Introduction
Flood Insurance protects your house & possessions from loss by rising water from the outside. Think about a river or creek overflowing into your home… a frightening thought. Homeowner’s and other property insurance specifically exclude this peril.

If you own a house in a known flood risk area (i.e., the 100-year floodplain) with a bank loan, your mortgage bank will normally require flood insurance. For most homeowners, handling this mortgage bank flood insurance requirement is all they focus on and they ignore their true flood hazard. Then when a major storm does come, they have inadequate flood insurance coverage often with too little coverage on their house (often only the home loan balance) and no contents protection.

Also, over 25% of flood damage happens each year to properties outside of a known flood risk area (100-year floodplain). Central Texas had a recent example of an “out-of-the-blue” rain event that caused very intense flooding well beyond the known flood risk areas. The so-called “Marble Falls Rain Bomb” in June 2007 damaged over 100 homes & business around the city of Marble Falls with a very sudden 19 inch rainfall. A “Preferred Risk Flood Insurance Policy,” available to homeowners beyond the 100-year floodplain, can protect your home and possessions at a very modest price.

My city of Austin is part of the Central Texas “Flash Flood Alley” and has a long history of major flooding along its creeks and the Colorado River. Dams located on Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, built in the 1940′s, has helped control the very destructive flooding of the Colorado River. Today, the biggest risk is along the many creeks in our urban areas and the Colorado River south of Lady Bird Lake dam. Shoal, Bull and Walnut creeks in North Austin plus Onion and Williamson creeks in South Austin have considerable history of inundating adjacent areas.

Our neighboring Hill Country also has many creeks subject to flooding plus several major rivers that can rage with great torrents after heavy rain. The Llano and Pedernales Rivers both have had major flood events in recent years. The Llano River, surging into Lake LBJ has caused major flood damage along its normally calm waters on several occasions.

The hardest part of understand both your flood risk and flood insurance policies is the terminology. Most folks are confounded by its mix of insurance and engineering terms. Once you have a key to decipher the flood insurance nomenclature, things will make more sense. You also want to understand what your “Flood Zone” designation means. Finally, I have included an overview of the main components of a flood insurance policy.

Flood Insurance Terminology:

Base Flood Elevation – This is the level at which there is a 1% chance of flooding in any given year. A building that is located on land below the “Base Flood Elevation” is inside the 100-year floodplain.

Elevation Certificate – Clarifies the relative elevation of your house in relation to the know flood risk. This allows for more accurate rating of the flood insurance policy and may reduce your flood insurance rates.

Flood Maps (“FIRM” – Flood Insurance Ratings Maps) – Created by FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency), these maps were created to determine which land areas are likely to be flooded. These maps are based on surveys of the elevation of land areas relative to known flood risks (creeks, rivers, lakes, etc.).

Floodplain – Any normally dry land area that is susceptible to being inundated by water often because it is adjacent to a watercourse. The 100-year Floodplain is the land that would be inundated by a 100-year flood event.

Flooding – Rising water from outside enters a structure. An example would be a house inundation from a flash flood. The flood peril also includes mudslide.
Hundred Year Flood – An engineering term used to describe the relative flooding risk. A house that is located inside the Hundred Year Floodplain is considered to have a 1% chance of being flooded in any given year. Most mortgages require that a house that is located in a Hundred Year Flood risk area must be insured for flood.

LOMA (Letter of Map Amendment) – Document used to establish that a building is not located in a Special Flood Hazard Area. A typical situation in which a LOMA would be important is when a part of a house lot is subject to flooding in a 100-year storm but the house itself has been built at a higher elevation.

National Flood Insurance Program – This is the government agency that provides insurance for the flood peril in the United States. Insurance companies are licensed to sell flood insurance policies for this government agency. All financial backing, rules and contract terms are set by the National Flood Insurance Program which is part of FEMA.

Special Flood Hazard Area – A geographic area that is prone to flooding. An example would be an area adjacent to a river that has an elevation low enough to be subject to flooding.

