Important Numbers


Technology is advancing before our eyes! Phones are now TV's, walkman's, palm pilots, and miniture computers all in one! These gadgets are handy and very useful. Please add our information in your phone's for easy access for your insurance needs.


Office number(s) 488.7033 or 451.7733
Toll Free 1866.488.7033
Claims (other than glass) 1800.255.7828
Glass Claims 1800.626.4527
Emergency message email 9073782880@mms.att.net
Fax 907.4885237

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We now have a way to stop the bills from coming to you if your amount due is Zero! Please email a request to have this feature added to your account. Katherinehood@allstate.com

Teen Driver now or soon?




Visit the new weblink to discover what to know before your teen hits the road.



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For specific Internet Service Provider unblocking Techniques go to this link:


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Negligent Driving

Text messaging, talking on a cell phone, styling hair, watching a movie, writing a grocery list, nursing a baby or putting in contact lenses: Secondary activities have become an everyday occurrence behind the wheel of American motorists. A growing shift in focus from the roadway to a multitude of other tasks impairs the ability of modern drivers, and the U.S. traffic statistics mark this drastic change.


Facts about Distracted Driving:


Distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens. Alcohol-related accidents among teens have dropped. But teenage traffic fatalities have remained unchanged, because distracted driving is on the rise. (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Study and NHTSA Study)


While over 90% of teen drivers say they don't drink and drive, nine out of 10 say they've seen passengers distracting the driver, or drivers using cell phones. (National Teen Driver Survey)


Brain power used while driving decreases by 40% when a driver listens to conversation or music. (Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University Study)

More than 80% of drivers admit to blatantly hazardous behavior: changing clothes, steering with a foot, painting nails and shaving. (Nationwide Mutual Insurance Survey)

Drivers on mobile phones are more impaired than drivers at .08 BAC. (University of Utah Study)


An estimated million people each day chat on their mobile or send text messages while driving. (The Herald)


Safety Tips

In the event of an emergency, are your home or business address numbers visible to emergency responders? Help your Fire & Police Department, along with the ambulance find your address quickly. By ensuring your home or business have its numbers posted, and that they are clearly visible from the street. Day and night!

Follow these general hints to help ensure your numbers are visible:
1) Use numbers at least 4 inches high
2) Use numbers that contrast the color of your home or business
3) Ensure that trees or shrubs do not block the view of your numbers; trim back as necessary
4) Provide lighting to numbers during evening hours to ensure visibility
5) Check to see if your numbers are indeed visible, by viewing them from the middle of your street
6) Make certain the street signs are also clear of snow and ice



Please make sure your home is easy to locate in the event your family does have an emergency.


Your auto Insurance should be tailored to meet your needs. Normally, clients either buy “Liability Insurance only” or “Full coverage”.




It is very common for consumers to look at their bottom line. With the rising cost of living it is only natural to look for ways to cut back on household expenses. In Insurance you get what you pay for. It is important to be familiar with your policy and what it does or doesn’t cover.
Liability Insurance involves decisions like whether or not to purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, towing, and medical coverage. All very important coverage that must be considered.

"Full coverage" a slang term primarily means Liability Insurance and physical damage coverage ONLY for your auto(s). Again there are also optional coverage’s to consider and commonly left off to trim cost, however presumed that all and everything is covered and not noticed until after a loss.

*Comprehensive (prices vary according to the value of the car and theft statistics)
*Medical payments (prices vary, minimum of $10,000 is recommended)
*Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (20-30% of accidents are involved with someone uninsured)
*Towing ($2 per car per six months)
*Rental Car ($15-$20 per car per six months)
*New Car Replacement (only available in Your Choice policies)
*Custom equipment (prices vary)
*Sound system Coverage (prices vary)
*Accident Forgiveness (Offered by our premium policy’s, save 5% at renewal)
*Deductible rewards (Offered by our premium policy’s)

Don’t get caught feeling under insured after a loss. Call and review your coverage today!

Insurance Tips


One way to reduce your auto insurance premium is to hike the deductible on your collision coverage and skimp on your liability coverage. Sometimes this can make sense, but often it's not worth the extra risk.


Bodily Injury Liability:

This coverage, which is required in most states, compensates the driver of the other car and its passengers in the event you get into an accident. It also covers the passengers in your car. The main consideration here is protecting your assets against lawsuits that arise from auto accidents. "But I'm a careful driver," you say. It doesn't matter. You can get sued even if the accident is not your fault.
Bodily injury liability is sold in standard increments that designate both how much coverage you have per person in an accident, with an additional limit per accident. For example, if you buy bodily injury worth $100,000/$300,000, each of the people you injured could be compensated $100,000, but only up to $300,000 per accident.
How much coverage you need is a function of what assets you have to protect. If you make $30,000 a year and rent your apartment, $50,000/$100,000 should suffice. But if you make more than $75,000 a year, own a house worth $150,000 and have $40,000 in mutual funds, you should consider at least $100,000/$300,000 of coverage.
In most cases the cost of increasing your Liability limits is very minimal.
One more option: If you have substantial assets, buy $300,000 in bodily injury on your auto policy and $300,000 on the liability portion of your homeowners policy. Then spend another $150 to $300 for a $1 million umbrella policy, which covers you against all manner of liability claims. Should you want still more coverage, the cost for an additional $1 million in coverage is minimal: It's typically $75 to increase your coverage to $2 million, and then $50 for each million after that, according to the Insurance Information Institute.


