of coverage pays for injuries, harm or death of others caused by you while you were behind the wheel of the car included in the policy. It will also cover for your legal expenses if the other driver involved in the accident will sue you. However, this type of coverage doesn’t protect you or other people in your policy, nor it covers the damage to your vehicle. That’s why it makes sense to have a high enough amount of it in order to make sure your assets are protected in case the other party files a suit against you for injury, loss of income or pain.

Comprehensive. This type of insurance pays for the damage of your vehicle resulted from causes other than collision. For example, this type of coverage will kick in if your car gets stolen, damaged by a fallen tree, storm or flood. It will also pay for repairing your vehicle in full amount minus the deductible that you are free to choose when signing your policy. Deductible is the amount of money you are willing to pay from your pocket before getting actually covered. And the higher is your deductible the lower will be your rates.

Collision. As the name suggests, this type of coverage kicks in when your car gets into collision with another vehicle or an object (fence, pole, sign, etc,). It will pay for the repair, minus the deductible. The rule of deductible applies just as with Comprehensive coverage. And because the amount of this coverage is typically defined by the cash value of your car, older vehicles usually have no sense of carrying such coverage.

Medical Payments. This type of insurance will pay for the medical bills due to injuries delivered to you or your passengers in the course of an accident. Some companies will also cover you if you get injured as a pedestrian outside of your car. And it doesn’t take into account who was at fault in the accident.

Uninsured Motorist. This type of insurance will pay for bodily injury delivered to you or your passengers during an accident with a driver who has no or not sufficient insurance coverage. In some areas, this type of insurance coverage will also pay for the damage to your vehicle. Make sure to get it when looking for auto insurance quotes, because there is a fairly large number of uninsured drivers out there.

Personal Injury. This type of coverage is available only in a number of states and will pay for the medical or funeral costs of the policyholder, the passengers or pedestrians involved in the accident with no regard to the fault of the parties.

Property Damage Liability. This type of coverage will pay for the damage delivered to other party’s property, which is usually the car, but can also be part of infrastructure (fence, house, pole, etc.) It will also cover you if the other party sues you because of the damage delivered, so it makes sense to get enough of it when looking for auto insurance quotes in the first place.

Before we say anything we would like to make a statement. Don’t panic when you are about to file a claim. There is nothing stressful about this procedure so you should not take it as a curse. Take it step by step with it when the time comes. This is how to do it:

1. First of all you have to set the record straight and decide when you need to file a claim. For that you will have to contact you insurer or insurance company and ask them about the claim and how you could do it. You need to try to keep the number of the claim entries as low as possible as it totally affects your rates. We don’t guarantee you low rates after you have already given your record twenty entries. It should not make a difference to you – if you are guilty in the accident or if you are not, you should consider one simple thing – payment. Then just give yourself a question and try to answer it – “will I be able to pay the damages myself?”
If you know you are financially stable and you could easily pay a hundred of dollars for some reparations – it is good, but if the answer is negative – then file a claim because it seems like there is no other solution.

2. You should know not to lie about details. Give as much accurate information as you possibly can. If there are witnesses and they could help your case – ask them to make a report too. The more information you will be able to provide – the easier it will be for you to go with the claim and to cover the damages. If the company finds our about a little you that was put into your claim to ease the case – it can result you with a decline.

3. If you just had an accident and you need to file a claim – do it as soon as possible. Please remember that it doesn’t matter if you were wrong or right – the insurance company starts acting only after you applied so the sooner you do it the better for you and your accident case, especially if some injuries and losses are a part of the situation.

4. Don’t get surprised if you get a call from some other insurance provider. You may be contacted by another party’s insurance company in order to establish the details and see your point of view. Please be wise when you talk to the other insurer. Don’t give out too many details if you know they won’t benefit you. Rite down the name of the person you communicate with. If there are some complications or misjudgment you will have to provide the name of the person that contacted you.

5. The last by not the least – the reparation. If your car suffered enormously you have to get it fixed. The claim will help you by sending it to car shops after the insurance adjuster has evaluated the loss cost. Some claims get processes faster – some take longer due to some complications. But no matter what please remind yourself that your car insurance is there to save you through the difficult day called – the car accident day. Car insurance will be that light at the end of the tunnel that will help you out.

Whether you are applying directly to your lender or claiming eligibility under HAMP, the practical decisions are all to be made by the lender. You do whatever you can to set out your side of the proposed bargain with a clear set of accounts showing money in and money out. The need is to demonstrate a guaranteed slice of your monthly income that can be devoted to paying a reduced instalment. So list everything you are obliged to pay to keep body and soul together, from food to utilities to transport to health insurance, and so on. Without the modification, this is going to be negative, i.e. on paper, you are spending more than you earn. The “trick” is to show enough to cover a modified instalment, perhaps with a tiny slice of money left over for the inevitable emergencies. If the modified instalment you prove can be paid is enough to keep the lender less unhappy, the modification will be agreed on a trial basis. But if the minimum instalment the lender requires will leave you in negative territory, your offer to modify will be rejected. Why reject a good faith offer? Because people who have to juggle monthly payments to fit into the available money almost always default again. Your income must cover all outgoings.

If the modification is agreed in principle, it moves on to a formal trial basis. In theory, this is a three-month trial, but the reality is that the lenders usually drag their feet and are very slow to convert the trial into a permanent modification. This ought not to affect you. After all, you are paying the agreed amount. But there is a problem. Until the modification is made permanent, the lender will report you to the credit rating agencies as still delinquent. This is grossly unfair. You are paying what is agreed. But, as the law stands, the unpaid balance each month will be reported as late. Thus, the longer the trial period is allowed to drift the worse your credit score will become. This requires action. You should contact the three major agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and ask that details of the trial be added to your credit file. That way, even though your score will continue to decline (that is a computer algorithm that stops for no-one), all other lenders will be able to see what is going on.

So what is happening during the trial other than you proving your ability to pay the reduced instalments on time? The answer is slightly disheartening. It is always in the lender’s interest to collect as much money from you as possible on your mortgage. But, while you stay in default, the lender is entitled to foreclose at any time. If the lender judges it will make more money by foreclosing rather than accepting the reduced payments over the rest of the term, it will always foreclose. It is simply collecting as much cash from you as possible before triggering your eviction. No-one said the home loans industry had to work fairly, and it does not. The only time the lender will accept a permanent modification is when the accounts clearly show more profit in keeping the mortgage alive. While the housing market remains depressed, the odds are in your favor. But if resale prices start to rise, the odds will swing against you.