Flood Zones Designations:

A – River / stream flood risk
AE – River / stream flood risk with mapped base flood elevations
AO – River / stream flood risk with shallow water depths (1-3 feet)
AH – River / stream flood risk with shallow water paths (flows of 1-3 feet)
V – Coastal or Storm Surge flood risk
VE – Coastal or Storm Surge flood risk with mapped base flood elevations
X – Not a Special Flood Risk Area (elevation above the 100-year floodplain)

Flood Insurance Overview

Property Coverages:
Building – Provides protection up to your limit for damage or destruction of your house or other dwelling from peril of flood including rising water and mudslide.
Contents – Provides protection for your clothes, appliances, furniture and other possessions at your residence from peril of flood including rising water and mudslide. Flood Insurance offers “Actual Cash Value” as the basis of settlement. Contents coverage is optional and has a separate deductible.
Secondary Structures (fences, sheds, etc.) – None (No coverage is extended to secondary structures from the standard flood policy. Coverage is only available for the main structure.)

Loss of Use: None (not available which is unfortunate)

Helpful Links
FEMA / National Flood Insurance: FloodSmart.gov
Visit our website for more information on Flood Insurance: http://www.quoteaustininsurance.com/pages/home/flood-insurance.php

Senior Citizen term life insurance is a valuable option but should be planned carefully. There are four types of term insurance:

o Term insurance that lets you sign up for coverage without a medical exam, however you should expect higher premiums. There are some insurance companies that will require a medical exam and base their prices on both your health and your age so be wary of those companies as you’ll find plenty of them that are competing for your business and won’t base your coverage on a physical at all.
o Level Term insurance allows you to pay the same premium every year for the full term of the policy with no change of benefits for the life of the policy. There is the catch of renewal rates increasing drastically, in many cases, when it’s time for renewal.
o Convertible term insurance lets you convert the policy into a permanent one at any time. There is no medical exam, but premiums may go up.
o Decreasing term insurance pays a death benefit that decreases over time, but payments are usually the same.

As you can see there are differences with pros and cons for all types of term insurance You’ll need to ask questions to be sure of the long term implications and to verify that the policy will meet the needs as you intend them. Keep notes on paper before you speak with someone about the different options, what it is that you need the insurance for and what you expect the end results to be. Bring those questions up for discussion and seek explanations about policies until you feel comfortable that you fully understand and can make a reasonable choice. Then call the next company and go through the same process until you have enough choices to make a reasonable decision.

Be sure to ask about the renewal requirements. You may have gotten a term or level term policy without a physical, however one may well be required when the policy expires and attempts are made to renew. Many also allow for only one term life policy to be active regardless of who the original policy holder is. So again, determine what you feel you need before starting to shop around.

A couple of considerations include purposes for different kinds of insurance policies. Term insurance, for example, is frequently considered a good kind of plan to ensure that burial expenses are completely covered. Inflation may cause a whole life policy to no longer be enough for a surviving partner to live on and pay the funeral expenses, and thus becomes a serious consideration in evaluating plans.

It is wise to talk about this issue with family members or whomever will be responsible for managing the proceeds of the insurance plan when that time comes.

No matter where you live in the country, flooding is a very real and very damaging possibility. In the Midwest, rivers like the Mississippi overflow into the streets on a regular basis. Easterners live with flooding caused by nor’easters, rapid melting snow, and the tail end of tropic storms. The south’s flooding is brought on by tropic storms. Western states have an intense flooding season each year from November through March that causes millions of dollars of damage. For these reasons, we strongly suggest you consider purchasing commercial flood insurance.

Most home and business owners are insured against ice and snow, fire, and theft, as part of their building’s general insurance. However, this policy does not cover damage caused by flooding. With the high probability of flooding across the country, the piece of mind you get from having business flood insurance will add to its value.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) exists to make sure you get the coverage you need at a reasonable rate. All flood insurance agents for businesses have to answer to this organization, which ensures you get a fair price when purchasing your flood insurance.

What does commercial flood insurance cover?

” Building coverage: This pays to fix any damage to your building, fixtures, machinery, or building contents. This is beneficial because literally anything that is damaged by a flood is covered, something you won’t find with many other insurance policies.
” Sandbagging: Sandbagging is a preventative step to help protect against flood damage. With flood insurance, you will be reimbursed for the cost of sandbagging, essentially protecting yourself for free.
” Cleanup: Any cleanup required after a flood, such as removing debris or cleaning your building, is also covered by this insurance. You initially pay for the cost out of pocket, but are reimbursed once you’ve made a claim to your insurance agency.

