Some Successes For August 2010

Some of the types of business we are writing in August 2010:

• Consultant - Commercial Liability (Responsible For providing indication on supplies to order based on architechts building plans
• Office Furniture - Retailer with large storefront (Commercial Liability, Business Auto and Commercial Umbrella)
• Contactor - Installs & Refinishes Hardwood Floors (Commercial Liability and Workers Compansation)
• Deli - with cooking-not open 24hrs (Commercial Liability & Property)
• Restaurant-Nutritional Meals delivered, no table service (Commercial Liability)
• Pennsylvania Annuity - Qualified - with 20% bonus upon approval. Rates Subject to Change.
• NY Annuity - 6.09% year one, 3 % guarunteed remainder of contract. Rates Subject to Change. 
• Florida Annuity - Non Qualified - 8% bonus on approval - potential 12% year one return, 3% guarunteed for duration of contract. Rates Subject to Change.

Netspend Prepaid Debit Visa Card

Apply for Your Netspend Prepaid Visa Debit Card By Clicking on This Link    
   Netspend Prepaid Debit Visa Card

No Credit Checks
No Interest Charges
Debit Card is Free
Savings Account Option
Cash Advance Option if You Have Direct Deposit of Your Payroll Activated

Can Be Used For:
Direct Deposit of Payroll
Direct Deposit of your Social Security Checks
Direct Deposit of your Tax Refund

Filling The Card:
Money Gram Locations
Western union Locations
Online Bank Account Electronic Fund Transfer
Cardholder to Cardholder Transfer
Can Reload at Most Pharmacies
Pharmacies Carry Reload Packs in Case You Don't Have The Card With You

Reporting:
Anytime Alerts to Your E Mail or Texts to Your Cell Phone
Daily Balance Alerts
Purchase Alerts - Every Purchase to Prevent Fraudulent Transactions

Visit http://www.mjfinsuranceagency.com/
Go To Products and Click on Netspend to Access the Online Application
You Will Receive Your Card in 7-10 Days.
Must have a valid Social Security Number and Be At Least 18 Years of Age

or call 866-983-8726 for more information

Personal Wedding Websites Created by You :: Wed Page Designs Wedding Website

Personal Wedding Websites Created by You :: Wed Page Designs Wedding Website

Planning your wedding?

Let MJF Insurance Agency help you plan and protect your future together!

Your website will help you keep your guests informed, post your bridal registries, photo slideshows, accept r.s.v.p.'s. Become elidgible for discounts, post interactive maps etc.. Visit our site today and take advantage of our free trial offer. If you decide to continue beyond the free trial period you can do so for a minimal fee.

Visit the M.J.F. wedding planner site to create your site today!             www.wedpagedesigns.com/mjfweddingpages

Congratulations and best wishes on your special day!

If MJF Insurance Agency can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact us via the web
http://www.mjfinsuranceagency.com/ or toll free at 866-983-8726

National Flood Insurance Plan (N.F.I.P.) Non Renewed by Congress

National Flood Insurance Plan (N.F.I.P.) was not renewed by Congress and expired March 28, 2010 and the earliest it can be reinstated by Congress would be April 12th, 2010.

This means that existing N.F.I.P. policies cannot be renewed and that no new policies cannot be written. If you are in need of an alternative coverage MJF can provide a plan for you.

For additional information and a quote
please call us at  866-983-8726 or submit for a quote via our secure website http://www.mjfinsurance.com/

Extended Vehicle Warranty Program

MJF offers an extended warranty program for your vehicle to cover mechanical breakdown. There are four levels of protection available. We can offer wear and tear as well as luxury items such as navigational systems.

Company is owned by GMAC and you can use your own mechanic. Can be purchased for any persoanl vehicle as well as commercial vehicles. We can write the plan in NY and NJ. For more information call
1 866-983-8726. Now offering a 10% discount until 4/30/10

Merchants, looking to accept credit cards for your business? MJF will soon be offering Merchant Services, please check back to find out our launch date for that program.

MJF Officially Appointed To Sell Metlife Bank Products

MJF Officially Appointed to Sell Metlife Bank Products

Looking for a Certificate of Deposit, Money Market. Day to Day I.R.A., Checking  Accounts. MJF can help you open your account with metlife Bank. Call for more info 1 866-983-8726.

http://www.mjfinsurance.com/

Sales: Dispelling myths opens door to small-business marketplace

Sales: Dispelling myths opens door to small-business marketplace

Bill Would Allow Property Insurers To Raise Rates In Florida

Edsel Hulse, a veteran who lives in Hollywood, said he's expecting his Citizens Property Insurance Corp. windstorm insurance policy premium to increase this year because state legislators in 2009 approved allowing the insurer to boost premiums by up to 10 percent annually.

