Monday, September 3, 2012

Cash Advance Loans For Bad Credit: The Fastest Way To Handle Financial Emergencies

Financial emergencies are widely considered part of life. But that does not make them easy to handle. For those with poor credit histories, getting the cash needed quickly can be difficult, but thanks to the availability of cash advance loans for bad credit borrowers, that challenge can now be met.

Known to be the fastest and most accessible loans available on the market, they are the perfect option when fast loan approval is essential. Their accessibility comes from the fact they are granted on the back of an upcoming paycheck, so the money is an advance on the paycheck.

Cash advance loans have some clear advantages, but there are also some compromises that need to be accepted. Interest rates are very high and the pressure to repay the loan over a very short period is quite acute.

The Main Advantages

The main advantage of getting cash advance loans for bad credit borrowers is that the chance to get the funds so desperately needed exists. Most traditional lenders prefer to avoid applicants with very low credit scores, so funds to pay unexpected medical bills are not usually easy to secure.

Another key advantage is that these loans come with fast loan approval a standard feature. This is down to two reasons: firstly, the lender carries out no credit check, so time is not wasted on that; and secondly, approval rests on just the income factor. If a large enough paycheck is confirmed, then there is no reason to reject the application.

With all the boxes ticked, approval can be given in a few hours. And with checking account details provided, the funds can be transferred within a few hours too. That means, inside 12 hours, a cash advance loan can be accessible, and the emergency dealt with.

The Main Disadvantages

But there are downsides to getting cash advance loans for bad credit. Chief amongst them is the interest rate charged, which is extremely high. Depending on the lender, a rate of between 15% and 35% can be charged. For example, a $1,500 loan at 30% needs $1,950 to be cleared.

Also, the loan limit is very low, and while very small sums, like $100, can be accessed, the maximum is about $1,500. Having fast loan approval is a major plus, but is of little use if the balance needing to be paid is more than $1,500.

The third negative aspect is that cash advance loans need to be paid so quickly. And since full repayment comes straight from one paycheck, little or nothing may be left over to meet regular monthly obligations. Sometimes it is possible to stretch the repayments over 60 or 90 days, but expect extra charges and more interest paid.

Advantages of Online Lenders

Considering the pros and cons is one thing, but neither have any relevance until the lender is chosen and applied to. The Internet is the best place to get cash advance loans for bad credit borrower.

This is partly because online lenders are experts in lending to people with low credit scores, but also because terms can also be quickly and easily examined on a comparison site online. Also, fast loan approval is a standard feature, with online application forms submitted and assessed within as little as an hour.

But as with all businesses operating over the Internet, it is important to check out their reputation with the BBB website. If they have an A rating or above, then getting a cash advance loan from them could be the best course of action.

Friday, August 31, 2012

The Summer of Stop-Loss

While this blog took the summer off, we have been keeping a close eye on the numerous developments related to stop-loss attachment point regulation.  Now that most of these developments have slowed down, at least for now, some exclusive reporting and commentary should be useful as those in the self-insurance industry (including those involved with employee benefit captives) take a collective breath.

 Pushed and prodded by a collection of health care reform advocates, federal regulators invited interested parties to submit written comments regarding the smaller insured group health plans facilitated by stop-loss insurance with “low” attachment points.

 About 150 comment letters have been submitted to date and the talking points are largely predictable. 

For the critics of self-insurance, the usual canards are widely repeated.  This request for information (RFI) process signaled a clear focus on self-insurance unlike anything that has been seen in recent years.  But the path forward remains unclear.

 That’s because the Affordable Care Act does not provide any explicit statutory authority for regulators to promulgate new rules relating to stop-loss insurance arrangements…yet that may not preclude action that could achieve the same objective.

 The HHS, DOL and/or Treasury Department (tri-agencies) could potentially rely on their general rule-making authority under ERISA or the Public Health Services Act, to play with definitions or to engage in other revisionist rule-making mischief.   The most likely scenario is that a new definition of a self-insured group health plan is crafted based on risk retention/risk transfer arrangements – thereby allowing the feds to indirectly regulate stop-loss insurance.

 So how serious is this potential threat?   The answer is complicated.

 In a private meeting with self-insurance industry representatives over the summer, a senior DOL official downplayed the prospects that any action is imminent or even likely, explaining that they felt the RFI was necessary for the agencies to get a better understanding of how the self-insurance marketplace operates in the real world.