Call your local flood insurance agent to find out about coverage options and premiums. Your insurance agent can also offer suggestions on preventative measures to decrease the severity of flood damage. With knowledge of what to do in case of a flood combined with commercial flood insurance, you can protect your financial investments from what could otherwise be a disastrous situation.

This article is going to be an overview regarding debt consolidation loans to help you determine if the loan is right for you. A debt consolidation loan is a little different than a mortgage. A debt consolidation loan may have collateral towards the loan or it may be an unsecured loan. An unsecured loan means there is no collateral in the event that you default. You will also find that the unsecured loan offers a higher interest rate than the secured loans like mortgages because of the higher risk you pose to the lender.

With debt consolidation loans you have a goal. You want to ease your financial strain, reduce your stress, and gain a better monthly payment. There are a couple of ways you can do all three with debt consolidation loans. The first thing you want to do is be smart. Any debt that you owe, which charges a small interest rate or has no interest rate should not be included in the debt consolidation loan. You also want to check your different options. You may find refinancing your mortgage into a debt consolidation loan offers a lower interest rate than the straight debt consolidation loan without collateral. In fact this can almost be a guaranteed statement. You aim is a lower interest rate on high debt loans such as credit cards, mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, and car loans.

When you seek debt consolidation loans through a lender you need to make sure the interest rate they offer you is lower than your other debts. For instance if you can get a debt consolidation loan for 12%, but your mortgage is at 6.5% you may find upon doing a calculation that you are not saving enough money to make the change in loans worth it. You may also find that any credit card, car loan, or personal loan that is above 12% can be rolled into a debt consolidation loan and save you money. Even if you can’t get your expenses per month down to one low monthly payment, combining three or four high interest loans into one lower monthly payment and less interest is actually going to save you more money, than continuing as you are.

It is always better to reduce some of the stress and financial strain. Whenever you decide to obtain a debt consolidation loan you need to make sure you are gaining the better end of the deal, by doing several calculations regarding your finances.

Low interest debt consolidation loans can help you pay off your debt sooner. For the lowest rates use your home equity to secure a loan. You can also find personal loans that will reduce your interest payments. Otherwise, transfer your credit balance to a new credit card account that offers 0% interest on transfers.

Home Equity Loans

Home equity loans offer low interest rates because they are secured with your property, reducing the chances of you defaulting. You can opt to cash out your equity by refinancing or applying for a second mortgage or line of credit.

Refinancing can cost thousands in upfront fees, buy they can offer you overall lower payments. Second mortgages and lines of credit usually cost zero to a couple of hundred of dollars to open, but their rates are higher than a traditional mortgage.

Personal Loans

Personal loans offered through banks and other financial lenders can also help you consolidate debt. These types of loans are based on your credit score and cash assets. Since these are unsecured loans, rates are higher. However, when compared to credit card rates, they are significantly lower.

Credit Card Transfers

You can also open a credit card to take advantage of 0% or low interest rates on transfer balances. These types of offers are introductory, so expect rates to jump in six to twelve months. In the meantime, you can start paying down debt while rates are low. At the end of the introductory period, you can open another account or look for a long term loan with low rates.

While transfers are attractive, they do carry risks. You should read the terms to be aware of any fees charged for transfers. Also, guard against racking up more debt by closing old accounts. This will also help your credit score in the long term.

Shopping Loan Rates

No matter what type of loan you choose to use to consolidate your debt, be sure to research rates. By comparing offers, you can save thousands in interest charges. Most lenders post their rates online for easy access. Be sure to read their terms as well to make sure you don’t get caught on fees.

How Homeowners Can Navigate Choppy Waters With Ease!

The purpose of flood insurance is to protect property owners and renters against losses from floods-losses that a typical homeowner’s policy does not cover. Whether you have a condo or a house, whether you’re a builder or a renter, here’s information to help you know who is eligible for this insurance, where to obtain it, and how the program works.

Flood insurance is available only in communities that participate in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Homeowners, builders, and communities want to preserve and protect their property. What measures exist to help them?

Why Have Flood Insurance?

You may not think you live near enough to water to be at risk, but dams and levees do break, drainage systems can become overloaded and back up, and hurricanes can veer off path.

