| Saigontourist, AIG tie up to provide travel insurance
(SGT-HCMC) Vietnam's leading tour operator Saigontourist Travel Service Co. inked a deal yesterday with AIG General Insurance (Vietnam) Co. Ltd. to provide global travel insurance for tourists. Under the deal signed in HCMC, AIG is the insurance partner to provide global travel insurance for Saigontourist's outbound tourists in one year from April 1. The insurance policy covers health care costs abroad, around-the-clock emergency support by International SOS, accidents, losses, delayed and damaged luggage. Especially, the policy also covers losses or damages caused by terrorism, natural calamities, and epidemic diseases. The two companies declined to announce the fee, but said that the payout can reach US$10,000. Vo Anh Tai, director of Saigontourist, said that the global travel insurance service not only applies to Vietnamese travel abroad but also for overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who buy outbound tourism services at the company.
Driving down cost of insurance products
SHOPPING around for cheaper car , travel and health insurance may not be as exciting as a little retail therapy, but you could end up saving enough money to fund your next buying extravaganza. It's simple to buy cover on the Internet as policies are easily compared and buying online can save hundreds of pounds. Moneyextra offers some top tips on ways to avoid paying over the odds for your insurance policies. Shop till you drop The price of any insurance cover can vary enormously so don't accept the first insurance quote that comes your way . By obtaining several quotes you can compare prices and ensure you are getting cover that meets your exact requirements. If you are changing your policy, always ensure you are buying like-for-like or you may discover you do not have the same level of cover when you come to claim.
Car tourists advised to get cover
Tourists looking to take their vehicle abroad this bank holiday weekend are being advised to ensure they have adequate motor cover in addition to travel insurance.According to Saga, some 3.1 million Britons head across the Channel in their cars every year and as a result may be advised to get breakdown cover should they suffer an accident while on foreign roads.Motorists are particularly recommended to keep their driving licence and insurance documents with them at all times as it is "compulsory for driving abroad".Meanwhile, holidaymakers are also recommended to pack a first-aid kit in the event of a medical emergency. By taking a car for a pre-trip service, Saga reported tourists can "minimise the risk of breaking down while abroad".Research conducted by American Express last month warned car tourists to take out sufficient motor cover, as well as travel insurance, as some ten per cent will suffer a breakdown while abroad.
Budding DIYers advised to get insurance
Those planning on carrying out some home improvements during the forthcoming long weekend have been advised to ensure they have sufficient insurance before starting work.Research conducted by Churchill Home Insurance reveals Britons caused 2.6 billion worth of damage during DIY project over the course of 2006, with the average accidental damage claim costing some 540. As a result, head of home insurance Martin Scott has recommended budding Handy Andys take out adequate cover.He said: "Householders who have elected to include accidental damage cover under their home insurance policy have the added reassurance that they are covered if a DIY accident causes damage in the home."The study also revealed that although a fifth of consumers are to spend this Easter weekend doing home improvement work, 51 per cent of adults admit that they are not very good at it.Meanwhile, as a record number of Britons get set to go on short holidays this Easter, holidaymakers have been advised to consider the benefits of annual travel insurance.According to underwriting manager for Halifax Travel Insurance Paul Birkhead, an annual travel insurance policy can be an "attractive proposition" as tourists go on more weekend breaks across Europe.© Adfero Ltd .
BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: Lidle's widow sues insurance firm
The widow of former New York Yankees right-hander Cory Lidle has sued MetLife Inc., claiming she is owed more than $1 million under the Major League Baseball benefit plan. Lidle died in the crash of his small plane Oct. 11 in New York and was covered by the benefit plan of MLB and its players union, which had a life-insurance benefit of $450,000 and an accidental-death benefit of $1.05 million. But the plan, which applies to all players with major-league contracts, contains an exclusion for ''any incident related to travel in an aircraft ... while acting in any capacity other than as a passenger.'' MetLife paid Melanie Lidle $450,000 but ''has refused to pay the entirety of the policy'' despite demands, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The family lived in Glendora, Calif., during the offseason.
Insurance Sector Becomes Keen
Competition in the insurance industry has become very keen with products and premiums being driven by competition and, sometimes, by undercutting.