But he's also worried that may not be the last of it. Hulse, like many other South Florida insurance policyholders, is apprehensive about new insurance laws the Legislature is slated to take up when it convenes its annual session March 2.

Key Florida lawmakers are drafting legislation that would essentially allow additional property insurance rate increases and reduce fraudulent claims and discounts that can drive up insurance costs.

Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, who leads the Senate's insurance committee, and Rep. Bryan Nelson, R-Apopka, said they plan to file broad property insurance measures that would expand on an insurance bill passed last year that, among other things, allowed insurers to increase premiums by up to 10 percent to pass certain backup coverage costs to policyholders.

"With that bill we crossed the starting line, which is dramatically different than crossing the finishing line," Richter said.

Richter and Nelson, who sponsored the bill last year, are considering having other fixed costs included in the 10 percent provision. That could drive up the cost of Hulse's homeowner policy, covered by a private insurer. "So now instead of worrying about taxes, I have to worry about insurance," Hulse said, adding that 40 percent of his monthly income already goes to paying insurance premiums, utility bills and taxes.

Insurance industry executives say rates aren't high enough to build claims-paying reserves and are pressing lawmakers for relief. "Even though Florida has gone four years without a hurricane, many major property insurers lost money in 2009," wrote the Florida Insurance Council, a trade group, in a recent report.
The state's Office of Insurance Regulation approved 99 homeowner insurance proposals to increase statewide average rates last year by 0.2 percent to 27.9 percent and 15 proposals to decrease rates, according to data from the agency.

Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty told a panel of senators in October that 102 of 210 property insurers with a significant presence in Florida reported that premiums collected during the first half of the year weren't enough to cover claims and expenses. But McCarty also said that 150 of the companies reported an increase in claims-paying reserves. Specific Florida figures aren't available.

Overall, U.S. property and casualty insurers are expected to earn a net income of $30.6 billion in 2009, up from $3.8 billion in 2008, according to a report this month from A.M. Best, which rates the financial health of insurers.

Senate President Jeff Atwater — who co-sponsored a law passed in 2008 that extended Citizens' rate freeze and allowed regulators to reject rate increases before they took effect — said Florida's insurance market is healthier now but still needs help.

"We're focused on two fronts: Not doing anything that would make it more difficult for consumers to get prompt payment of claims and fair pricing," said Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, adding that legislators also want to show insurers that Florida has a fair regulatory environment.

Stephen Marino, an attorney for policyholders at Ver Ploeg & Lumpkin in Miami, said the Legislature has bigger issues to deal with. "It troubles me that the insurance industry is causing legislators to expend resources on these changes for no good reason other than because the industry wants them," he said.

Like other major industries, insurers are aggressive in pushing their agenda. The Republican Party of Florida received more than $1.5 million from insurance industry representatives and groups last year and the Democrats received more than $600,000, according to state campaign finance records.

Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, proposed legislation this year that would essentially allow insurers to increase rates as much as they want. Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a similar bill they proposed last year and vowed to do the same this year.

Sam Miller, executive vice president of the insurance council, said his group supports the idea but has resigned itself to the fact that it won't get far. He said legislators should at least allow capped annual rate increases as they did for Citizens. "We need a glide path [increase] for private insurers. It's gotta be capped. It's gotta be incremental," Miller told the Sun Sentinel editorial board last week.

Bill Newton, executive director of the Florida Consumer Action Network, said consumers can't afford 10 percent increases every year and insurers "don't deserve that kind of latitude."

Insurance Consumer Advocate Sean Shaw said that if legislators limit the state's authority to shoot down rate increases, they should consider allowing his office to participate in insurance rate hearings on behalf of consumers — much like the Office of Public Counsel does for utility proposals.

Richter and Nelson's bills aim to:

Prevent inspectors from inflating discounts. Legislators want to beef up the state's regulation of home inspections because some homeowners are getting discounts they don't deserve for fortifying their homes against hurricanes. After recently inspecting 452 homes, Citizens found 311 were not eligible for the discounts.

Increase the state's authority to set common guidelines on the scope of damage during mediation, a program to help resolve disputes between insurers and policyholders over claims.

Reduce fraud that drives up costs for insurers. One idea is to undo parts of a 2005 law that required insurers to pay the full cost of replacing damaged items before repairs are made. "What's happening is the policyholder is saying, ‘I'm going to get my $2,000, $3,000 for the kitchen floor but I'm not going to replace the kitchen floor,' " Nelson said. Another idea is to limit the time policyholders have to open claims after a hurricane.