Property Damage Liability:

This coverage will pay for the repair and replacement of the other guy's car or property in the event of an accident. If you total some body's Lexus, do you have enough coverage to cover the damage?
You're better off with a minimum of $50,000 for each vehicle you own. And to be truly safe, you should have a total of $100,000 coverage.


Uninsured or Under insured Motorist:

This coverage pays for medical and funeral costs for you and your family in the event you get in an accident with either a hit-and-run driver or a driver who doesn't have enough auto insurance. These policies usually cover bike and pedestrian accidents, too. Given the prevalence of uninsured drivers nationally, this coverage is essential. On average, it costs less than $40 a year for $100,000 worth and will make up for anything your medical insurance doesn't cover. In Alaska 20-30% of accidents fall in the uninsured motorist category, not something to go without!


Collision and Comprehensive:

Collision reimburses you for the full cost of repairs or replacement of your car after an accident. Comprehensive covers you in the event your car falls victim to a natural disaster, vandalism or theft. With either coverage, the lower the deductible you choose, the more the policy will cost you. We recommend that you always choose the highest deductible you can afford ($1,000 is fine). After all, the purpose of insurance is to protect you against big losses, not to make you whole to the last dollar. If you have an older car, you might drop this coverage altogether.
Collision and comprehensive — which can account for 30% to 40% of your total premium — are cash-value coverages. That means if your car is damaged, the most you'll recoup is the Kelley Blue Book value, which declines precipitously as your car ages. Here's a good rule of thumb: If the cost of your collision and comprehensive is more than 10% of your car's Blue Book value, it probably makes sense to drop these coverages and save a tidy sum. With most cars, you should approach this limit as the car turns five years old. Understand, however, that if you eliminate the coverages, you'll have to foot the repair bill if you get in an accident that's your fault, or if the car is totalled or stolen.


Extras:

Consider rental-car reimbursement, which pays a paltry $15 or so a day while your car is in the repair shop after a collision. Not only is the reimbursement small, the odds you'll need it are remote. The chances are at least even that the other guy will be at fault, and his insurance will pay the full cost of this.

Want to Save Money This Winter?

If you plan to park those summer toys when the snow flies, make sure to call! Many items, such as motor homes and motorcycles have reduced coverage available for the winter lay-up. They will be covered for perils such as fire, theft, vandalism, falling objects, at just a fraction of the normal cost.
These items won't be road legal while they are on the reduce winter coverage, so make sure those keys are put safely away. Also, remember to call us in the spring when you are ready to hit the road again. Helpful reminders can include a note on the steering wheel, or a taped to the ignition key.

10 Expensive Mortgage Mistakes


Most advice columns tell you how you should do things. But there are all kinds of things you shouldn't do, either. Here are 10 frequent financial mistakes that consumers routinely make -- and you should avoid.


Don't Choose the Wrong Mortgage: Home loans are no longer the lifetime obligations they used to be. Still, you don't want to be saddled for even a short period of time with the wrong one. Investigate all your options, then lay your choices side-by-side and do the math, making sure to compare worst-case scenarios. Be sure to look at initial interest rates, future interest rates and payments (if different), and the possibility of prepayment penalties.


Confuse "Pre-Approved" and "Pre-Qualified" with a Loan Commitment: According to one school of thought, however, when you are "pre-qualified," the lender is making an educated guess about how much you can borrow based on information you've provided. When you are "pre-approved," the lender has verified everything you have told him or her and is offering to lend you up to a given amount at current interest rates -- under certain conditions. Whether pre-qualified or pre-approved, final clearance and a check at closing -- a loan commitment -- are subject to an appraisal satisfactory to the lender, good title, a last-minute credit check, and other verifications. When meeting with lenders, always ask how they define each term and what additional steps will be required to obtain a loan.


Have Too Much Credit: Excessive credit is almost as bad as no credit or even bad credit. Even if you pay your bills on time, lenders tend to focus just as much on how much credit you have available to you as they do on timeliness. So being up to your ears in car loans and credit cards is a sure way to be turned down for a mortgage. Postpone any big ticket purchases until after you buy your house.


Lie on Your Loan Application: Exaggerating your income on a mortgage application or putting down other untruths can be a federal offense. Lenders rarely prosecute liars. But if they find out later, they can call your loan due and payable. Don't ever sign your name to a loan application that is not completely filled out, either. Loan officers have been known to stretch the truth to get a client approved, but it's the borrower who ends up paying the price, often in the form of monthly loan payments he can't afford.