Travel insurance policies have become a fairly new phenomenon in the industry, but it is one area in which competition has left an indelible mark.
Premiums here have been largely driven by keen competition, having changed about two times a year, industry players have confirmed.
A one-month policy, which costs an average of $70 at the start of the first policy, now goes for about $45 on the average.
Travel insurance used to be part of personal accident policies without health component for most insurance companies until about two years ago when Schengen States, mostly members of the European Union, decided to make it mandatory for travellers to possess travel insurance policies which cover particularly sickness.
Insuring smooth transition
Fifteen years ago, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co.'s products had become as stale as week-old Communion bread. The Fort Wayne-based insurance company had gotten "very behind and antiquated" in the coverage it was offering, President James Blum said. Blum, who was named president in 1995, modernized the insurer of churches and related ministries. In recent years, the company has added policies that include coverage for terrorism, sexual misconduct, broadcast communications and overseas missions trips. The executive also moved Brotherhood Mutual away from homeowners' insurance, an area that accounted for only 5 percent of the company's income before it was discontinued in 2005. "We can't be all things to all people and do it well," he said. Blum, who will retire at the end of the month, sat down recently with The Journal Gazette to talk about how Brotherhood Mutual has evolved during his 40 years with the company.
Farmers call for quick action on disaster aid bill
Area farmers who experienced crop losses in 2005 say they and their neighbors need federal disaster aid immediately to stay in business.
Having waited two years is long enough, said Larry Neubauer of Bottineau. We cant wait any longer. We must get compensation to cover some of those losses that we incurred in 2005. We are at a very critical time period here because we are under scrutiny from our lenders to have our budgets in place. Its very, very difficult. We are finding lots of people in my area that are having trouble with their lending. They are behind. They should have had their lines of credit put in place already.
Neubauer spoke in support of a federal disaster bill at a news conference with U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Wednesday at Bourgault Industries in Minot.
Southern California Institute of Neurological Surgery in Escondido ...
Dr. Mark Stern Offers San Diego Patients Cutting Edge Motion Preservation Back Procedures as Alternatives to Spine Fusions ESCONDIDO, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southern California Institute of Neurological Surgery (SCINS) in Escondido, CA in conjunction with SpineMark Corporation has taken the next step in offering patients multiple treatment options for spine care. Spinal fusions continue to be the standard of care for treating many disabling degenerative spinal conditions. But spinal fusions are not appropriate for everyone. In a move to provide patients with alternative therapies, Southern California Institute of Neurological Surgery is now enrolling patients in several clinical trials using motion preservation spinal devices aimed at maintaining natural movement. "Motion preservation procedures provide patients with an opportunity to evaluate various treatment options in addition to traditional spine fusion procedures to address their back and spine problems," said Dr.
James T. Morris Becomes Pacific Life's President & CEO
MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5369005 NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2007--Pacific Life Insurance Company announced today that James T. Morris, 47, assumed the role of president and chief executive officer, becoming only the company's 14th chief executive officer in its 139-year history. This appointment was announced by the Board of Directors in November 2006. Thomas C. Sutton, Pacific Life's previous CEO, will retire in June 2007 after having served for 17 years as chairman and CEO. He will continue to serve as chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Morris has also been appointed to serve on the boards of Pacific Mutual Holding Company, Pacific LifeCorp, and Pacific Life Insurance Company. "Pacific Life is a leader in providing financial solutions to customers across the U.S.
Q and A With Mickey Ward
In the sport's glory days, it wasn't uncommon for top fighters such as Jack Dempsey to parlay their national popularity into film roles, and since that time several actors have laced up the gloves in boxing-related pictures.In recent years, critically acclaimed movies such as “Cinderella Man" and “Million Dollar Baby" proved that the sweet science still sparks interest on the big screen, even if the happenings of the sport are of little importance to today's average sports fan. The success of the underdog, such as the fictional Rocky Balboa and the real James J. Braddock, may be the most common theme in pugilistic flicks, and “Irish" Mickey Ward may be the next unlikely hero to hit the silver screen.Ward, a retired junior welterweight known for his devastating body punch and three action packed fights with Arturo Gatti, is the focus of “The Fighter," a biopic in the works by Paramount Pictures.