 But conspicuously absent from the meeting, despite previously confirming their attendance, were senior HHS officials involved with the stop-loss RFI process.  This was notable because it is believed that HHS has the most aggressive regulatory agenda when it comes to self-insurance.  The Treasury Department was represented at the meeting but that agency has remained guarded about its interest and intent. 

 Any of the three agencies could initiate a rule-making process, but it is less likely if there is not a consensus among the three.

 So with that in mind, industry lobbyists have been making the rounds to congressional oversight committees to encourage that they become engaged on this issue and request that the agencies stand down now that the RFI process has been concluded and there is no “smoking gun” which would justify new regulatory action.

The most substantive meeting took place just a few weeks ago with the senior policy advisors for the Senate Finance Committee.  Given that the committee is chaired by Democratic Senator Max Baucus, who has been supportive of self-insurance in the past, it is best positioned to intervene.

The biggest push back by committee staffers was centered on the fact that the ACA does not require that self-insured employers cover essential health benefits (EHBs).   They argued that because of this “loophole” there is incentive for smaller employers to self-insurer, facilitated by stop-loss insurance with low attachment points, in order to be able to offer skimpy health care coverage as a way to save money.

Industry experts at the meeting, including executives from two leading TPAs, explained why this fear is unfounded for practical reasons.  It was then pointed out that while self-insured employers are not required to cover EHBs, they will be subject to “minimum value” requirements, which essentially accomplish the same public policy objective.

 But a final argument seemed to box in the Senate staffers.  Even if you concede the EHB “loophole” (which this blog does not), the fact is that the law was drafted in a very deliberate way to distinguish self-insured group health plans from health insurance carriers.  In this regard, any proposed changes should come back to Congress in the form of legislation as opposed to letting unelected regulators arbitrate substantive policy issues.

 The discussion was concluded with a formal request that Chairman Baucus consider exercising the committee’s oversight authority and communicate to the Treasury Department accordingly.   We understand that the request is still under consideration, so be sure to check back with this blog for updates.

Of course, the focus on self-insured plans with stop-loss insurance extends beyond Washington, DC. 

Many of our friends at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), have been led by the nose over the past year by health care reform advocates to take action on making it more difficult for smaller employers to self-insurer through tighter stop-loss attachment point regulation.

 At the NAIC summer meeting held a few weeks ago in Atlanta, the ERISA (B) Working Group considered a proposal to endorse “guideline amendments” to the current stop-loss insurance model act related to attachment point requirements. 

 Clearly aware of the blowback that would be directed at the NAIC if it took aggressive action that was seen to be disruptive to the health care marketplace, Working Group Chair Christina Goe of Montana tried to diffuse concerns by explaining the proposal is only advisory in nature and that the NAIC does not intend to formally amend the model act for a variety of procedural reasons.  And for good measure, committee members made it clear that they did not overstep their charge and attempt to redefine stop-loss insurance as health insurance.

 Well, it is certainly nice to hear this self-awareness of the limitations to their “charge,” but multiple federal court rulings have already confirmed that stop-loss insurance cannot be defined as health insurance, so no real favor here.

 And as far as considering a guideline amendment versus an amended model act, it’s a distinction without a meaningful difference.

 Of the 26 states that currently regulate stop-loss attachment points, only a few have adopted the model act without variation.  So it is unlikely that an amended model act would take root across the country any time soon.   No matter, as a simple NAIC recommendation on how states should regulate stop-loss attachment points could accomplish the same objective (restricting the ability of smaller employers to self-insure) much quicker.

That is because individual insurance commissioners who are already inclined to push stop-loss legislation in their states will use the NAIC recommendation as justification for action.  Given the technical nature of this issue, it’s easy to understand how this would be enough to persuade most state legislators to go along without asking too many questions.

 The NAIC working group deferred action on the proposal until its winter meeting, which in hindsight was predictable because insurance commissioners, like all political creatures, normally put off major policy decisions when Election Day looms.  Let the dust settle after November 6 and get ready for more action.

This brings us to California.

 As this blog has previously reported, the state’s insurance commissioner, Dave Jones, is a political creature who is interested in beefing up his credentials within the Democratic Party.  So it should not be surprising that he has come out as a major proponent of health care reform, and more specifically the establishment of California’s health insurance exchange, which is expected to come online in 2014.

 Self-insurance therefore became a target for political reasons every bit as much as for misinformed policy reasons in order for Commissioner Jones and his allies in the Legislature to claim credit for protecting the viability of the state’s health insurance marketplace as the exchange begins to be implemented.   A nice populist message for sure.