Protecting your home and belongings with flood insurance is far less costly than cleaning up after the fact. Nor can you depend upon Presidential Disaster Declaration aid. Even if such a declaration is made for your area, it can be a long time before the money arrives.

The National Flood Insurance Program

Over time, the US government realized that the measures in place to discourage unwise land development or to decrease losses from floods simply didn’t work. Therefore, in 1968, Congress established the National Flood Insurance Program to protect property owners against the possibility of loss.

How Does It Work?

A community must agree to adopt and enforce a floodplain management ordinance that is designed to reduce future flood risks in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs). When a community follows or agrees to follow these laws, the federal government will make flood insurance available to every property owner in that community.

Each property owner must then follow all of FEMA’s and NFIP’s requirements whether or not he or she purchases flood insurance. One of the requirements is properly installed flood vents.

How Do You Define Community?

A community is any State, area, or political subdivision; any Indian tribe, authorized tribal organization, or Alaska native village; or authorized native organization with the authority to adopt and enforce floodplain management ordinance for the area under its jurisdiction.

Community participation in the NFIP is voluntary, although some states require participation as part of their floodplain management program. Each community in an identified flood-prone area must assess its flood hazard and determine whether flood insurance and floodplain management would benefit its residents and economy.

How are Flood Hazard Areas Determined?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) produces maps that identify various flood hazard areas, such as the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA), a high-risk area that stands a 1% chance of occurring in any year. The government believes that this high-risk standard is a reasonable compromise between the need for floodplain development and the need for building restrictions aimed at minimizing loss of life and property.

Development can take place in the SFHA as long as it complies with local floodplain management ordinances that meet the minimum federal requirements. Flood insurance is required for insurable structures within high-risk areas.

What Kind of Requirements Are There?

When a community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program, every property owner in that community has to follow all of FEMA’s code requirements as set out in its floodplain management ordinance. That’s true whether or not the property owner buys flood insurance. These code requirements include but aren’t limited to foundation openings (also called “flood vents”) and first flood elevation height requirements.

What Types of Structures Can Be Insured?

If you are in a community that participates in the NFIP, nearly every type of walled and roofed building that is mostly above-ground and not entirely over water can be insured. This includes mobiles homes and traveler trailers without wheels that are anchored to permanent foundations. Separate coverage is available for the contents of these buildings.

What isn’t insurable under the NFIP?

Buildings entirely over water or principally below ground, gas and liquid storage tanks, animals, birds, fish, aircraft, wharves, piers, bulkheads, growing crops, shrubbery, land, livestock, roads, machinery, motor vehicles, equipment in the open. Most contents and finishing materials located in a basement or in enclosures below the lowest elevated floor of an elevated building are not covered.

How To Find Out If You Can Buy The Insurance

Property owners and renters can see if their community participates in the NFIP by contacting a community official or insurance agent or by visiting http://www.fema.gov/fema/csb.

How to Obtain A The Insurance Policy

If your local insurance agent does not sell flood insurance, call the NFIP at 1-888-379-9531 or visit http://www.floodsmart.gov.

How Much Flood Insurance Coverage Is Available?

The NFIP Flood Insurance Manual provides coverage limits under the Residential Condominium Building Association Policy. Under its regular program, property owners can buy up to $250,000 per single-family dwelling or other residential building and up to $500,000 for a non-residential building. Coverage is available up to $100,000 for residential building contents and up to $500,000 for non-residential contents.

When To Buy Flood Insurance?

There is typically a 30-day waiting period for flood insurance to go into effect. Remember that hurricane season is flood season, so obtain your insurance well ahead of time.

Tips to Remember

1 – Everyone lives in a flood zone.

2 – Most homeowners’ policies don’t cover flood damage.

3 – No matter what your flood risk is, you can buy flood insurance if your community participates in the NFIP.

4 – Don’t wait for federal disaster assistance to help you.

5 – Keep your home compliant with federal regulations.

6 – There’s usually a 30-day waiting period before your policy takes effect.

7 – Buy a separate policy to protect your contents.

This article is not intended to be a substitute for FEMA’s comprehensive guidelines. For more information, visit FEMA.gov.