Hide If You Can't Make Your Payments: The worst thing you can do is ignore phone calls and letters from your lender when you are behind on your payments. Lenders have many options at their disposal to help keep borrowers from losing their homes to foreclosure. But they can't do anything for you unless they can talk to you about your difficulties. Lenders are the enemy only if you give them no other choice.


Skip a Home Inspection: Failing to make your purchase contingent on a satisfactory home inspection could be a costly mistake. Independent home inspectors examine houses from stem to stern. They'll be able to tell you whether the roof and/or basement leaks, whether the mechanical systems are in good shape and how long the appliances should last. They can't report on things they can't see, but at least their trained eyes are better than yours. So don't pass just to save $300-$400; that's money well spent.


Hire Just Any Agent to Sell Your House: All real estate agents are not the same. You want to look for those who specialize in your neighborhood and are top producers. Ask your candidates how they plan to market your house, what you can do to make the place more attractive to prospects and how much you should ask. If you don't like any of the answers, looks elsewhere. And above all, stay away from relatives. Unless Aunt Bessie or Nephew Nick fit the description above, keep looking.


Fail to Check Out a Remodeler: Never, ever hire a contractor who knocks on your door or says his prices are good for only a few days. Reputable remodelers don't solicit door-to-door, and they don't cut prices just because they happen to be in your neighborhood. Check out a potential contractor thoroughly by calling several of his past clients, your local better business bureau, his bankers and suppliers, and your local consumer affairs agency.

Pay Too Much Upfront: If a contractor asks for more than a third of the contract price as a down payment, chances are something's wrong. At worst, he's a scam artist who has no intention of returning after he cashes your check. At best, he's undercapitalized and can't afford to purchase materials on his own. Or, in between, he could be using your money to pay workers on another job. Never give a contractor cash, either.


Burn Your Mortgage: It's a wonderful feeling when you make your last house payment. After all, the place is now yours, all yours. Many people celebrate by holding a mortgage burning party. But they torch the original document. Don't. Make a copy and burn that instead. Keep all your loan docs in a safe place.

Roundabouts

The largest myth:
Is the roundabout like a 4-way stop?


Not really. The main similarity is that both roundabouts and 4-way stop intersections do not have signals. The differences include: 4-way stops yield to the right, roundabouts yield to the left --like a right turn on red-- because the circulating traffic comes from that direction. At 4-way stops, each direction gets a turn in order. At roundabouts, each driver chooses a safe gap to enter and no driver “gets a turn.”

For more frequently asked questions and Animations:
http://www.alaskaroundabouts.com/Dowling/index.htm

Auto Accident Reporting Checklist

If you have ever been in a car accident, the feeling of your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping, it is difficult to think clearly about the event and the things you need to do immediately following an accident. It is very important to document thoroughly to ensure that the claims process is handled as quickly and smoothly as possible. Even if there is police involved, the accident report filled by the policy officer may take days and may not have all the necessary information. We have a check sheet available to pick, or mail that will conveniently fit in your glove box.

Basic Information
Date
Time
Location
Weather conditions
Your Driving Speed
Road Speed Limit
Travel direction

Other Driver’s Basic Information
*Make certain the driver is the vehicle’s registered owner.
Name
Address
Home, Work and Cell number
Drivers license number
Make, Model, Year of car
License plate number
Vin Number (vehicle identification number)
Business card
Email

Other Drivers Insurance Information
*exchange of ID card make this step easy
Insurance company name
Address
Phone Number
Policy Number

Passenger or Witness Information
Name Address
Home, Work and Cell number
Plate number if applicable

Police and Emergency Personnel
Division (example Fairbanks, Anchorage, Alaska State Trooper)
Name
Badge Number
Phone number

Don’t Forget to…
Write a description of any damage on your car
Take photos of car’s damage, and placement of vehicles (cell phones or digital camera). Perhaps take far away photos of the vehicle's and skid marks. Then take close photos of the license plates and vin numbers to have these to refer to.

If the police is involved they will provide a Alaska Motor Vehicle Crash Form 12-209. This form should be filled out when involved in any auto accident. If there were no police to assist in the accident the form can be found online (link below) or at any law enforcement post. The state requires this report only over a certain dollar amount, however if one party involved fills one out and one does not, the one that failed to fill will automatically get their license suspended. To prevent this frustrating and time consuming issue from occurring it is advisable to fill one out, maintain a copy and follow up by calling the DMV in Juneau at 907.465.4361 and confirm the information was complete and properly logged. If the accident was minor and is apparent the other party is at fault, they were sited by the police for example for failure to yield, and their Insurance is active, we recommend contacting us during business hours for us to document in your file and give advice. We will not file a claim unless there is a chance the other party’s Insurance has lapsed or the other Insurance company attempts to place blame on your behalf. Calling during business hours is considered reporting to your Insurance provider but without filling an actual claim it prevents loss of possible benefits or rewards to your account. Even filling a claim for a not at fault accident can cause a loss of a discount or accident forgives reward.
http://www.muni.org/iceimages/APD1/crash209.pdf