 One health care broker in California perhaps summed it up best when he referred to SB 1431 as the “California Health Insurance Exchange Protection Act of 2012.”

 Now that it has been confirmed that SB 1431 has been shelved, at least until a special session this December, we can look at the past as prologue.

The same stale arguments are certain to be dredged back up when some version of SB 1431 is brought back for consideration after the November elections, and the political posturing will be predictably crass.

 Equally unfortunate is that many stakeholders who will oppose SB 1431 “2.0” will likely concede the central principle once again of whether stop-loss attachment points should be regulated at all and immediately begin negotiating the numbers and formula.   Yes, political realities often dictate short term lobbying strategies based on compromise, but the longer view should not be ignored in this case.

It’s been a long hot summer for stop-loss insurance indeed, which has ended without much certainty for the future of the self-insurance marketplace.    We will see whether the coming autumn chill cools off the debate or if partisan health care reform advocates continue to overplay their hand.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Insurance and Your College Kids

Out in front of our Oxford, OH insurance office, it is a busy place. Today 16,000+ Miami University students return to begin a new school year. This annual pilgrimage brings up potential insurance issues pertaining to what parent's personal insurance policies cover or don't cover. Three areas that parents should be aware of:
(1) If your son or daughter is going away to school over 100 miles from home without a car, most companies will rate your Personal Auto Policy for them being married which is a nice discount. Let us know if this discount might apply to your family and your Personal Auto Policy.
(2) Most insurance companies will extend personal property (contents) coverage and personal liability for your son or daughter while they are in college and living in a dormitory. Some, but not all, will also extend coverage if they are living in off campus facilities such as an apartment or other student housing. Please check with us to see if your insurance company provides this extended protection. If not, we should be able to write a Tenant/Homeowner for your student to cover both their personal property and personal liability while they are an undergraduate. If they are in graduate school, they should definitely have their own Tenant/Homeowner Policy.
(3) If you or your children are using a rental truck to take their things back to college, U-Haul, Penske, Hertz and other will offer you coverage on the vehicle (collision damage waiver) and extended liability. While these may be covered by your Personal Auto Policy, not all companies extend the protection, so check with us before renting the vehicle. Whether or not they are covered will depend on the length and Gross Vehicle Weight of the vehicle and several other factors. We may be suggesting you buy the extra protection from the rental company before your trip.



Thursday, July 26, 2012

12 Month Cash Loans: Enjoy Prolonged Repayment Process

Is your monthly income unable to support you in a proper way to get solution of all fiscal crises? Do you always have to borrow funds through other resources? Do you feel shy in doing it every month? Leave worrying for it! 12 month cash loans are the amazing schemes that are mainly tailored for you and you get them as better and faster support for any emergency.

2 month cash loans come with the long-term repayment period and so, you feel relaxed when you apply for these loans. The amount that is approved through these loans varies from 100 pounds to 5000 pounds. The loan sum can be used for the domestic purpose and even for other urgent expenses that occur anytime in life. The good thing about these loans is that they are approved within 24 hours and the money is quickly deposited into the account.

Here are some eligibility criteria attached with these loans that need to be qualified:

The applicant should be above the age of 18,

He should have a valid bank account,

He should be the citizen of the UK,

He should earn up to 1000 pounds per month.

The online application form is generally available at several websites and you only have to fulfill the application form with these asked details. As soon as you complete it and submit it to the lender, it gets quick approval and then, the money comes to your account and you will be able to utilize for any purpose. Hence, you don’t need to worry for any fiscal disaster as you can always get rid of it. 

Friday, July 20, 2012

Cyber Liability Insurance

As absolute dependence on computers and computer stored information grows there are new ways companies can be sued by third parties for damages.  When private information such as dates of birth, social security numbers, credit card numbers, etc are stolen off of your business' computer systems, it is called a data breach, and they are very costly to manage.  The insurance industry has calculated this cost to be about $200 per individual whose information was taken.  Also, if a malicious virus is distributed from your computer to a customer’s computer system and causes damage, you could be held responsible for cost to repair their system.  Your basic general liability policies are not designed to pay for such claims so many times when businesses look to their business policies the coverage is not there to help with these expenses.  Because of that, insurance companies have developed a new product called cyber liability.  It is designed to step up and pay for the third party damages caused by your data breaches and damage by viruses to other’s computer system.