A state fund that sells catastrophe coverage to insurers reports that it must raise up to $710 million more to pay for losses from the 2005 hurricane season. It proposes increasing a fee that all automobile and property insurance policyholders pay from 1 percent of premiums to 1.3 percent.

"We're supposed to only pay claims that are due, not that are inflated," said Stacey Giulianti, the chief legal officer of Boca Raton-based Florida Peninsula Insurance Co.

Marino said insurers' claims of fraud are overblown. A recent state study found that in the past six years, the Division of Insurance Fraud received 937 complaints about fraud related to public adjusters from insurers and others, investigated 269 of them and made 31 arrests from 2004 to 2009.
 
Story was writtten by Julie Patel of the Sun Sentinel

What is The Cost To Add Eartquake Insurance to Your Curent Policy?

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that earthquake insurance for a brick home would likely cost between 60 cents to 90 cents per $1,000 of coverage in New York, compared to the Pacific Northwest where it would cost from $3 to $15 per $1,000 for a similar home, according to the NYSID.

Did You Know That Earthquake Coverage is Available?

With the backdrop of the devastation in Haiti fresh in people’s minds, New York insurance regulators are not ruling out a similar event in their own state, a key reason they say insurers should promote the opportunity to buy coverage for such a devastating occurrence.

The New York State Insurance Department recently said that in terms of having a home or business property insured against earthquakes, the state “is probably not prepared,” noting that earthquake insurance accounted for $15 million of the $3.9 billion in total premiums written by property-casualty insurers in 2007. In 2008, the NYSID noted, the amount of earthquake policy premiums remained essentially the same.

James J. Wrynn

“Many people are probably unaware that standard homeowners’, renters and business insurance policies specifically exclude covering damage caused by earthquakes,” said New York Insurance Superintendent James J. Wrynn in a statement. “Coverage can be obtained, but it usually needs to be purchased as a separate policy or as an endorsement to an existing homeowners’ policy.”

National Flood Insurance Plan

The National Flood Insurance Program, which ran out of funding Feb. 28, has been extended to March 28, the latest in a series of short-term extensions by Congress.

^ Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance

Check out these six money-saving tips and take the sting out of buying insurance.

#1 Raise your deductible. It’s a gamble, sure. You’ll be responsible for a larger amount of the bill should you get into an accident. However, this is a guaranteed way to lower your annual insurance costs.

#2 Shop around. Staying with the same insurance company year after year may not be in your best interest. You can cancel or change your policy at any time—you don’t need to wait for the policy to expire. So shop your insurance every six months and compare prices to ensure you are getting the best deal.

#3 Remove unneeded extras. Although knowing you have towing and rental car coverage may help you sleep at night, those add-ons are rarely used and not necessarily worth the cost. You pay between $10 and $30 a year over the life of your policy to cover towing. And in the unlikely situation that you need a tow, you’ll pay about $100. Likewise, a small economy car costs $20-$25 a day to rent and car rental tacks on another $20-$40 to your insurance bill each year. So you can sleep well knowing that you saved yourself some money.

#4 Protect your credit. More insurers have begun using credit-based insurance scores to determine what you pay for your policy. So paying the water bill on time will actually keep your insurance costs down.

#5 Research discounts. Cars with safety and anti-theft devices cost less to insure. You can also knock off a few bucks if you insure your car and home with the same company. People who abstain from alcohol, get good grades in school or take a driver education course are also rewarded with lower premiums.

#6 Get informed. The easiest way to save on any insurance is to research before you buy. And get recommendations from family and friends.

And now for the shameless plug: shop here to find quotes and matched with agents from your area!

Auto Insurance

Auto insurance protects you from damage to the often considerable investment in a car and/or from liability for damage or injury caused by you or someone driving your vehicle. It can also help cover expenses you or anyone in your car may incur as a result of an accident with an uninsured motorist.

Auto liability coverage is necessary for anyone who owns a car. Many states require you to have liability insurance before a vehicle can be registered. However, state-required minimum coverage often does not provide adequate protection. Suggested minimums are $100,000 for medical expenses per injured person, $300,000 for the total per accident, and $50,000 for property damage. Collision, fire, and theft coverage is also advisable for a vehicle having more than minimal value. You can cut costs, however, by choosing a higher deductible -- the amount of loss that must be exceeded before you are compensated.

The cost of auto insurance varies greatly, depending on the company and agent offering it, your choice of coverage and deductible, where you live, the kind of vehicle, and the ages of drivers in the family. Substantial discounts are often available for safe drivers, nonsmokers, and those who commute to work via public transportation.