What really popular in this lifestyle is their ride. Their ride is somehow flashy and full of modification, but exactly what type of modification needed to earn that kind of ride? And where should we focus on when we are modifying this kind of cars? It is absolutely the wheels. Their wheels must be flashy and of course stylish. They put their elegant style to it. It is the most attractive part in their ride. So if you are going to get a bling-bling performance, it is really recommended to modify the wheels before you start to modify other parts.

As the masses use the internet to shop out just about everything in their lives, hundreds of insurance companies have followed suit by offering online services. Many companies make their offers appealing and seemingly easy by giving rapid quotes with an online application. Some insurance companies even offer term life insurance with no medical examination required. Many people, especially those with a pre-existing medical condition, would certainly find these policies enticing. However, it is important, as with all things that sound too good to be true, to read the fine print or disclaimers.

Some insurance carriers will require applicants who apply for no medical exam policies to pay much higher premiums or extra monthly fees. Additionally, applicants may be required to go through physical exams one to five years after their policies have started. Non-reputable companies may even refuse to pay out benefits or withdraw coverage unexpectedly once an applicant gets older. Ultimately, insurance companies share information amongst each other and any pre-existing medical conditions may be disclosed to potential new carriers anyway. Generally, it is best to apply for traditional term life insurance and undergo the required medical exam.

Medical Exams are Usually Required

When you apply for term life coverage, some insurance companies require a medical exam for all policies, while others require the exams only for policies with substantial face values. The medical exams are quite basic and done in the comfort of your own home or office. Examinations usually measure your height and weight. You will be required to give a brief medical history as well as blood and urine samples. Your blood and urine are tested for very specific medical problems and positive results could affect your premium. If an insurance company does not like the results of your medical exam, they may choose to deny coverage altogether.

To get the best medical examination results, it would be best to schedule your physical early in the morning or during the weekend so that you can sleep in and are more relaxed. Avoid drinking coffee, soda, alcohol and eating heavy, sugary foods prior to the exam. The goal is to reduce stress, keeping your blood pressure in check.

Other Factors that May Affect Your Coverage

Aside from medical results, your lifestyle may also affect whether or not a carrier will choose to cover you or how much you will be charged for your premium. For example, smokers pay more for term life insurance. Some insurance companies do not distinguish between cigarette, cigar or marijuana smokers. If you smoke marijuana, but not cigarettes, you still must admit to being a smoker on your application. Because marijuana users must also disclose their drug use, their applications are under additional scrutiny.

Age is also a factor in getting accepted for term life insurance coverage. As you get older, the likelihood you will die sooner increases. Hence, older individuals pay more for life insurance. Many term policies give you the option to renew your coverage at the end of the term without undergoing another medical exam. Locking in low premiums is not impossible. Just ask your carrier for a “level premium” term life policy. That means for a specific time period, say 10 or 20 years, your premium rate will remain the same. After that term expires, your rates will increase. However, by that time the need for life insurance may no longer be a necessity.

If you do not have job or income proof in hands, there is nothing to worry. You are definitely offered the sufficient amount by the lenders. For it you have to win the trust of selected lender in case of repaying amount. Unsecured loans for unemployed are available in this modern era, competitive loan market place but only when the applicants have prepared themselves for it.

Credit history of the borrower plays an important role, as it is the basis of fixing terms-conditions and interest rates. Ratification of the loan amount depends a lot on the report. Borrower with a good credit history derives the approval without hindrance and difficulties. But with blemished credit score, the unemployed borrowers should make extra efforts to assure the lender over their repayment capability and should be ready to scrounge at higher costs. Get free copies of your credit report from all the credit scores agencies and check the copies for any mistakenness.

With the intention of availing unsecured unemployed loans, there is no required of pledging assets as collateral in opposition to the loan. For this reason, the borrowed amount is free of any risks for the people who have no employment in hand. The borrowed amount can help them in setting up a small business, home remodeling, paying off the previous debts, going to a tour, celebrating an occasion and paying for college fee.

The lenders are always frightened in case of jobless persons’ repayment capability because of not having adequate earning. Hence, because of fragile repayment capability and mainly owing to the loan being unsecured one, interest rates are declared marginally higher. And if the unemployed borrowers want to avail these loans, the interest rates will be slightly further.

The amount between

Government debt consolidation loans fall into a specific category of loans offered through different government programs.