So what kinds of business should be looking into this new cyber liability products?  Any business with a computer, especially one that stores or interacts with any private information or distribute emails to others should look into this product.  Restaurants and retail stores that take credit cards, professional business that store dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and social security numbers, even doctors’ offices are at risk for the types of claims mentioned above.  Unfortunately, even if a business has the best firewalls and antivirus software, they still are at risk of data breaches and malicious viruses.  Cyber liability is something designed to help protect your business assets if an unpreventable claim strikes.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Urgent Cash Loans: Slash Financial Problems Quickly

A sudden financial expense or cash requirement may come up abruptly when you are not prepared for it. Many of us are not prepared enough to handle such financial problems and get screwed up easily. But it is very important to deal with the problems and mince them as soon as possible thus urgent cash loans can be opted in such situation to handle problems effectively. Now, you need not worry about trivial financial matters when there is a solution.

The loan amount can be used for carrying out various important financial needs such as paying car repair expense, sudden medical treatment bills, travel expense, office rent, purchasing stationery, buying grocery, paying electricity or utility bills, child’s school fee or such related expenses.
  

The approval of these loans takes less time and one can access funds within 24 hours. The repayment term of these loans is short and can vary from 15-30 days. The loan amount offered ranges from £100 to £1500 and you can borrow depending on your requirement. Repayment term extension is possible on valid grounds but additional fee is charged for it. These loans generally carry slightly higher interest rates.

The required qualifications that one must fulfill to get approved are following:-
• One must be 18 years of age or above
• Should have a regular employment and minimum income of £1000
• Along with a valid back account

Another feature of these loans is that there is no credit check involved. So it is possible for bad credit holders to apply. They can apply with bad credit records like defaults, bankruptcy, arrears, late payment, IVA and such records. There is no restriction on anyone and now financial needs can be easily fulfilled.

The urgent cash loans can be entailed within a day as there are no formalities involved. No credit check, no paperwork, no faxing and no other formality is actually needed for the approval of these loans.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

MSN Health recently published on their website a great article about firework safety.  We wanted to post this article as both a way to wish you a Happy Fourth of July and to make sure you keep it a safe Fourth of July.  Here is the article.  To go directly to their site click here or read below:

Fourth of July Safety Tips

By Hank Bernstein, D.O., Harvard Health Publications

Each year, especially during the early summer weeks around the Fourth of July, thousands of people are treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries. While some are minor, many of these injuries are serious, for example, resulting in burns or blindness. In 2008, seven deaths from fireworks-related injuries were reported; perhaps these could have been prevented.


 
Children should never be allowed to use fireworks! Of the 9,800 fireworks-related injuries reported to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) in 2007, almost half occurred in children under the age of 15.

 
All fireworks are dangerous—even sparklers—which cause the majority of fireworks-related injuries to children under the age of 5. Sparklers burn at very high temperatures (up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit), sending out sparks that can easily set clothes on fire and cause permanent eye damage.

 
Because the risk of injuries when using fireworks is so high, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports a nationwide ban on the private use of any and all fireworks. Instead, families should attend public fireworks displays, which are much less dangerous.
 
While a few states have banned all consumer fireworks, most have not. Until every state bans fireworks, the CPSC and the National Council on Fireworks Safety recommend taking the following safety precautions to make it less likely that someone will be injured by these potentially dangerous devices:

 
  • Never allow children to touch fireworks of any kind, including sparklers even after they have "gone off". It can be hot, or even explosive and debris from fireworks can be extremely dangerous.
  • Older teens should only be allowed to use fireworks under close adult supervision.
  • Fireworks must never be used while drinking alcohol or using other drugs.
  • Obey all local laws.
  • If allowed in your area and you choose to do so, buy fireworks only from reliable sellers.
  • Store fireworks in a dry, cool place.
  • Only use fireworks outdoors and always have a good amount of water close by (a garden hose and a bucket), in case of emergency.
  • Read and follow label directions.
  • Light only one firework at a time.
  • Never hold any part of your body directly over the firework while lighting it.
  • Be sure all other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
  • Never throw or point fireworks at anyone.
  • Never light fireworks in a container, especially a metal or glass container.
  • Never light fireworks near a house or building, dry leaves or grass, or any other materials that can catch on fire.
  • Never re-light a "dud" firework. Instead, wait 15 to 20 minutes, then soak it in a bucket of water and throw it away.
Information contained in this article was adapted from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.