Long Term Care

The aging of America, and the increasing health care expenses that will follow, are the biggest factors contributing to the growing interest in long-term care insurance.
Demographers predict that a third of all people who reach age 65 will need to enter a nursing home at some point in time.
Today the average cost of private nursing home care in America tops $74,000 a year, making private long-term care insurance a potentially smart investment for individuals who want to protect assets and avoid burdening their family.
In general, long-term care insurance covers a range of nursing home and community-based personal care services for individuals who need ongoing assistance due to illness or disability.
Neither Medicare, Medicare supplemental coverage, nor standard health insurance cover long-term care expenses.
Premium costs increase as you age, so the younger you are when you purchase a policy, the lower the premiums you'll pay during the life of the policy.
Checklist
Be sure you read and understand all of the fine print on any long-term care insurance policy you are thinking about buying.
Investigate the cost of care at facilities in your area, so that you can get an idea of how much coverage you might need.
Find out if your employer offers extra long-term care coverage as an optional benefit.

Make sure Your Business Insurance Has You Fully Protected!

The other day a prospective customer dropped of his policy so that I could review it and possibly save him money on his premium. I was astonished that the policy only covered liability and systems breakdown. The policy had multiple exclusions in the body of the agreemment including no theft, no products and completed operation, no damage to goods of others, no employee dishonesty and other important coverages that would reduce the business owners exposure to a loss.

I submitted an application to my carriers and within a day I started receiving multiple quotes back. I was able to add coverages that would fully protect the insured and even saved him $325 annually in premium.

It is very important to review your policies. The owner of the store was vulnerable to loss on so many exposures and very fortunate he never experienced a loss. An annual review is the best way to make sure the policy covers the exposures you currently have and to see if any carriers have new policies with enhanced coverages.

As an independent agent, we work with many companies and can find you the best carrier for your commercial business.

Call or e mail MJF 866-983-8726
mjfinsagencyinc@yahoo.com or visit our website at www.mjfinsurance.com

We are licensed in NY,NJ,CT,PA and FL

Price Reduced On MJF Online Defensive Driver Classes For NY and NJ Drivers

Defensive Driving Online Course
The American Safety Council - Assisting and educating Americans in ways to make our world a safer place. American Safety Council, Inc. and its affiliate organizations have provided educational courses for state regulatory agencies and court systems for more than ten years. Through several operating divisions, the American Safety Council offers a diverse line of products and services, including state approved traffic safety education, safety related training, continuing education for regulated professionals, in addition to self-help, non-credit and pre-licensing education.

Visit www.mjfdefensivedriver.com to get more info and take the course.

MJF Offers Florida Driver Improvement Classes Online

8-Hour Traffic School (IDI)
This course can be taken by anyone who has been ordered by a Florida judge or court to attend an 8-hour traffic school course. In some counties, mainly Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Orange, this course is called Intermediate Driver Improvement (IDI). The IDI course can be taken if a driver has already attended a 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement course within the previous year and the court has given that driver an option to attend an 8-hour course to keep points off for a recent traffic violation.


Advanced Driver Improvement (ADI)
This advanced driver improvement class was developed to help you get behind the wheel of a car again as quickly as possible. Having your license suspended or revoked can feel like you have had your freedoms taken away, but this course saves the day by providing a quick and easy way to get it all back. This Florida ADI course is 100% online, which means you can work on it from any computer with a basic internet connection. This gives you the flexibility that your busy schedule needs so you can go about your normal routine and still have the time to take this Florida ADI course. This course is for anyone who has had their license suspended or revoked and has been ordered by the court to take an advanced driver improvement class to get it back.



Basic Driver Improvement (BDI)
Students typically select this option when they have received a traffic citation and elected to attend traffic school in order to avoid points and insurance penalties.

Go to www.mjfinsurance.com and click on Helpful Links header to find the online Courses.

N.Y. Condo Owners

If you own a condo in New York State then M.J.F. has the policy for you. Our carrier recently received insurance department approval to reduce there premiums by 15%. If you would like a quote please call us at 866-983-726 or visit our website at www.mjfinsurance.com.

Looking For Term Life Insurance?

MJF represents many life insurance companies. We offer Annual Renewable Term, 10 year Level Term, 15 year Level Term, 20 Year Level Term and and 30 Year Level Term. We can create a plan for the amount of years of coverage you need. The rates we offer are very low and with A rated carriers. For more information go to our website or call 866-983-8726 if you live in NY,NJ,PA,CT or FL and we will provide a free quote for you.

Auto And Homeowners Coverage

Recently received an increase on your auto or homeowners premium? M.J.F. can help you! Just go to our website or call our office and we will be happy to review your current coverage and make sure you have the proper coverage and locate the best available rate and
We write in the following states: NY,NJ,CT,PA & Florida.

Visit us at www.mjfinsurance.com or call us at 866-983-8726 for your free quote!