CNBC: Berkshire Has Stakes in Two Other Railroad Firms
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has bought large stakes in two other North American railroad companies besides Burlington Northern Santa Fe, CNBC's Liz Claman has learned. "I confirmed with Warren Buffett that aside from Burlington Northern, Berkshire Hathaway has bought large stakes--one of $700 million and another for slightly less--in two North American railroad companies," Claman said. "He declined to say which ones." Berkshire recently acquired a 10.9% stake in Burlington Northern Santa Fe .
Bill Brosius Underpaid teachers? You decide
Throwing money at education does not improve results. I showed that two weeks ago. The local situation? Government has a virtual education monopoly (only 12 percent of students attend private schools or are home schooled - an insignificant influence on public schools); there is little opportunity for competition in pay scales. Most jobs are in markets where worker and employer can shop among many choices. Not so with teachers. One measure is comparison among professions, while accounting for all factors, giving each fair value. Each benefit, such as employer-paid Social Security, has value to the employee. Other benefits are 401k and pension contributions, unemployment insurance, workman's compensation, life insurance, continuing education expense, and teacher's health insurance (medical, dental, eye, drugs and preventive), which is about the best anywhere, costing the employer $8,863.
Report Finds Fault With Health Insurance
THURSDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Having health insurance is no guarantee that an illness or injury won't leave you in dire financial straits, a new report contends. "Our interviews found that health insurance did not fulfill its primary purpose," study author Carol Pryor, a senior policy analyst at the Boston-based Access Project, said during a teleconference. "When people got sick, insurance did not protect them from overwhelming financial losses or allow them to access needed care." "The only thing worse than being uninsured is paying to be uninsured," Joseph Ditre, executive director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care, said during the teleconference. "And that's what high-deductible plans are doing." The report, The Illusion of Coverage: How Health Insurance Fails People When They Get Sick, was issued Thursday by the Access Project and Brandeis University.
CNA Financial Corporation at AIFA 32nd Annual Conference - Final
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER, MODERATOR, AIFA: We'll get started with our second presentation this afternoon, as part of the Commercial and Breakout Session. And we're very pleased to have Mr. Jim Lewis, who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CNA's Property & Casualty Company. JAMES LEWIS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CNA PROPERTY & CASUALTY OPERATIONS: Good afternoon, and welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming. I've been looking forward to this session, especially the opportunity for us to have some dialogue a little bit later, so I'll try to get through these slides quickly so we have some time for some Q&A. But before going forward, similar to our last speaker, I think you're kind of familiar with these forward-looking statements that we have, and I think each company has those forward-looking statements.
Learn About Life Insurance - Part 2: How much life insurance do I ...
In most cases, if you have no dependents and have enough money to pay your final expenses, you don't need any life insurance.If you want to create an inheritance or make a charitable contribution, buy enough life insurance to achieve those goals.If you have dependents, buy enough life insurance so that, when combined with other sources of income, it will replace the income you now generate for them, plus enough to offset any additional expenses they will incur to replace services you provide (for a simple example, if you do your own taxes, the survivors might have to hire a professional tax preparer). Also, your family might need extra money to make some changes after you die. For example, they may want to relocate, or your spouse may need to go back to school to be in a better position to help support the family.You should also plan to replace “hidden income" that would be lost at death.
Wildwood man gets probation in insurance fraud
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — Wildwood resident Joseph Venziano was sentenced Thursday to five years' probation for insurance fraud. Venziano, 66, was indicted in November and pleaded guilty to theft by deception, a third-degree crime, in February. He previously admitted that between Oct. 18, 2002, and Dec. 30, 2003, he falsely represented that he remained married to his former wife so she would be eligible for spousal health insurance benefits. According to the state Attorney General's office, which prosecuted the case, health insurance benefits were provided through Venziano's employer by the Aetna Life Insurance Company, and the policy provided that those benefits would end if the marriage ended. Venziano was divorced in 1998, but Aetna paid $9,393 to various health care providers for services rendered to the former wife between 2002 and 2003.
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